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Government officials in India have announced that from today, 27 April, the city of Bengaluru will enter a 14-day COVID-19 'lockdown' as both it and the country nationally battles a sharp surge in infections; Karnataka state, of which Bengaluru is capital, will also face the same measures during this time frame.

The country's finance minister has warned that Germany's government does not expect moves to be made to ease current COVID-19 restrictions until the end of May, following a further rise in COVID-19 infections in the past week, despite stricter measures. New laws passed by Germany's parliament last week also give the federal government more power to impose overnight curfews in areas where COVID-19 cases exceed 100 per 100,000 population on three consecutive days.

The government of the Caribbean island of Grenada has announced that fully COVID-19 vaccinated passengers entering from 1 May will only be required to quarantine for 48 hours, pending the result of a PCR test administered at point of entry; they must also book approved accommodation for a minimum of two nights. Arrivals who are not fully vaccinated or are unable to provide proof of their vaccination will be required to quarantine for up to seven days in approved accommodations, with a COVID-19 PCR test administered on day five.

The country's president has announced that people will be required to stay mostly at home under a nationwide 'full lockdown' beginning on 29 April and lasting until at least 17 May; the measures are being introduced in order to curb a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths. Among the restrictions will be the requirement for official approval for all inter-city travel, the closing of all schools, caps on public transport capacity, and permission to leave home to be limited to the reasons of essential shopping and urgent medical treatment only.

Government officials from the two regions have confirmed that Hong Kong and Singapore will finally establish a long-awaited COVID-19 travel bubble from 26 May, as they move to re-establish travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine requirements for visiting passengers. The scheme will start with one flight per day into each city, with up to 200 passengers on each flight; those wanting to travel from either city must test negative for COVID-19 before departure and on arrival. Hong Kong residents can also only fly to Singapore at least 14 days after they have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The country's tourism ministry has outlined plans for Spain to begin welcoming visitors from June, following a pilot trial of COVID-19 digital health certificates at all 46 Spanish airports in May. The nation's government has been reportedly planning for vaccine certification since February due to the importance of tourism to the Spanish economy.

The prime minister of Australia has today, 27 April, announced in a televised news conference that the country has suspended direct flights from India in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases in India. The suspension is currently due to be in force until at least 15 May, and primarily impacts two passenger services from India into Sydney, plus two repatriation flights from India to Darwin, totalling around 500 arrivals.

The government of the territory has announced that the British Virgin Islands will from 15 May reduce its quarantine requirement to one day for passengers fully vaccinated against COVID-19, pending a negative PCR test undertaken upon arrival. All passengers, including those who are vaccinated, will still be required to produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained within five days of travel and will then be subjected to the additional PCR test upon arrival. Otherwise, entry protocols will remain the same for un-vaccinated arrivals.

The government of Malta has announced that it has placed the UK on its 'amber' travel list, meaning that non-vaccinated travellers will not need to quarantine on arrival if they have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result; the test should be carried out within the previous 72 hours prior to boarding a plane to Malta.

The country's government has announced that Greece will lift current quarantine restrictions on COVID-19-free visitors from more countries including Australia and Russia from 3 May, as it extends exemptions prior to formally re-opening to tourism on 15 May. Visitors from these countries are to be allowed into Greece without spending a week in quarantine as long as they are vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19; As well as Australia and Russia, Greece will lift restrictions on visitors from New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda and Singapore.

The country's government has ordered its capital of Bangkok to close public venues and sporting facilities from 26 April until at least 9 May, after Thailand reported a record daily rise in COVID-19 infections and deaths. The closures apply to venues including public parks, gyms, swimming pools, meeting halls, internet shops, daycare centres, sports fields, museums and libraries; Bangkok and 40 provinces have also made the wearing of face masks in public mandatory.

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it has suspended passenger flights from India effective 25 April for the 10 days; furthermore, passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE. The measure has been taken in response to sharp rises in COVID-19 cases and variants within India.

The country's government has confirmed the pending implementation of what it calls a 'short and powerful' state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures, as the country battles to contain a spike in cases of COVID-19. Under the measures to be enforced from 25 April to 11 May, the government will require restaurants, bars, and karaoke parlours serving alcohol to close, and big sporting events to be held without spectators. Department stores, cinemas and other commercial facilities larger than 1,000 square metres will need to close, while companies will be asked to make greater allowances for people to work from home; schools will though remain open.

The government of the islands of Tahiti has said that they will re-open their borders from 1 May to U.S. passengers, and will waive quarantine requirements for those who are vaccinated for COVID-19, or can show proof of recent recovery. However, all passengers will still have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within three days of departing for Tahiti, and take another test on arrival. Arrivals without proof of a vaccine or antibodies, as well as children under 16 who currently aren't eligible for vaccines, will have to quarantine for 10 days on arrival.

The government of the state of Western Australia (WA) has announced that Perth and the neighbouring region of Peel are to enter a three-day COVID-19 'lockdown' from 23.59 (local time) on Friday 23 April; the measures are in response to an outbreak of COVID-19 in WA's hotel quarantine system. Restrictions during the three day period will include the requirement to leave home only for essential reasons, and the wearing of face masks in public during all but rigorous exercise.

The country's government yesterday, 21 April, implemented a nighttime curfew and other local mobility restrictions in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases threatening to overwhelm hospitals; in 16 of the country's 24 provinces, only workers in the healthcare, food and other sectors deemed essential will be allowed to circulate over weekends and during evenings from Monday through to Thursday while the measure is in place - which will be for 28 days from 23 April.

The country's deputy director of tourism has said that the government of Anguilla will impose a 14-day COVID-19 'lockdown' from 23.59 (local time) on 22 April, citing a surge in cases of the virus on the island as the cause. The airport, and ferry services connecting Anguilla with St. Maarten/Martin, are closed to incoming passengers, although those already on the island will be allowed to leave. Otherwise, all people on other than those providing essential services are required to stay home; public gatherings are prohibited; schools are closed, and restaurants and other food establishments are restricted to take-out services only.

The government of Singapore has eased travel restrictions and will now once again allow South African passengers to transit through the country. Only passengers transiting through Singapore Changi Airport are affected, and restrictions for people wanting to enter Singapore from South Africa remain in force.

The U.S. State Department has added at least 116 countries this week to its 'Level Four: Do Not Travel' advisory, putting the UK, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico, Germany and others on the list, citing a 'very high' level of COVID-19. Previously the department said it would boost the number of countries receiving its highest advisory rating to about 80% of countries worldwide; after multiple updates throughout the week, it now lists a total of 150 countries out of an approximate total of 200. It is not known when the updates will be completed.

The government of Japan is considering the declaration of a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka, according to broadcaster NHK, in order to curb the increased spread of COVID-19; Osaka's neighbouring prefectures of Hyogo and Kyoto could also be affected. If adopted in all four regions, the emergency measures would cover close to a quarter of Japan’s population of 126 million. In Tokyo, reports suggest this could span from 29 April to 9 May in order to incorporate the annual 'Golden Week' holiday period.