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Travelers use self-service kiosks to check in at the American Airlines terminal in Miami. (Marta Lavandier/AP)

Mask mandate extended for air travel and public transit through May 3

Masks will continue to be required until at least May 3 when flying commercially and in other transportation settings, including on buses, ferries and subways, while health officials monitor an uptick in coronavirus cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Dyani White Hawk, rendering for Wopila|Lineage, 2021. Acrylic, glass bugle beads, and synthetic sinew on aluminum panel, 8 × 14 ft. (2.4 × 4.3 m). Collection of the artist. Image courtesy the artist and Bockley Gallery, Minneapolis, MN

Whitney Biennial 2022: Artist Installations That Stole the Show

Dyani White Hawk's beaded geometric panel is a sight to behold. Combining Lakota beadwork with Western Abstract Expressionist influences, including painters Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, White Hawk creates unique visual intersections of different cultures.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (12761168q) Free at home antigen rapid coronavirus tests are distributed to members of the public at a library in Silver Spring, Md., on Friday. (Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Americans will be able to order free rapid coronavirus tests Wednesday on new federal website

The federal website where Americans can order free coronavirus rapid tests will be launched Wednesday and allow each household to order up to four tests, senior administration officials said Friday.

A new executive order from President Biden calls on the State Department to create a system where passports can be renewed online. Jenny Kane/AP

You may soon be able to renew your passport online, instead of sending in documents

Renewing your passport isn't an experience most people would consider streamlined — especially during the pandemic. Getting it processed can take from anywhere between eight to 11 weeks, according to the State Department.

But a new executive order from President Joe Biden hopes to cut down on the amount of time people spend accessing all kinds of government services, like scheduling a call back time with the IRS, applying for Social Security and Medicare benefits online and yes, renewing a passport.

Travelers can be caught short by unexpected hotel closures. (iStock)

What to do when a hotel closure impacts your trip

When a hotel goes out of business or shuts down for renovations, it doesn’t necessarily send out a news release.

If the hotel is part of a chain, the company may move your reservation to another one of its properties. But unless you have a travel agent monitoring the situation, you may not know about it. So how do you find out?

(iStock/Washington Post illustration)

9 questions about the omicron variant and travel, answered

As countries around the world react to the new and little-understood omnicrom variant of the coronavirus, travelers are once again facing unexpected border closures, evolving entry rules and a dark cloud of potential cancellations.

The United States on Wednesday joined the list of more than 20 countries that detected cases of the new variant, health authorities said. It wasn’t immediately clear if that would trigger new restrictions for Americans traveling to other countries.

CELLICION TRADITIONAL DANCERS (ZUNI)/Screenshot Indian Pueblo Cultural Center website

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Starts Season with Holiday Market

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) is kicking off the holiday season with the inaugural Pueblo Santa’s Holiday Market Saturday, Nov. 13th from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the IPCC courtyard in Albuquerque, N.M. 

Guests will have the opportunity to shop directly from Native artists.  There will also be storytelling with Emmett Garcia (Santa Ana and Jemez Pueblos), ornament making, and cultural dance performances by the Sky City Buffalo Ram Dancers (Acoma Pueblo) and the Cellicion Traditional Dancers (Zuni Pueblo). 

Image of an interactive Doodle—illustrated by Zuni Pueblo guest artist Mallery Quetawki—celebrates Zuni (A:shiwi) Native American fiber artist, weaver, and potter the late We:wa (wee-wah).

In honor of Native American Heritage Month: Celebrating the late We:wa

In honor of Native American Heritage Month in the U.S., today’s interactive Doodle—illustrated by Zuni Pueblo guest artist Mallery Quetawki—celebrates Zuni (A:shiwi) Native American fiber artist, weaver, and potter the late We:wa (wee-wah). As a Łamana (thah-mah-nah), the late We:wa was a revered cultural leader and mediator within the Zuni tribe, devoting their life to the preservation of Zuni traditions and history. 

(iStock/Washington Post illustration)

Should you travel with kids during the pandemic? Consider these 6 trip scenarios.

“The delta variant has upended everything. It is very important for people to recalibrate their risk,” said Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University. “Some people may decide that nothing has changed for them, and that’s reasonable. But for families with young children in particular who are not yet vaccinated, they should consider using much more caution than before.”

Nez Perce tribe members and NPS Rangers sit together during a commemoration of the Nez Perce Trail. (Photo/National Park Service)

AIANTA & National Park Service Partner to Highlight Tribal History and Traditions

In an effort to improve tribal input and consultation with the federal government, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and the National Park Service (NPS) and) have entered into a cooperative agreement to help facilitate regular, robust and meaningful dialogue between Tribes and the NPS.

The cooperative agreement was entered into on Wednesday at the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference that is in session at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Ariz.

(Photo/American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association)

Economic Impact Study Reveals Native Tourism is a $14 Billion Industry

One in four American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AIANNH)-owned firms are supported by the tourism industry, according to a report released on Tuesday at the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference that is in session at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Ariz.

The Economic Impact of Indigenous Tourism Report, released by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), says the Native hospitality industry supports 117,852 jobs in Indian Country.

The Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, a wholly owned enterprise of the Hualapai Tribe, operates a range of tourism and hospitality businesses, including the Grand Canyon Skywalk. (Courtesy photo)

BIA Office of Indian Economic Development awards $2.1M in tourism grants

The Office of Indian Economic Development within the Bureau of Indian Affairs has awarded $2.1 million in tourism grants to 18 tribes and two Native Hawaiian Organizations.

The grants, awarded under the BIA’s Tribal Tourism Grants Program, will primarily fund feasibility studies and business plans for a range of tourism projects, according to the OIED. Native American tribal grantees will split $1.5 million in funding, while $600,000 will go to two Native Hawaiian Organization projects. 

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