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The government of the U.S. state of Hawaii granted the island of Kauai approval to temporarily opt-out of the Hawaii's pre-arrival COVID-19 testing program, which essentially will now stop all non-essential travel to Kauai; the decision is effective from 00.01 (local time) on 2 December and means that all trans-Pacific and inter-island travellers arriving in Kauai are subject to a 14-day quarantine regardless of test results.

The UK's Newcastle International Airport has announced that it is working with testing providers to offer quick and efficient COVID-19 PCR tests to departing passengers. Tests cost £99 and are now available to book, with a start date of Tuesday, 1 December. Passengers will receive results within two days, and the testing area will be based in the Premium Meet and Greet car park building, with free on-site parking available.

It’s been reported that Rome’s Fiumicino Airport will begin hosting COVID-19-tested flights to and from the U.S. operated by Delta Air Lines and Alitalia, making it the first European airport to have such facility for transatlantic flights. From December, passengers can be tested 48 hours before departure and on arrival at the airport.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (GMT) on Saturday 28 November, anyone arriving or returning from Estonia or Latvia to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will be required to self-isolate for two weeks. However, anyone arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the following countries will not be required to self-isolate, as the nations have been granted a travel corridor: Bhutan, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Aruba and the Pacific Islands of Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. In addition, the UK government have removed an all-out ban on arrivals from Denmark, which was imposed following concerns over a COVID-19 outbreak in the country's mink population; arrivals from Denmark will, however, still be required to self-isolate for two weeks.

The airline has announced that from 9 December it will trial free of charge, rapid lateral flow COVID-19 antigen tests on flights from London Heathrow to Barbados, including onward connections to Antigua and Grenada. The testing will be delivered at a Terminal 2 departure facility at Heathrow, and Virgin hopes that it will further demonstrate the deliverability of a pre-departure COVID-19 testing regime at scale.

Effective from 29 November, the country's government is set to shorten its blanket 14-day COVID-19 quarantine for international arrivals to just five days with post-arrival PCR testing undertaken on the fifth day of isolation. All arrivals from this date have the option of participating in the new initiative or undertaking a full 14-day self-isolation without testing. In addition, arrivals from EU nations classified as ‘orange’ level of risk can bring a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, obtained no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival, to circumvent the quarantine altogether. The tests will likely be $100-$200 USD in price, and are expected to have the option of being taken at passengers' homes or hotel while they are observing quarantine.

The country's government has extended its ban on scheduled international flights until 31 December 2020, as India continues to record surges in COVID-19 infections; the ban was previously due to expire on 30 November. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Approved services include the government's 'Vande Bharat' mission repatriation flights, and those allowed under bilateral travel bubble agreements.

The country's government has announced the extension of its current quarantine requirement for arriving passengers until 15 January, 2021. Effectively meaning that the country is closed for short-term leisure visitors, the measures requires travellers to self-isolate in a designated hotel room for 14 days before they may be released and roam freely. Guests are not allowed to leave their rooms and are provided with meals, hygiene and sanitary equipment, which are delivered to the doors.

The country’s government has confirmed in a televised address that it will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions from this weekend in recognition of what many deem to be the passing of their second peak. Non-essential shops will be permitted to re-open, but bars and restaurants will remain closed until at least 20 January.

The UK transport secretary has confirmed on Twitter that from 15 December, the mandatory self-isolation period for passengers arriving into England from non-'travel corridor' destinations will be reduced from 14 days to as little as five, on the basis that passengers obtain a negative COVID-19 test result from an approved private provider. The test must be taken on day five of self-isolation, and passengers are able to be released after a negative result is received.

The government of the Australian state of Queensland has announced that residents from the state of Victoria will join those from Sydney in being allowed back into Queensland from 1 December, after the southern-most state recorded yet another day of no new COVID-19 cases or deaths.

The country's government has confirmed that Jose Marti Airport in Havana has now resumed commercial and charter air operations after suspending them in March. Although Cuba does not require travelers to take a COVID-19 test prior to arrival, all arriving travelers must submit a health declaration and take a COVID-19 PCR test, with the results available within 24 hours. Visitors must quarantine until test results are received and must take another PCR test at their own expense on the fifth day of their stay.

The government of the U.S. state of Hawaii has announced amendments to its five week-old COVID-19 pre-travel testing program, which come into effect from today, 24 November. From today, those who wish to avoid the mandatory self-quarantine upon arrival in the islands must have their negative test result uploaded to Hawaii's ‘Safe Travels’ system or in hand strictly at the time of their flight's departure.

Travellers departing from South Africa's O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg can get COVID-19 PCR-tested and collect their certificate at the airport prior to departure; National Health Laboratory Service is to operate three mobile test units in clearly identifiable vans located opposite the InterContinental Hotel, in front of the Police Station and on the lower level of the airport complex. The service is available 24/7 at a cost of R600 and results are available in four to six hours, with a prompt for certificate collection delivered by SMS.

The two regions have announced that they have postponed a planned air bubble intended to boost air traffic between both cities. Originally due to begin from 22 November, the initiative will now be delated by at least two weeks.

The premier of the Australian state of Queensland has announced that the border will re-open to all arrivals from the state of New South Wales (NSW), including Sydney, from 1 December. Residents from the state of Victoria will also be allowed to enter Queensland without quarantine, providing the state does not record a new case by Wednesday 25 November.

South African regional carrier Mango Airlines has said in a statement published on their website that domestic port health screening across the national will be stopped from 00.01 (local time) on 25 November; under this same amendment, health questionnaires will no longer be required from domestic travellers from 25 November onwards.

London's Gatwick Airport has announced the opening of a new COVID-19 screening service, providing pre-departure and post-arrival testing for passengers, staff and local residents with results available the next day. It also facilitates requirements for a UK government ‘test and release’ scheme, to coincide with an expected update this week on arrival quarantine in England potentially being reduced for passengers from 'high-risk' countries from 14 days to five days if a negative result is obtained. The booking portal goes live on 27 November and the cost for the general public is £99.

The government of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has re-opened its border with neighbouring Victoria for the first time since July after COVID-19 cases there fell to zero. The New South Wales premier has announced changes to restrictions, as well as the scrapping of the rule for masks to be worn outdoors as long as physical distancing can be maintained. Larger public gatherings will also be allowed, as will in-store shopping.

The government of Northern Ireland has said that it will impose strict COVID-19 measures for two weeks from 27 November; this includes the closing of its entire hospitality sector, non-essential retail and places of worship in what is essentially a circuit-breaker style lockdown.