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The Premier of the state of South Australia has announced their intention for international arrivals to be liable to pay the cost of their mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine from 18 July. The policy follows similar announcements by other states including New South Wales (NSW), and costs for the South Australia's Adelaide-based hotel quarantine are expected to start from AU$3,000 for a single adult.

The Australian government have announced that from 13 July they will cap the number of international arrivals into the country, including returning citizens, at 4,175 per week. This represents a reduction of approximately 50% on current arrival numbers. It has also been indicated that passengers arriving into Australia will be required to pay their own government-provided quarantine costs in all states and territories shortly - thus far only the states of Queensland and the Northern Territory have done so.

The Australian state of Queensland has announced that from midday on 10 July it will close its border to anyone who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days; this includes any arrivals from the entire state of Victoria, which is classified as a hotspot. Anyone who enters is required to sign a border pass agreeing to mandatory testing if they develop symptoms within 14 days.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has warned its citizens against travel to Hong Kong. This follows the Australian prime minister's announcement that an extradition treaty with the Hong Kong is to be cancelled; this is due to Australia citing China’s national security law as ‘a fundamental change of circumstances’. Smartraveller warns that the new legislation for Hong Kong could be interpreted broadly, and travellers could be deported to mainland China for prosecution under mainland law for breaking a law in Hong Kong that they were not aware of, and without intention.

The country's government has announced that they are making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers. All existing temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 will now be extended by six months.

The country's prime minister said today, 8 July, that the government could restrict the number of people returning to the country, following the news of strict lockdown measures being re-imposed in the state of Victoria. The prime minister said he wants to reduce the number of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and foreigners exempt from Australia’s travel ban that are landing at Australian airports, in order to ease the strain on hotel quarantine.

The state of Western Australia (WA) has capped the number of international arrivals to 525 per week, effective immediately, in order to ease pressure on government-provided quarantine. The state's government is also drafting urgent legislation which, if passed, would add it to the growing list of Australian states requiring arrivals to cover the cost of their mandatory 14-day stays. International passengers due to arrive in Perth, or transit the city's international airport as a first port of call en-route to other Australian destinations, should monitor their flight status closely.

The government of the Australian state of Victoria have announced that in line with advice from their chief health officer, the areas of both metropolitan Melbourne and nearby Mitchell Shire will return to stage three of 'Stay at Home' restrictions from 23.59 (local time) on 8 July. The measures have been re-introduced due to what the government calls a 'significant increase' in COVID-19 transmission in these areas. Under stage three there are a limited list of essential purposes for which residents are permitted to leave home, including to shop for essential supplies or to exercise.

Air New Zealand advises that following a request from the country's government, a hold has been placed on all new bookings for international flights into New Zealand - this is effective immediately until at least 26 July. The measure has been put in place in order to ease pressure on quarantine facilities.

The Australian government has announced that border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria will close at 23.59 (local time) on 7 July, due to a second spike of COVID-19 cases within Victoria. A permit system will be put in place for people who need to travel into New South Wales, and all border crossing for non-essential purposes will be restricted.

The Queensland government department of health has provided further clarification for quarantine requirements on arrival in the state. While the directive says that any person who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the previous 14 days must quarantine upon arrival, paragraph 13 stipulates exemptions to this, including for specialist workers or those solely transiting through an airport in a COVID-19 hotspot.

Sydney Airport has introduced a cap on international arrivals effective from tomorrow, 4 July 2020, when arrivals will be limited to 50 people per incoming flight and a total of 450 arrivals per day. The decision follows an increase in diverted flights to Sydney from Melbourne Airport, where incoming international flights have been suspended until 15 July - this has caused a strain on government quarantine facilities in Sydney. The cap is due to stay in place until at least 15 July when Melbourne Airport is due to resume receiving international flights.

A finalised list of 14 countries from which passengers are permitted to enter the EU’s 27 member, and four other, nations in Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel zone has been released; they are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. China may also soon be included if they confirm reciprocity. As expected, the U.S. is excluded for now, but the list will be reviewed every 14 days.

Air New Zealand has announced that due to Australian government restrictions, the airline will not operate passenger flights from Auckland to Melbourne from 1-14 July. This follows the news that all flights into Melbourne are due to diverted or suspended during this period, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases within the city.

International flights to Melbourne are to be diverted from until 15 July, as the Australian state of Victoria increases COVID-19 measures. So far, the state of New South Wales (NSW) has reportedly declined to accept diverted flights, which would mean that arrival into Sydney would not be possible as an alternative. Canberra's international airport, however, will currently not refuse flights according to the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) chief minister.

The Australia-based airline has announced that it will begin a phased re-opening of a number of its domestic and regional airport lounges around the country, following the easing of state-based restrictions and an increase in demand for domestic travel. This will start with 11 of its 35 Australian domestic lounges re-opening from 1 July.

The Premier of Australia's state of Queensland has announced that the state will re-open its borders to residents of all of Australia’s states and territories, with the exception of Victoria. This is provided that travellers complete a border declaration stating they have not been to local government areas in Victoria in the previous 14 days.

The airline's administrator, Deloitte, today entered into a sale agreement with U.S global investment firm Bain Capital. The firm has vowed to keep thousands of jobs, honour all employee entitlements and carry forward all travel credits and Velocity frequent flyer booked flights.

Oaks Apartments have updated details on their SureStay program. Launching on 1 July, Oaks SureStay program builds on already impeccably high standards of cleanliness to deliver a hospital grade standard of sanitation throughout guest rooms, common areas and food & beverage venues at all Oaks properties.

New Zealand's state-owned rail operator KiwiRail is set to resume its TranzAlpine scenic rail journey from 4 July onwards; the beloved train service runs between Christchurch on the east coast of the country's south island, and Greymouth in the west. Beginning with a weekend and school holiday timetable in July and August, the service plans to assess demand before resuming more frequent services, as the country expects its borders to be closed to international visitors for some time.