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The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to South Africa, coinciding with the re-opening of the country's borders on 1 October; passengers services to the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town will resume from 1 October, to be followed by services to Durban from 4 October. The flights are still currently subject to final government approval.

The country plans to begin a gradual re-opening of its borders to international travel from 1 October; however, the president has warned that entry may be limited to countries deemed to have low COVID-19 infection rates, and a list is yet to be released. Anyone who is permitted to enter will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior, or otherwise will face mandatory quarantine at their own cost.

The country’s government yesterday, 24 September, issued COVID-19 related travel warnings for Prague, as well as French regions that include Paris and Cote d’Azur; warnings are also being issued for Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Israel, Kuwait and the Maldives. All of the most recent warnings will take effect from 28 September.

The government of the United Arab Emirates will resume issuing visas to foreign visitors for all seven of its regions as of today, 25 September, after a six-month suspension imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubai, the region’s tourism and business hub and one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, had already lifted its own visa ban in July.

The airline said yesterday, 23 September, that it will not further expand its flight offering at this time, instead maintaining a restricted schedule during the winter months, including operating at around 55% of capacity in November.

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have signalled their intentions to start making rapid COVID-19 antigen tests available to passengers from October, and may consider opening dedicated test centres at airports in the U.S. and Canada. Although rapid antigen tests are thought to be less accurate than PCR testing, they are able to yield results within around 15 minutes.

The middle eastern airline is set to further increase its network in the coming month; among the highlights, in mid-October Qatar will resume flights to Seychelles and Windhoek, Namibia. The airline will also increase frequencies to Clark International Airport and Manila in the Philippines; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, UK and Stockholm, Sweden.

The cruise line has confirmed that it has extended the suspension of all departures until at least 6 December; canceled sailings include those on the Disney Fantasy through to 6 December, the Disney Dream and Disney Wonder through to 11 December and the Disney Magic through to 12 December.

The national airline of Rwanda has announced that flights from the country’s capital, Kigali, are set to resume from 3 October; a twice-weekly service on twin-aisle A330 aircraft will operate from the UK's London Heathrow until 25 October, when it will become three-times weekly.

The country's government has confirmed that South Africa will move into COVID-19 alert level one on 21 September, and international travel will resume from 1 October; international travel within Africa will be permitted, however travel outside the continent will depend on the assessed risk of each country. International business travel from countries deemed 'high-risk' may though be allowed with government approval. Effective from October 1, all travellers will be required to present a valid certificate of a negative COVID-19 test obtained a maximum of 72 hours before the date of travel. Travellers who fail to present proof of a negative test will be required to quarantine at their own cost.

The country's government has announced that from 1 October, borders will be open to returning Mauritian nationals, residents and also foreign tourists travelling to Mauritius for long stays. Passengers will have to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test a maximum of five days prior to arrival, and will be subject to a 14-day quarantine on arrival at an establishment approved by the authorities. Further information can be found on the Tourism Mauritius portal.

The airline has published its latest long haul network schedule for October 2020.

The country's government has announced that Zambia's borders are now open to foreign nationals; however, it should be noted that travellers arriving with a visitor visa or applying for a visitor visa on arrival for non-essential purposes will not be permitted entry at this time. Entry to Zambia through non-tourist visas or permits is subject to approval following a health screening at the port of entry, and arrivals will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained no more than 14 days prior to arrival. Arrivals are also subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, testing, and regular monitoring at their residence or preferred place of stay.

The government of Switzerland has moved South Africa onto its list of countries whose citizens do not need to quarantine for a mandatory 14 days upon arrival. Switzerland's list of countries from which arrivals are required to undergo mandatory quarantine is updated regularly based on a number of factors, including the number of active cases over the past seven days. Switzerland has declared South Africa - along with Ecuador, Faroe Islands, and Guatemala - free from this constraint.

The government of Namibia has said that it will resume international travel from 18 September as it ends a six-month long state of emergency, which came to an end at midnight on 17 September. From 18 September, travelling in and out of areas including the capital of Windhoek, and the surrounding towns of Okahandja and Rehoboth, will also be permitted.

South Africa will enter alert level one as of 00.01 (local time) on 21 September; there will be a gradual easing of restrictions placed on international travel for business and leisure purposes as of 1 October. Travellers will only be permitted to travel to and from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka Airport, and a negative COVID-19 test result must be presented on arrival, obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure. Should a COVID-19 test not be presented, passengers will be required to enter mandatory quarantine at their own cost.

The government of Madagascar has announced that the popular tourism destination of the island of Nosy Be will resume international travel from 1 October. All arriving passengers must present a return air ticket and may not travel outside of the island; a negative COVID-19 (PCR and/or serology) test result is required for entry, health screening procedures are in place at airports and a 14-day mandatory quarantine is required. Complimentary COVID-19 testing is though reportedly to be provided at the airport on arrival.

The government of Israel is to impose a new national lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, with tough restrictions coming into effect from 18 September. The country's second lockdown will last for at least three weeks.

The national airline of Qatar has confirmed that it will resume flights to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, from 10 September. The four-times weekly service to Africa’s largest city will be operated by Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy. With the addition of Lagos, Qatar Airways’ network in Africa will expand to 10 destinations served by 44 weekly flights.

The national carrier of Oman has confirmed that it will return to operating scheduled flights to 16 cities in 12 countries from 1 October. The airline will connect Oman's capital Muscat with London, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dubai, Doha, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lahore and Islamabad, with more destinations to be added soon.