MYANMAR: Country's government suspends air operations until at least 31 May 2021

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported that the government and military of Myanmar have directed airports to close, with all domestic and international commercial passenger flights to remain suspended until 31 May at the earliest.
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JAPAN: Country's government extends COVID-19 entry restrictions until 7 March 2021

The country's government has announced that it has extended a current state of emergency, which will now last until at least 7 March 2021; a suspension of entry for foreign travellers for the purposes of tourism has also been extended. At present, no foreign travellers are allowed to visit the country for this purpose, with arrivals from 152 countries suspended outright with very few exceptions.
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MYANMAR: Country's government suspends international flights until 28 February 2021

The country's government has suspended international commercial passenger flights until at least 28 February, in addition to closing all land borders. This follows the news that Myanmar's army have said it has seized power in the country, declaring a state of emergency for a year.
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PHILIPPINES: Country's government lifts entry suspension on passengers from over 30 countries

The country's government has announced that it has lifted a suspension on entry to passengers from over 30 countries and regions, including South Africa, allowing foreign nationals to enter the Philippines; arrivals are, however, subject to certain conditions. Foreign nationals will need to show proof of pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel/facility; they will also be required to undergo COVID-19 RT-PCR testing on their sixth day of quarantine from date of arrival.
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CHINA: Country's government mandates COVID-19 testing on domestic travellers from low-risk areas

The country's national government in Beijing has said that domestic visitors arriving in the capital from low-risk areas around mainland China must present a negative COVID-19 test result prior to arrival; the new measure will be in place until at least 15 March. Visitors from high and medium-risk areas remain barred from entering the city. Testing must occur within seven days prior to entry to Beijing, and travellers must also monitor their health and undergo further testing on the seventh and 14th day following their arrival.
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PHILIPPINES: Country's government extends COVID-19 measures in the city of Manila

The country's government today, 29 January, announced that it had extended partial COVID-19 restrictions in the capital city of Manila until at least the end of February, in a big to slow a spike in infections of the virus; the measures include the limited operations of shopping malls and dine-in eateries, as well as curbs on gatherings and public transport capacity. Meanwhile, the country's government today also relaxed travel curbs on international travellers coming from more than 30 countries including the U.S and China, starting from next month.
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INDIA: Country's government may be set to permit the resumption of regular international air travel

The country's government has said today that it may be set to resume regular international air travel, under a package of fresh relaxations in COVID-19 measures announced today, 28 January, which will go into effect from 1 February. India suspended all incoming and outgoing international flights, as well as domestic air travel, in the last week March 2020. International flights to and from India have since been resumed in a phased manner with about two dozen countries under bilateral 'air bubble' agreements. Meanwhile, the country has also fully resumed domestic air services.
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RUSSIA: Country resumes international passenger flights with four countries

The country's government has announced that from 27 January, it will resume international passenger flights to and from Qatar, India, Vietnam and Finland - from which services were previously suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an official government release, the flights to Qatar will depart three times a week, and to India, Vietnam and Finland twice a week.
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MALAYSIA AIRLINES: Airline outlines plans to restore a daily UK flight service from July 2021

The airline has outlined plans to restore a 'significant' proportion of its international flight network by the end of 2021, with frequency increases on key routes to the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Among these increases in frequency are plans to offer a daily flight from the country's capital of Kuala Lumpur to the UK by July. In Australia, the airline has said that it expects to operate 39 weekly return flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth by late December; services to New Zealand are set to resume from late March.
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HONG KONG: Region's government lifts temporary COVID-19 'lockdown' in Kowloon district

The government of Hong Kong announced that it had lifted a COVID-19 'lockdown' early this morning, 25 January, imposed upon an area in the district of Kowloon on 23 January in response to the discovery of 13 confirmed cases of the virus in a residential area. Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities have started to take further, firm measures to curb the spread of the virus including a ban on in-house dining after 18.00 (local time), and the closing of facilities such as gyms, sports venues and beauty salons.
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SINGAPORE AIRLINES: Airline announced the launch of COVID-19 testing trials

