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The UK's Newcastle International Airport has announced that it is working with testing providers to offer quick and efficient COVID-19 PCR tests to departing passengers. Tests cost £99 and are now available to book, with a start date of Tuesday, 1 December. Passengers will receive results within two days, and the testing area will be based in the Premium Meet and Greet car park building, with free on-site parking available.

Effective from 29 November, the country's government is set to shorten its blanket 14-day COVID-19 quarantine for international arrivals to just five days with post-arrival PCR testing undertaken on the fifth day of isolation. All arrivals from this date have the option of participating in the new initiative or undertaking a full 14-day self-isolation without testing. In addition, arrivals from EU nations classified as ‘orange’ level of risk can bring a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, obtained no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival, to circumvent the quarantine altogether. The tests will likely be $100-$200 USD in price, and are expected to have the option of being taken at passengers' homes or hotel while they are observing quarantine.

It’s been reported that Rome’s Fiumicino Airport will begin hosting COVID-19-tested flights to and from the U.S. operated by Delta Air Lines and Alitalia, making it the first European airport to have such facility for transatlantic flights. From December, passengers can be tested 48 hours before departure and on arrival at the airport.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (GMT) on Saturday 28 November, anyone arriving or returning from Estonia or Latvia to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will be required to self-isolate for two weeks. However, anyone arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the following countries will not be required to self-isolate, as the nations have been granted a travel corridor: Bhutan, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Aruba and the Pacific Islands of Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. In addition, the UK government have removed an all-out ban on arrivals from Denmark, which was imposed following concerns over a COVID-19 outbreak in the country's mink population; arrivals from Denmark will, however, still be required to self-isolate for two weeks.

The country’s government has confirmed in a televised address that it will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions from this weekend in recognition of what many deem to be the passing of their second peak. Non-essential shops will be permitted to re-open, but bars and restaurants will remain closed until at least 20 January.

The UK transport secretary has confirmed on Twitter that from 15 December, the mandatory self-isolation period for passengers arriving into England from non-'travel corridor' destinations will be reduced from 14 days to as little as five, on the basis that passengers obtain a negative COVID-19 test result from an approved private provider. The test must be taken on day five of self-isolation, and passengers are able to be released after a negative result is received.

London's Gatwick Airport has announced the opening of a new COVID-19 screening service, providing pre-departure and post-arrival testing for passengers, staff and local residents with results available the next day. It also facilitates requirements for a UK government ‘test and release’ scheme, to coincide with an expected update this week on arrival quarantine in England potentially being reduced for passengers from 'high-risk' countries from 14 days to five days if a negative result is obtained. The booking portal goes live on 27 November and the cost for the general public is £99.

Following the UK government announcing granting a travel corridor to arriving or returning passengers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai-based airline Emirates has announced plans to increase its UK flight connections. Among them, it operate its A380 aircraft four times a day to London Heathrow from 27 November and six times a week to Manchester from 2 December. Flights to Birmingham and Glasgow will also be increased from the current four-a-week to daily services at both cities, from 27 November and 1 December respectively.

The government of Greece has shut one border crossing with Albania and has started to conduct rapid COVID-19 tests on all visitors at its land borders, following sharp rises in COVID-19 cases. Visitors entering from land borders were already required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained at least 72 hours prior to travel; now upon arrival, they will be re-tested by Greek authorities. The measures came into effect as of 04.00 (GMT) today, 20 November.

The government of Northern Ireland has said that it will impose strict COVID-19 measures for two weeks from 27 November; this includes the closing of its entire hospitality sector, non-essential retail and places of worship in what is essentially a circuit-breaker style lockdown.

The government of Ireland has announced that from 30 November those arriving from ‘red’ regions, which includes the UK and the rest of Europe, can reduce their quarantine period from 14 days to five by obtaining a negative COVID-19 test result at the end of the five day period. Previously, Ireland announced earlier this month that they would be aligning with the EU ‘traffic light’ system for international travel, which categorises regions in colour codes according to the effectiveness of their controls over COVID-19.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (GMT) on Saturday 21 November, anyone arriving or returning from the following countries to England, Wales or Northern Ireland will NOT be required to self-isolate: Israel, Namibia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Bonaire, St Eustatius & Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands. No countries were this week removed from the 'travel corridor' list.

The Norway-based cruise line, which was the first to resume cruise operations in the Caribbean, has now cancelled all remaining 2020 departures following a COVID-19 outbreak on board one of its ships.

The first minister of Scotland has announced that 11 areas of the country, including the city of Glasgow, will be moved into the highest COVID-19 level ‘four’ restrictions from 18.00 (GMT) on 20 November.

The airline is set to launch voluntary COVID-19 testing for passengers travelling to the UK from three US airports. The trial begins on 25 November and will be free to eligible customers on three flights: an American Airlines flight from Dallas Fort Worth to London Heathrow; British Airways from Los Angeles to London Heathrow, and British Airways from New York John F. Kennedy to London Heathrow. Passengers will be tested 72 hours before their trip, as well as during and after travelling. If they test positive before travelling, they will have to reschedule or cancel their flight, but will be able to rebook at a later date without a fee.

The UK rail operator has published updated information to engineering works being carried out over the Christmas period; from 25-30 December, no services will operate to or from London Kings Cross.

The country's government has said that it will introduce a partial curfew on weekends due to the increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19. In addition, the Turkish authorities have decided to close all cafes and restaurants in the country, allowing them to work only for take-out. No time frame has been given as to how long these new measures will remain in place.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has published updated information for British nationals and residents travelling to Romania; from 13 November, travellers arriving directly from the UK are no longer required to self-isolate on arrival.

The airline has announced plans to begin rolling out ‘Verifly’ this month, a new mobile app to help passengers easily understand COVID-19 testing and documentation requirements. It’ll be available from 18 November on selected flights, and will give passengers a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ status pre-travel depending on the amount of supporting information and documentation that has been provided.

The government of Spain announced last week that from 23 November, all passengers travelling to Spanish airports and ports from ‘risk’ countries, which currently includes the UK, are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival.