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The country's prime minister announced in parliament on 13 April that France will shortly suspend all flights to and from Brazil in a bid to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 variant first detected there; services will be suspended until 'further notice'.

The government of the devolved UK administration of Scotland announced today, 13 April, that it plans to ease some COVID-19 lockdown restrictions for domestic travel and outdoor meetings ten days earlier than expected on 16 April. People will be permitted to travel anywhere within Scotland to see family and friends for outdoor meetings, and those meetings can from 16 April take place with six people from up to six households rather than four from two households.

The government of the British oversea territory has issued a stay-at-home order from 05.00 (local time) on 13 April to 20 April due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, primarily attributed to the U.K. variant of the virus. Essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and COVID-19 testing and vaccine centres will however remain open. Guests at Bermuda hotels and resorts will not be permitted to leave the properties but can move about the premises; masks and social distancing are also required.

The island-nation's government has announced that effective 8 May, COVID-19 vaccinated travelers entering Barbados will benefit from a reduced quarantine time after they arrive, if they can provide a vaccination certificate from AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. However, even vaccinated visitors still must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of three days prior to travel, take a second PCR test upon arrival and use designated transportation to their approved accommodation.

The government of Bangladesh has announced that it will suspend all international and domestic passenger flights between the 14-20 of April following a spike in COVID-19 infections. More than 500 flights will be cancelled, including chartered helicopter flights. However, exceptions will be made for medical evacuations and humanitarian relief.

The country's government announced yesterday, 11 April, that current COVID-19 'lockdown' measures including a night-time curfew will now remain in place until 28 April; the announcement followed the news of daily virus infections rising to a two-week high. Previously, the country's government had said they were looking at easing restrictions on 21 April by lifting the curfew and allowing bars and restaurants to welcome guests in outdoor spaces.

The government of Hong Kong announced today, 12 April, that it plans to loosen some COVID-19 restrictions locally for vaccinated residents from 29 April. Bars and pubs, which are currently closed, will be allowed to resume operations in phases provided all staff and customers have been vaccinated. Visitation to public hospitals and care homes could also be permitted for vaccinated people.

Published reports have indicated that Grantley Adams airport in Barbados will be closed until noon on 14 April, due to volcanic ash falling over the island following the eruption of La Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent. Subsequent eruptions, the most recent today on 12 April, continue to show a thick plume of ash traveling toward Barbados, 111 miles east of St. Vincent.

The U.S. airline has announced that passengers flying to Hawaii will soon be able to verify their negative COVID-19 test result using 'CommonPass', the digital health passport being developed by the Commons Project with the backing of the World Economic Forum, 37 governments and Internova, the largest travel agency group in the U.S. - 'CommonPass' is one of three digital passport companies the island-state of Hawaii is using in its 'Safe Travels' program.

The U.S. airline has announced that it is the latest carrier offering a COVID-19 'preclearance' service intended to expedite arrival procedures in Hawaii, where the state screens every arriving passenger. Under Hawaii's Safe Travels program, all incoming travelers over the age of five must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result from a state-approved provider or be subject to a 10-day self quarantine period. Now, Southwest Airlines is offering preclearance to passengers departing to Honolulu and to Kahului, on Maui, from its five California gateway cities: Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego and Long Beach.

The country's government has announced that it will suspend international arrivals from India in response to a high number of arrivals testing positive for COVID-19. The suspension of entry applies to all who have been in India in the previous 14 days, including New Zealand citizens and residents, and will be in place until at least 28 April.

The Dubai-based airline has further extended its suspension of inbound passenger flights from South Africa to 22 April; the UAE flag-carrier initially hoped to lift the ban on 8 April and later pushed back its return date to 15 April. This is in line with UAE government directives that restrict the entry of travellers originating from South Africa.

New Zealand's prime minister has confirmed that two-way travel between the country and Australia will be permitted to commence from 23.59 on 18 April, meaning that passengers will be able to travel without needing to quarantine. At this stage, COVID-19 vaccinations are not mandatory for travel, however passengers are encouraged to check both Australian and New Zealand government websites for full details of eligibility.

A number of state governments in Australia have announced updated border restrictions in response to the unfolding situation with COVID-19 cases in greater Brisbane. South Australia (SA) has announced it will impose a hard border with greater Brisbane from 4pm today. The ACT has declared greater Brisbane a coronavirus hotspot. From 6pm Monday, if you’ve returned from greater Brisbane between March 11 and March 14, you should get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result. If you returned from greater Brisbane from March 15, you need to self-isolate until at least 6pm on April 1. Tasmania (TAS) has classified greater Brisbane as high-risk, effective immediately and anyone travelling from the five local government areas will not be permitted to enter without quarantining for up to two weeks.

The Victorian government has declared greater Brisbane as a designated red zone under Victoria’s travel permit system at 6pm Victorian time today. Western Australia (WA) will reintroduce a hard border for travel from Queensland from midnight tonight. Travel from QLD will no longer be permitted, unless you are an exempt traveller. Anyone travelling from greater Brisbane to the Northern Territory (NT) from March 25 onward must enter self-isolation and get tested for coronavirus in the next 72 hours. A hard border hasn't been declared by NT at this stage.

Greater Brisbane will go into a 3-day lockdown from 5pm Monday 29 March 2021. The lockdown is in response to 10 new cases overnight, with four of those cases confirmed as community transmission. Schools will be closed from Tuesday and masks are required indoors.

International flights into Melbourne will resume on 8 April 2021. The announcement comes six weeks after flights were halted following a COVID-19 outbreak in February. The state is still bound by the federal government’s restrictions on who can enter Australia from overseas, with only Australian citizens, permanent residents of Australia and immediate family members of Australian citizens allowed to enter the country. All arrivals will be required to undergo a compulsory 14-day hotel quarantine.

The country's government has announced that mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals to the Republic of Ireland from 33 countries deemed high-risk for COVID-19, including South Africa, is due to begin on 26 March 2021; arrivals will be required to pay at least EUR 1875 to stay at one of 24 hotels for a period of two weeks. Quarantine will apply to those arriving from high-risk countries, as well as those without a negative COVID-19 test result, and the quarantine also applies to travellers who have passed through airports in high-risk countries.

The country's government has announced it will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions from April 2021 by letting hairdressers, spas and other services re-open, while restaurants and cinemas will be allowed to follow suit in May, contingent on the use of COVID-19 'passports'; these documents will show whether the holder has been vaccinated, has previously been infected or has taken a test within the last 72 hours.

The government of Norway has announced updated national COVID-19 measures aimed at containing recent spikes in infections, and has also postponed the introduction of a plan to formally re-open society on a local level. The government had originally planned to present a plan in late March for the gradual unwinding of its COVID-19 restrictions. Among the updated measures, anyone returning from a holiday abroad will be forced to undergo 10 days of quarantine at a designated hotel; Norwegians should also begin keeping a two-metre distance from anyone not living in their own household - double the current recommendation - and have no more than two guests at home.