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The UK transport secretary has announced that an urgent decision has been made to ban non-UK and Irish nationals arriving from Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo from 04.00 (GMT) today, Friday 22 January; an exemption is also granted to third country nationals with UK residence rights. The suspension is related to the ongoing monitoring of new strains of COVID-19 in a number of countries. Although the ban does not apply to British and Irish Nationals, and third country nationals with residence rights, all passengers returning from these destinations must also self-isolate for 10 days along with their households.

The airline has announced that all passengers flying outbound from Singapore, and inbound to Singapore from Indonesia, will soon be able to book pre-departure COVID-19 PCR and serology tests as part of a new trial service; the scheme will be operated in partnership with the medical services provider Collinson. Subject to success, the programme is expected to be expanded to include more cities in the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network, and is the first time that the airline has offered pre-departure testing services with a global partner to its passengers.

The cross-channel rail provider has announced that customers can get a COVID-19 PCR test at London's St. Pancras International; the test costs £149 with results available the next day between 17.00 and 23.59 (local time), and passengers should book their test in advance but no more than 72 hours prior to departure. Although the testing initiative is in partnership with Eurostar, it is being operated by London Medical Laboratory - a third party provider.

The country's government has announced that from 23 January they will place a ban on passenger flights from the UK, South Africa and a number of South American countries. In addition, if passengers are travelling from areas with a high incidence of COVID-19, regardless of their nationality, they must present two negative COVID-19 test results; the first is a negative PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure, and the second is a negative rapid test result obtained no more than four hours prior to boarding. Locally, a restrictive COVID-19 'lockdown’ remains in place in the country until at least 9 February, included a nighttime curfew.

The government of the devolved UK administration of Scotland has confirmed that current COVID-19 restrictions are to be extended until at least the middle of February, with schools remaining closed to the majority of pupils; the measures include a legally-enforceable stay-at-home order. All non-essential shops, pubs, cafes, bars, gyms and hairdressers are closed and travel restrictions prevent anyone leaving their local authority area, with limited exceptions. The situation will be reviewed on 2 February.

The country's government confirmed yesterday, 18 January, that it had suspended entry to passengers from Australia, Brazil, Ireland and New Zealand following the discovery of its first imported case of a new variant of COVID-19 first detected in the UK; these measures are in addition to the suspension of entry to UK passengers which was imposed in late December. On 23 December, the country also imposed a nationwide four-week curfew from 21.00 to 06.00 (local time) daily to curb the spread of the virus.

The country's government has today, 19 January, agreed with state leaders nationally to extend Germany's COVID-19 lockdown restrictions until at least 14 February to counter the spread of the virus. They also agreed to mandate a medical mask requirement for passengers on public transport.

The country's government has announced that all UK 'travel corridors' that previously allowed arrivals from some countries to avoid having to self-isolate on arrival, have now been temporarily suspended from today, 18 January; all passengers from countries not subject to stricter measures must now self-isolate for 10 days, unless they qualify for a 'test to release' scheme, which could shorten this to as little as five days with a negative COVID-19 test result. Passengers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or air, also now have to show proof of a qualifying, negative COVID-19 test result to be allowed entry. The test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500. The UK government has said the travel corridor suspension will be in force until at least 15 February.

The government of the devolved UK administration of Wales has confirmed that from 04.00 (local time) on 18 January, it will introduce a pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for all areas from outside the Common Travel Area of the rest of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. The measures will effectively mirror those imposed in Scotland and England which require arrivals by air, sea and rail to return a negative COVID-19 test result up to 72 hours prior to departure. England had been due to introduce like measures on Friday, but the rollout was later pushed back to Monday. Northern Ireland is preparing to enact similar rules. Like England, the Welsh pre-departure testing regime will operate alongside quarantine, rather than replacing it.

The country's government has announced that it is extending Austria's national COVID-19 'lockdown' until 7 February in a drive to push down still-high infection figures, as officials worry about the possible impact of new COVID-19 variants. The country's chancellor has said that some local measures will also be tightened as a result of the more infectious variants that were first detected in Britain and South Africa, and that people will now be asked to stay two metres apart instead of one metre. Beginning on Jan. 25, they will also be required to wear full protective masks on public transport and in shops, rather than just fabric face coverings.

