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U.S. managed operator Victoria Cruise Lines has launched its first sailing on China's Yangtze River since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the renovated 'Victoria Katarina' having set sail on 17 August; two further vessels are also set to depart in September on weekly sailings between Chongqing and Yichang. The ships will be sailing at 50% capacity, and included among a number of adaptive measures installed are hospital grade particle filtration units in the air conditioning.

The national airline of Bangladesh has announced that, in accordance with a government directive, from 16 August it will collect additional fees with the issuance of each new ticket; the fees are cited to fall under the categories of 'Airport Development' & 'Passenger Security'. The fees will be collected for any flights departing from Bangladesh and will appear seperately on the ticket breakdown under tax codes 'P7' and 'P8'.

It has been announced that from 21 August, passengers travelling from the UK to China must obtain a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result within five days of boarding; they must also submit a scanned copy of a health declaration form to their nearest Chinese embassy or consulate within the UK.

Indian private airline Vistara are reportedly likely to shortly begin flight operations between India and the UK, Germany and France under the bilateral air bubble arrangements that have been signed with these countries by the government of India. A three-times weekly service between Delhi and London Heathrow Airport is likely to the first new flight announced as early as next week, according to industry sources.

The Dubai-based airline has said that it will operate a one-off passenger flight on it's flagship Airbus A380 aircraft to Clark in the Philippines on 19 August; the special flight will help to meet the demand for flights to and from the Philippines, especially serving passengers from metro Manila and the surrounding Luzon areas and beyond.

Hong Kong International Airport have announced that outbound passengers from mainland China will be able to transit through Hong Kong to other destinations from 15 August until 15 October, which will provide a boost for Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific. Transit inbound to mainland China will though remain banned at this time

This update follows a previous bulletin reporting that Macau will from today, 12 August, begin to reinstate tourist visas for the neighbouring, mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai; it has since been announced that in addition, residents from the neighbouring mainland province of Guangdong will be able to apply from 26 August, and all remaining mainland provinces will be able to follow suit from 23 September.

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 country's government has confirmed from 15 August the wearing of face shields on public transport will be mandatory; this includes but is not limited to trains, buses, jeepneys, taxis, boasts and ships.

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 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 from 13 August it will require passengers travelling from select countries to provide a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result at check-in, taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure at an approved laboratory; a completed consent form must also be presented. The new restriction will initially be applicable to arrivals from Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Iran, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia and Sri Lanka. It is also applicable to Erbil International Airport (EBL) in Iraq.

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 national airline of the Philippines has announced that from 15 August, they will require passengers to wear protective face shields, in addition to face masks; it is unclear whether or not they will be provided by the airline at this stage. The new measure is one of many employed by the airline to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission, including thermal scanning and protective shields at airport service desks.

The country’s government has delayed plans for a ‘travel bubble’ agreement with select countries following a rise in COVID-19 infection numbers in both Thailand and other Asian countries, in a move which is expected to put pressure on its vital tourism industry and complicate efforts to revive its economy. The idea was first proposed in June, however for now has been shelved.

The country's government has announced three amendments from 6 August to the list of countries from which Cyprus accepts visitors. Greece will move from category A to B, meaning a COVID-19 test certificate must now be obtained within 72 hours of departure. Thailand will move from category B to A, meaning arrivals to Cyprus are now not required to self-isolate or be tested. Finally, Morocco will move from category B to C, meaning most passengers are not permitted to enter, and those who are eligible must be tested and self-isolate. In addition, all passengers must apply for a 'CyprusFlightPass' within 24 hours of their departure, and present this at passport control when they arrive in the country.

The government of Singapore have announced that some incoming passengers will be required to wear electronic monitoring tags from 11 August in order to ensure that they comply with COVID-19 quarantine requirements, as the city-state gradually re-opens its borders. The devices will use GPS and Bluetooth signals and must be activated upon reaching a passenger's home; any attempt to leave home during the mandatory quarantine period or tamper with the device will trigger an alert to the authorities.

Russia's TASS news agency have reported that flights from Moscow to Geneva in Switzerland are set to resume from 15 August for passengers who are holders of Swiss residence permits; passengers arriving from Russia will be required to observe a 10-day quarantine on arrival in Geneva. Reports suggest that the flights will operate once per week initially.

The government of the Philippines has announced that from 4 August it will re-impose a stricter COVID-19 lockdown in and around the capital of Manila for at least two weeks, as the country struggles to contain a jump in infections. Included in the restrictions will be Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.

China's government announced on 30 July that restrictions are now to be imposed on people coming in and out of Urumqi, the capital of China’s western Xinjiang region, in an effort contain a localised COVID-19 outbreak. Among other measures, Urumqi will mandate a 14-day quarantine for people arriving in the city from high-risk COVID-19 areas; others entering the city will need to show proof of a negative test within the past seven days.