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Holland America Line has confirmed in a press release that it is extending its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through to 15 December, following the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global COVID-19 health concerns.The pause extension affects sailings from, to and via the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia.

The airline has said that select flights from 13-15 August will transit at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport rather than Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will include departures from Dubai, Qatar's Doha and Singapore. Information on what these means for passengers, and requirements for pre-registering with Cebu Airport for those on affected flights, can be found on the airline's website.

The local government of Northern Ireland have taken the decision to make it mandatory to wear a face mask in shops and other enclosed public spaces, in an effort to contain COVID-19 infection numbers which have risen three-fold since July. The Department of Health said it would be an offence to breach the law without having a "reasonable excuse", and breaches could attract a fixed penalty notice of £60 (GBP).

The country’s government has announced that from 17 August visitors from Sweden, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic will need proof they have tested negative for COVID-19 to gain entry; a negative test result obtained within 72 hours of departure must be presented. The government said the same requirement will apply to all visitors entering Greece via its land borders, including Greek citizens returning home.

The cruise line has extended its suspension of sailings until mid-November and cancelled a pair of long-haul itineraries next year following guidance from the British foreign office. Guests booked to sail on cancelled cruises will automatically receive a 125% future cruise credit or they can opt for a 100% refund.

The government of Germany has, since 8 August, mandated that passengers entering Germany from designated high-risk countries or areas must undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing upon arrival. The country regularly updates the list of high-risk areas, and the list can be found on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.

The government of Papua New Guinea are pressing ahead with plans to lift lockdown measures this week despite a recent sharp rise in COVID-19 infections; the country's prime minister confirmed that a two week lockdown in the capital of Port Moresby will be lifted from tomorrow, 12 August.

The government of Macau has announced that from 12 August it will begin to reinstate tourist visas for the neighbouring, mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. It is thought that the move will pave the way for a revival of visitors due to the fact that the majority of passengers arriving in Macau for gambling purposes utlilise the soon to be resumed visa category.

The country is set to increase its COVID-19 alert level following four cases of COVID-19 being detected in a household in Auckland - the first domestic cases of the virus in around 100 days. The capital city of Auckland will return to level three lockdown restrictions from midday tomorrow, 12 August until at least midnight on Friday, 14 August. Residents will be asked to stay at home and many businesses will close. The rest of the country will also be raised to level two restrictions during the same initial time period.

The U.S. airline has extended its pause on AAdvantage frequent-flyer program mileage expiration through the end of the year. American Airlines had earlier paused mileage expiration through to June due to the COVID-19 crisis. With this extension, all AAdvantage points that had expired since 1 July will now be reinstated.

The country’s government has said that it will introduce mandatory COVID-19 tests and quarantines for travellers from certain high-risk countries, following the arrival of a number of passengers testing positive on a flight from North Macedonia on 8 August. Subject to approval, the new measures will be enforced as soon as possible, and failure to respect the two-week quarantine would be sanctioned with up to three months in prison or a fine.

The government of China has yesterday, 10 August, that certain categories of foreign nationals who hold a valid residence permit (for work, private affairs and reunification residence permits) can now apply to any embassy or consulate in their respective countries free of charge to obtain a new visa to re-enter. The applicable countries are: Albania, Ireland, Estonia, Austria, Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Belgium, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Netherlands, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Romania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Cyprus, Slovakia Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Italy & United Kingdom.

The airline has announced that, until further notice, all Qantas flights from Melbourne to Sydney will arrive at Terminal 1 of Sydney International Airport.

The U.S. airline has announced that it has extended 'Global Services' status for its current members through to 31 January 2022. United had previously also extended 'MileagePlus' status for members at the Premier 1K level and below through to the same date.

The Dubai-based airline is increasing its passenger flights to five cities in Pakistan from today, 10 August, bringing its total network connectivity to over 70 destinations worldwide. As of 16 August there will be 53 weekly flights to Pakistan on their Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

The airline has announced that it will offer 56 weekly flights to eight U.S. destinations by mid-September, meaning it us due to be the largest international carrier flying to the country. In addition, the national carrier of the State of Qatar will also increase frequencies of flights to Los Angeles to daily from 12 August, and twice-daily to New York from 1 September.

The government of Hong Kong has confirmed that from 10 August, arriving passengers who have visited or transited through Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa or the United States will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure. They will also require proof of the credibility of the testing facility, and proof of a hotel room reservation in Hong Kong for at least 14 days from the day of arrival.

The government of Egypt has announced that from 15 August, the country will require most foreign travellers to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test result less than 72 hours prior to arrival. This is only with the exception of tourists flying directly to, and staying within, Red Sea destinations including Hurghada, Marsa Allam and Sharm El-Sheikh.

The airline has announced that it is planning to increase flights between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii from September, as part of the resumption of a number of services to around 25 international destinations. All in all, the updated September schedule will account for 37% of their normal level of passenger flights compared to 2019.

The airline has announced that it will be resuming two flights per week to the Australian city of Adelaide from 16 August, which will be its fifth Australian destination; this will make it the only international airline to service this number of Australian destinations, which will account for a total of 23 weekly passenger flights.