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The country's government announced yesterday, 22 October, that it has extended COVID-19 curfews to around two thirds of its population; The curfew, imposed last week on Paris and eight other cities, will be extended to 38 more departments, confining 46 million out of the country’s 67 million population to their homes from 21.00 to 06.00 (local time).

The country's government has introduced stricter COVID-19 restrictions from today, 23 October, in a bid to avoid a complete lockdown following a surge in reported cases; among the measures are further tightened restrictions on social contacts, banning fans from sports matches, limiting the number of people in cultural spaces and closing theme parks.

The country's government has issued travel warnings for a number of countries and regions including for popular ski areas in Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Berlin also issued new travel warnings for Ireland and Poland, as well as extending regional UK warnings to include the entire country from 23 October. Under the warnings, travellers arriving or returning to Germany must quarantine for 10 days, which could be shortened to five days if a COVID-19 test comes back negative.

The UK government have announced that the Canary Islands, the Greek island of Mykonos, the Maldives and Denmark have been added to their travel corridor list following a decrease in confirmed cases of COVID-19. From 04.00 (GMT+1) on 25 October, passengers arriving to the UK from these destinations will no longer need to self-isolate, so long as they haven’t been in or transited through any other non-exempt countries in the 14 days preceding their arrival. People arriving into the UK from Liechtenstein from 04.00 (GMT+1) on 25 October, however, will need to self-isolate for two weeks as the country is removed from the travel exemptions list.

The airline has announced that from December it will return to its full 13-city mainland U.S. network, included reinstating east coast services to Boston and New York (JFK). Hawaiian will also bring back non-stop flights between Kaua‘i’s Līhuʻe Airport and Los Angeles and Oakland, and between Maui’s Kahului Airport and San Diego and San Francisco, utilising its narrow-body Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The country's government has announced that it will remove the COVID-19 PCR test requirement for international arrivals from 26 October. Until this date, visitors will still be required to bring proof of a negative test result, taken no longer than 72 hours before arrival. After 26 October, although the COVID-19 PCR test will no longer be a requirement, visitors must still adhere to all other entry requirements including the completion of an electronic health pass before departure.

Media sources in the country have said that Japan is likely to ease restrictions on business travellers from 30 countries and regions from next month, who are visiting for stays of up to three days. Under the plan, business travellers will be required to take a COVID-19 test, avoid public transportation and submit an itinerary of their activities during their stay; however, they will not be required to quarantine in their hotels, according to the media source.

The country's government has announced that from tomorrow, 22 October, it will close its borders to all international tourism once again, in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The ban on tourism will remain in place until at least 3 November, when it will be reviewed again for potential extension. Essential travellers will still be permitted to enter if they fit into specific categories including the purposes of business, essential family travel, medical reasons or to attend a wedding or funeral.

The country's government has continued to ease COVID-19 restrictions on Grand Bahama Island , following its recent move into 'phase three' on 15 October. From 1 November, visitors will be permitted to explore the island more freely; however entry requirements still entail both COVID-19 PCR pre-testing and a further two tests, on and after arrival.

The airline has released an updated November schedule, featuring more than 215 daily flights to destinations in Canada, the U.S., Jamaica, Mexico and Europe.

The Namibian government has removed the five-day mandatory COVID-19 test requirement for international visitors; its president has announced that all travellers arriving with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, not older than 72 hours, may proceed to their final destination in the country. Meanwhile, returning Namibian citizens or permit holders may enter the country with or without a COVID-19 PCR test result. However, if they present a positive test result or no result at all, they will be subjected to mandatory quarantine and testing or isolation, after arrival.

The country's government has announced a further relaxation on the movement of international visitors, including an expansion of their 'Safe Corridor' to include a wider range of hotels, tour operators, restaurants, tourism sites, gift shops, car rentals and taxis; these can be viewed on the Belize Health App for tourists to select. An application to enter Belize is also no longer necessary, and residents and tourists who arrive with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result or who test negative at the airport are no longer need to quarantine for 10 days.

The cruise operator has announced that it has cancelled the rest of its scheduled 2020 river cruises in Europe, Asia and Africa; this suspension does not though apply to the chartered river cruises being operated on the Rhine in partnership with a German tour operator. Passengers affected will be offered a future cruise credit equal to 115% of the value of their purchase, which will be valid for sailings through to the end of 2022.

The country’s government yesterday, 19 October, introduced some of Europe’s toughest COVID-19 restrictions by closing non-essential retail, limiting restaurants and pubs to take away service and telling people not to travel more than five kilometres from their home. The restrictions will initially stay in place for at least five weeks.

Dubai-based airline Emirates has announced a partnership with South African regional carrier Airlink; Emirates reports that the move will provide its customers enhanced connectivity via Johannesburg and Cape Town to more than 25 domestic destinations in South Africa and more than 20 regional destinations in Southern Africa.

The country's government has announced updated COVID-19 restrictions as part of a declared 'epidemic' alert level, which came into effect today, 20 October; among the new measures, most gatherings are limited to six people, and all larger public gatherings are prohibited. A curfew will also be imposed every day from 21.00 (local time) to 06.00.

The government of the UAE has confirmed that 'Ok to Board' pre-approval is no longer required for passengers travelling to Dubai from India or Pakistan. Any such approval process will now be managed and updated by airport teams directly at the time of check-in.

The government of the devolved UK nation have announced that Wales will go into a circuit break-style lockdown from 18.00 (GMT+1) on 23 October, lasting until 9 November; a number of restrictions apply which ultimately mean that residents will be told to stay home in most circumstances. The BBC has published a guide to these restrictions, which also includes a summary of current restrictions in all other UK nations.

London Heathrow Airport has today, 20 October, started trialling one-hour rapid COVID-19 testing for passengers departing from the UK to Hong Kong and Italy, to allow them to avoid quarantine with a negative result. The facilities have reportedly been initially set up for four weeks, but could be extended depending on demand.

The government of South Africa has today, 19 October, issued a revised list of countries designated as 'high-risk' for the purposes of international travel. As a reminder, international travel for business and leisure purposes resumed on 1 October 2020 in South Africa with restrictions in place; travel is currently restricted from countries with infection rates deemed to be high, and travel for leisure purposes from 'high-risk' countries is not permitted. Only high skill visa holders, investors in the economy and diplomats are allowed entry into South Africa from 'high-risk' countries with the necessary approvals in place.