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The country's government announced yesterday, 11 April, that current COVID-19 'lockdown' measures including a night-time curfew will now remain in place until 28 April; the announcement followed the news of daily virus infections rising to a two-week high. Previously, the country's government had said they were looking at easing restrictions on 21 April by lifting the curfew and allowing bars and restaurants to welcome guests in outdoor spaces.

The airline has announced what it calls a major step forward towards the introduction of digital health passes by partnering with IATA Travel Pass and TrustAssure to launch two separate, complementary trials. From 16 April, Virgin Atlantic will commence a one-month trial of the IATA Travel Pass on its popular London Heathrow-Barbados services, in close collaboration with the government of the Caribbean island, which will accept the pass at its border.

The middle-eastern airline has announced that it is resuming its service to Mykonos, Greece for the summer season - as the destination welcomes visitors once again. Qatar Airways is planning to operate three flights per week using an A320 aircraft.

The government of Spain has announced that from 30 March it will ease a 'ban' on travel from the UK, three months after suspending flights for all but Spanish nationals and residents over concerns about a more contagious variant of COVID-19 first detected in the UK. From 30 March, armed with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, British passengers will be permitted to enter for reasons of imperative health, work or education only, however.

Ukraine is now open for tourism to all nations under normal immigration and visa rules. All foreign travellers must provide proof of a negative PCR test that was performed no longer than 72 hours before arrival in Ukraine. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from this rule. Tourists without a negative COVID-19 PCR test result will not be granted entry into Ukraine. All tourists entering Ukraine will first have to obtain state-run travel insurance for the entire duration of their trip.

The government of Norway has announced updated national COVID-19 measures aimed at containing recent spikes in infections, and has also postponed the introduction of a plan to formally re-open society on a local level. The government had originally planned to present a plan in late March for the gradual unwinding of its COVID-19 restrictions. Among the updated measures, anyone returning from a holiday abroad will be forced to undergo 10 days of quarantine at a designated hotel; Norwegians should also begin keeping a two-metre distance from anyone not living in their own household - double the current recommendation - and have no more than two guests at home.

The country's government has announced it will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions from April 2021 by letting hairdressers, spas and other services re-open, while restaurants and cinemas will be allowed to follow suit in May, contingent on the use of COVID-19 'passports'; these documents will show whether the holder has been vaccinated, has previously been infected or has taken a test within the last 72 hours.

The country's government has announced that mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals to the Republic of Ireland from 33 countries deemed high-risk for COVID-19, including South Africa, is due to begin on 26 March 2021; arrivals will be required to pay at least EUR 1875 to stay at one of 24 hotels for a period of two weeks. Quarantine will apply to those arriving from high-risk countries, as well as those without a negative COVID-19 test result, and the quarantine also applies to travellers who have passed through airports in high-risk countries.

The country's government has confirmed that its COVID-19 'lockdown' measures will be extended by another month until at least 18 April, in addition to a number of new restrictions being imposed; the amendment has been made in an effort to curb a surge of COVID-19 infections thought to be driven by new variants of the virus. Amid concern over the rise in Germans traveling abroad on holidays, authorities also agreed on a blanket requirement for air travellers to be tested for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to Germany.

The country's government has announced the extension of a ban on visa-free travel from South Africa, as well as all South American countries, for an indefinite period. Visa-free travel from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay along with South Africa has been banned since 27 January due to the spread of COVID-19 variants.

Low-cost airline easyJet has announced the upcoming introduction of two new domestic flight routes from Bournemouth to Belfast and Edinburgh, which are on sale now. The flights to and from the popular seaside town of Bournemouth will operate up to twice per week to Belfast from 26 May, and to Edinburgh from 27 May.

The country's prime minister has announced that 16 regions of France, including Paris, have entered into a new COVID-19 'lockdown'. The measures will be in place for at least four weeks and will be less restrictive than those previously imposed last March and November. Among other restrictions, during this time outdoor activities will be permitted to go ahead only within a 10km radius of a person's home; non-essential shops, not including book shops, will be required to close.

The government of Germany has announced an extension of controls along its borders to the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol region, in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 mutations. Previously, the controls were reinstated on 14 February, following the introduction of a stricter lockdown in the Czech Republic.

The country's government has announced from 18 March it has re-opened its borders to COVID-19 vaccinated passengers from all countries, allowing entry without quarantine or testing required. This new relaxation of measures also applies to passengers who can provide valid documentation of prior infection. Passengers can provide evidence of vaccination or previous recovery either in paper or digital format.

A new Norway-based airline has announced that it will launch from December 2021 and attempt to fill the low-cost transatlantic void left by Norwegian Air, who suspended their transatlantic services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Norse Atlantic Airways plans to fly Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft between European destinations such as London, Paris and Oslo and U.S. destinations such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami; tickets are due to go on sale in the Autumn.

The cruise line has announced that it will resume limited operations in May 2021, with three sailings along the south coast of England, available exclusively to UK residents. Viking will offer the eight-day itinerary, 'England's Scenic Shores', on its newest ocean ship, the Viking Venus, due for delivery in April. The ship will sail a roundtrip from Portsmouth on 22 May, 29 May and 5 June.

The national airline of Latvia has announced that it will resume flights from Riga to the Ukrainian city of Kyiv on 17 March for those passengers that are due to travel for essential reasons; airBaltic will also resume further flights outside of the European Union from 28 March.

The UK’s Department of Transport has announced a number of changes to be made to England’s ‘red list’ from 04.00 (GMT) on Friday 19 March 2021. From this date, visitors who have departed from or transited through Ethiopia, Somalia, Oman and Qatar in the previous 10 days will be refused entry to England. Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights (including long-term visa holders) will be permitted to enter; however, they must stay in a government-approved facility for 10 days. It has also been announced however that Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) and Mauritius will be removed from England’s red list from 04.00 (GMT) on Friday 19 March. This means that passengers arriving to England from these destinations will no longer be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility; however, they must adhere to self-isolation requirements at home and undergo COVID-19 testing on days two and eight.

The Kazakh airline has announced that it will resume direct flights between Almaty and Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on 16 March. Services will be operating three times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flight-time between Almaty and Tbilisi is four hours and 15 minutes, and three hours and 40 mins on return from Tbilisi to Almaty.

The low-cost airline has announced the launch of a COVID-19 travel 'wallet', which is available for customers within the Ryanair mobile app; passengers can now upload their negative COVID-19 PCR tests, their COVID-19 vaccination certificates and other documents that may be required for EU travel this summer.