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.
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SRI LANKA: Country resumes commercial flights and re-opens to international tourism

The country's government has today, 21 January, re-opened to foreign tourists and resumed international commercial flights following a closure of over 10 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under new measures, visitors must be tested for COVID-19 in their country of origin a maximum of 72 hours prior to their flight, once more when they arrive at their hotel, and for a final time seven days later. They will be allowed to travel in 14 designated tourism zones under a 'travel bubble' initiative, without mixing with local people. So far around 180 hotels have been earmarked to provide approved accommodation for tourism.
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VISTARA: Indian airline starts daily flights between New Delhi and the UAE emirate of Sharjah

Indian airline Vistara has started daily flights between New Delhi and the emirate of Sharjah, under a bilateral travel bubble arrangement between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sharjah is Vistara’s second destination in the UAE, complementing its weekly flights between Delhi and Dubai. Starting from 24 January, the airline will also fly daily between Mumbai and Sharjah.
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MALAYSIA: Country's government expands COVID-19 lockdown measures to most states

The country's government has today, 19 January, announced that it will extend COVID-19 lockdown restrictions across most of the country in order to curb further increases in infections. Last week capital city Kuala Lumpur and six states went into a two-week lockdown meaning that essential sectors including manufacturing, plantations and construction were allowed to stay open, but a nationwide travel ban was implemented; the lockdown will now also be imposed on six other states from 22 January for two weeks.
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SINGAPORE: Country's government announces mandatory COVID-19 testing for arrivals from 24 January 2021

Singapore’s Ministry of Health has announced that all passengers arriving in Singapore must take a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test when they land in the country. The decision to implement the rule comes following the resurgence of COVID-19 around the world, and has been put into place to prevent importation and local transmission of the new, more-transmissible virus strains that have been discovered. The rule not only applies to foreign passengers, but to Singaporeans and permanent residents of the country, and is to come into effect from 23.59 (local time) on 24 January.
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PHILIPPINES: Country extends entry 'ban' to arrivals from 30 countries until 31 January 2021

The country's government has announced that it has extended its travel ban for arrivals from 30 countries until at least 31 January, due to the discovery of new COVID-19 variants. Under this measure, passengers from the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, the United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and Oman are prohibited from entering the Philippines.
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INDONESIA: Country's government extends COVID-19 entry restrictions on foreign arrivals

The country's government announced yesterday, 11 January, that it has extended its ban on foreign arrivals for another 14 days in a bid to control the transmission of COVID-19; ministers have said the reason for the stricter measures against international visitors, which were imposed on 1 January, is to try to keep out the new COVID-19 variant first detected in the UK.
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MALAYSIA: Country's government announces nationwide travel ban and COVID-19 lockdown in some states

The country's government announced yesterday, 11 January, a nationwide travel ban and 14-day COVID-19 lockdown in the capital and five other states, as the country combats a surge in infections. The lockdown, will takes effect at midnight on 13 January, will prevent all social activities and interstate domestic travel.
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CATHAY PACIFIC: Airline suspends London flights until 25 January 2021

The airline has confirmed that all flights departing from the UK to Hong Kong will continue to be suspended until at least 25 January. Cathay Pacific have said the decision is in view of the entry restrictions put in place by the government of Hong Kong on arrivals from the UK.
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SOUTH KOREA: Country updates its COVID-19 entry requirements from 8 January 2021

The country's government has updated its entry requirements and announced that, from 8 January 2021, all international travellers entering South Korea (with the exception of citizens) must present a COVID-19 negative PCR test result issued a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure; those who do not have a negative test result will be denied boarding. All travellers, regardless of visa type and nationality, are required to be re-tested at a government-designated facility within three days of arrival and a 14-day quarantine is required for all travellers, except for those holding a quarantine isolation exemption certificate. Transit travellers must transit within 24 hours and are not permitted to leave the airport under any circumstances.
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