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A COVID-19 testing facility was opened yesterday, 2 November, at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport in Japan; the facility will cater for outbound travellers who need proof that they’re virus free on arrival at their destination. Meanwhile, the government of Japan on 30 October eased travel curbs for nine Asian countries and regions. Travellers arriving in Japan are also required to undergo a COVID-19 test, with three international airports having the capacity to carry out around 10,000 tests each day.

The country's government has announced that 21 November, air travellers with Canada as their final destination must submit their information electronically through the 'ArriveCAN' platform before they board their flight; this includes travel, contact, quarantine plan and COVID-19 symptom self-assessment. Travellers must be ready to show their 'ArriveCAN' receipt when seeking entry into Canada, and travellers who do not submit the required information digitally could be subject to fines of up to $1,000.

The country’s government has announced that it will re-impose an evening curfew in Paris, and possibly the wider Ile-de-France region, in addition to the new national lockdown imposed last week; the curfew will start at 21.00 (local time) each evening. France is experiencing a huge surge in COVID-19 infections, with an estimate that a Parisian is being admitted to hospital every 15 minutes.

The country’s president announced yesterday, 2 November, that a state of emergency may be pending as a preventative measure to curb COVID-19 infections; a previous state of emergency was declared in the country in March and lead to the introduction of increased restrictions for around six weeks.

The government of the devolved UK nation of Scotland imposed a new series of COVID-19 restrictions Scotland today, 2 November, ahead of England’s impending national lockdown later in the week. Scotland’s regional system has five levels but each of the country's 32 local authorities has initially been graded between levels ‘1’ and ‘3’; residents under level '3' restrictions have been told to make only essential journeys outside of their local area.

The government of the Bahamas has updated its latest COVID-19 travel and entry protocols, which came into effect from 1 November. Among these measures, the Bahamas will now require all travellers to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test result a maximum of five days prior to arrival. Passengers must also apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at travel.gov.bs and for the duration of the visit, complete a daily online health questionnaire for symptom tracking purposes. In addition, passengers will need to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test on day five of the visit In addition, beginning 14 November, all visitors will be required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Health Travel Visa. The insurance will cover travellers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

The territory's government has announced updated information on the steps it will take to permit entry to international visitors from 1 December, when it is due to re-open its borders. Passengers must register on an online portal at least 48 hours prior to departure, must hold a valid COVID-19 test certificate and will be subject to further testing after arrival.

The government of Belgium has imposed a partial COVID-19 lockdown from 2 November to 13 December; non-essential shops have been closed, as have trades that require close contact such as hairdressers. Gyms, pools and other cultural and leisure facilities are also closed. All bars and restaurants across the country have been closed, with only takeaways allowed. Borders are not closed in accordance with European guidelines, but travelling abroad is strongly discouraged.

The UK government has announced a new, national four-week COVID-19 lockdown for England. Under the new lockdown, planned to start on 5 November and end on 2 December, England's population must stay at home except when exemptions apply, such as for work, education, or exercise, while all non-essential shops will close. Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed, except for work purposes. People cannot travel overseas or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons.

The government of Austria has announced that it will impose a night-time curfew from 20.00 to 06.00 (local time) each night from 3 November, due to a recent surge in COVID-19 infections; the curfew is expected to last until the end of November. Also announced was the closure of cafes, bars and restaurants to all but take-away service, and the closure hotels will close to all but a few guests such as business travellers.

The government of the U.S. state of New York has announced that from 4 November it is moving away from a travel advisory that required a two-week quarantine for people coming from COVID-19 hotspots, instead mandating that all travellers test negative for the virus on arrival and departure from the state; travellers will be required to test negative for COVID-19 within the three days immediately prior to arrival, and carry proof of a negative result. Once in the state, they must quarantine for three days and take a further test on the fourth day; if they test negative, they can end their quarantine.

The government of Argentina has announced that it will re-open borders for tourism to five of its South American neighbours from 30 October. Residents of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay can enter by air and sea for the purposes of tourism. A quarantine period will not be required for incoming tourists, as long as they provide a negative PCR test result that was obtained within 72 hours of entry, sign an affidavit declaring they are not infected, and agree to a health screening including temperature checks. The wearing of masks in all public places, both indoor and outdoor, still remains mandatory.

The government of the Australian state of Queensland has announced that it will re-open its borders to travellers from New South Wales on 3 November, however travel from Greater Sydney and the state of Victoria will for now remain restricted.

The country’s government has announced that regional lockdowns will be imposed in its second-largest city of Thessaloniki from today, 30 October, following spikes in COVID-19 cases. Joining Thessaloniki in the highest tier of the country’s alert system will be the city of Larissa and the northern Rodopi region.

The government of the state of Western Australia (WA) has announced that from 14 November it will reduce its hard border arrangement with other Australian states and territories by introducing a controlled interstate border; this will allow travellers from states and territories deemed to be "very low risk" to travel into WA. Currently, travellers from the qualifying regions of South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory stand to as a result be permitted to enter WA without completing 14 days of hotel quarantine.

The country’s government has confirmed that from today, 29 October, four land borders will be partially re-opened; Sheikh Hussein Bridge, Al Mudawwarah, King Hussein Bridge and Al Omari. There will be restrictions on the number of travellers permitted to cross each point daily - expected to be between 100-150.

The government of Germany has announced that it will shortly impose a partial national lockdown in response to sharp increases in COVID-19 cases. The partial lockdown will come into effect from 2 November and last until 30 November; bars and restaurants will close except for takeaways, but schools and kindergartens will remain open. Social contacts will be limited to two households with a maximum of 10 people and tourism will be halted.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has published updated information to reflect that from today, 29 October, passengers who have visited the UK in the past 10 days will no longer be required to quarantine for 10 days on entry to Switzerland.

The country’s government announced in a televised address yesterday evening that from tomorrow, 30 October, the country will enter into a further full lockdown due to rapidly rising cases of COVID-19. The measures will last until at least 1 December and mean that people have to stay in their homes except to buy essential goods, seek medical attention or to use their daily one-hour allocation of exercise. Restaurants, cafes and shops not selling essential goods will also be closed for at least two weeks.

The government of Canada has announced that it will extend a suspension of cruise ships in its waters through to at least 1 March 2021; the order pertains to passenger vessels – specifically, cruise ships or "pleasure craft" – carrying 100 or more passengers with the capacity to keep those passengers onboard overnight. Under the order, water taxis, ferries and other "essential passenger vessels" can remain in operation.