The brand has announced that from 26 January it will begin on-property COVID-19 antigen testing across the majority of its properties, with guests able to schedule an onsite departure test via their concierge. Tests will be administered by international private hospital network 'Hospiten', with results available the same day. The Hospiten testing program will be available across most AMResorts destinations, except for Costa Rica, Curacao, St. Martin and Acapulco, Ixtapa and Huatulco, Mexico. AMResorts' portfolio, located throughout Mexico, Jamaica, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama and Spain, includes 67 properties under the Breathless, Zoetry, Secrets, Dreams, Now, Reflect, Sunscape and Alua brands.

The country's government has updated its latest COVID-19 entry requirements, stipulating that all travellers arriving from outside the European Union are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test, undertaken within 72 hours prior to departure, to gain entry into France. Upon entry into France, those travellers are required to self-isolate for seven days and then undergo a second COVID-19 PCR test at the end of this period; self-isolation can take place at home. A nationwide curfew due to COVID-19 is in force from 18.00 to 06.00 (local time), with limited exceptions to the curfew permitted.

The government of the devolved UK nation of Scotland has announced that from today, 16 January, it will be tightening local COVID-19 restrictions around takeaway and click-and-collect services to further curb increases of cases of the virus. Only shops selling essential items - such as clothing, footwear, baby equipment, homeware and books - will be allowed to offer click and collect. Collections must also be outdoors, with appointments staggered to avoid queuing; takeaways can no longer allow customers indoors, and must instead operate from a hatch or doorway.

The low-cost airline has announced an updated flight schedule plan for 2021 which will focus on a dedicated short-haul route network and suspend long-haul flight operations, as it plans a return from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the industry. Norwegian has said that it will focus on its core Nordics business, operating a European short haul network with narrow body aircraft.

The country's government has announced that most passengers from South American countries are no longer permitted to enter the UK, amid fears over a new COVOD-19 variant first identified in Brazil. The measure, which also applies to Portugal and Cape Verde, came into force at 04.00 (GMT) on 15 January. Included among the suspension are people who have travelled from, or through, the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days. It also applies to Portugal because of its strong links to Brazil and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa, as well as Panama in central America. Exemptions apply to UK and Irish nationals, as well as third-country nationals with residence in the UK.

The country's government on 12 January removed its COVID-19 PCR testing and/or quarantine requirements for tourist arrivals from high-risk nations and stopped the use of their ‘country lists’, which dictated which nations could visit under those requirements. Since the relaxation of the measures, foreign national arrivals from all nations are treated equally and not subjected to entry restrictions when travelling to Montenegro. Locally, the wearing of masks is required in all public spaces, both indoor and outdoor; a curfew is also in effect daily from 22.00 to 05.00 (local time).

The country's government has announced that it is tightening its travel restrictions for visitors entering from South Africa, the UK and Ireland from 15 January 2021; while essential travel is still permitted, arriving passengers will need to submit two negative COVID-19 test results prior to departure.

The UK government has published an update confirming that a requirement for all international arrivals to England, including UK nationals, to present a negative COVID-19 test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure, will now begin later than planned from 04.00 (GMT) on Monday 18 January 2021. The update also confirms clarified guidance on the types of tests required, the required evidence of a negative result and a limited number of exemptions by both destination and job role.

The country's government today announced tighter measures to tackle new COVID-19 variants, but opted not to impose a similar full 'lockdown' to neighbouring countries to control the pandemic. Among the measures will be the closure shops selling 'non-essential' supplies from 18 January, the requirement to work from home where possible, the closure of restaurants and sporting sites for a further five weeks and further limits on gatherings.

The country's government has announced that from midnight on 15 January, passengers arriving in Austria must register online for a Pre-Travel-Clearance (PTC). The PTC application form will be available at www.oesterreich.gv.at in English and German. Daily commuters, travelers in transit and people who have to travel to Austria for unforeseen family reasons are exempted from the online registration. For more information please visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.