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The Swiss-based river, ocean, and expedition cruise operator has announced that it has cancelled all river and ocean sailings through to the end of 2020 due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic; guests with cancelled cruises will be offered 125% future credit.

The country's government has announced that lockdown restrictions will be eased in England from tomorrow, 15 August. Among the changes will be the resumption of indoor performances under some conditions, small wedding receptions, the piloting of some sporting events and ‘close contact’ beauty services.

The government of France has today declared the cities of Paris and Marseille, plus their surrounding areas, to be high-risk zones for COVID-19. This is expected to allow authorities further powers to impose localised curbs on the virus, and further restrictions could be expected to be imposed imminently.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (local time) on 15 August, both arrivals and returning passengers from France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos and Aruba will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days due to the countries being removed from the UK's travel corridor exemption list. In addition, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also advised British nationals against all but essential travel to these destinations, based on the risk currently presented due to their levels of COVID-19.

The airline has said that it will resume daily flights to the UK's London Gatwick Airport from 20 August, in a move which will see its UK network expand to 45 weekly flights to four gateways. UK passengers will now be able to connect via the airline's Doha hub to over 40 destinations in Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

The country's government has announced that it has extended its current state of emergency until at least 11 September due to the COVID-19 outbreak, despite reporting a decline in the number of new daily infections. The country’s borders remain closed and international flights have not yet resumed; a ban on foreigners entering Armenia has though been removed, but visitors from abroad should self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.

The country's government has announced that it will allow events of more than 1,000 people from 1 October, provided organizers follow hygiene measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19; such events have been banned in Switzerland since 28 February, forcing many cancellations. The Swiss government have also said that face masks must now be worn by passengers on all flights; masks have thus far been mandatory on buses, trains and trams since early July.

The Dubai-based airline has announced it will resume passenger services to Birmingham from 1 September, Cebu from 20 August, and Houston from 23 August. This will bring the airline’s network to 74 destinations, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its hub.

The country's government has yesterday, 12 August, ordered travellers arriving from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain to be tested for COVID-19, and also added Colombia to a list of countries under a complete travel ban amid growing concern over new infections. Italy had managed to bring down and contain the number of infections in recent weeks, but officials are now worried by a gradual resurgence.

The country's government has announced that it will re-impose quarantine measures on travellers from more foreign countries, and reiterated its advice that Norwegians should avoid going abroad, amid a jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases. It will now re-impose 10-day quarantines from 15 August for all travellers from Poland, Malta, Iceland, Cyprus and the Netherlands, as well as the Faroe Islands and some Danish and Swedish regions. Norway has already reintroduced similar constraints for Spain, France, Switzerland and several others.

The airline has announced that it is set to resume four weekly flights to Lisbon, Portugal from 14 August on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, offering 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy. This will see the airline’s European network expand to 225 weekly flights to 33 destinations.

The government of Germany confirmed yesterday, 11 August, that it has extended a partial travel warning for Spain to both the capital of Madrid and the Basque region due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move was cited as a warning against any unnecessary tourist trips by German citizens to both regions because of a rising number of new COVID-19 infections; the German government had already issued travel warnings for the Spanish regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra.

The government of Belgium has confirmed that face masks will be mandatory in all public places within the country's capital of Brussels from today, 12 August. The news comes as the number of COVID-19 infections rose to a government alert level that puts the city among the worst affected in Europe. Until now masks had been mandatory only in crowded public spaces and enclosed sites, such as shopping malls.

The cruise line has extended its suspension of sailings until mid-November and cancelled a pair of long-haul itineraries next year following guidance from the British foreign office. Guests booked to sail on cancelled cruises will automatically receive a 125% future cruise credit or they can opt for a 100% refund.

The government of Germany has, since 8 August, mandated that passengers entering Germany from designated high-risk countries or areas must undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing upon arrival. The country regularly updates the list of high-risk areas, and the list can be found on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.

The country’s government has announced that from 17 August visitors from Sweden, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic will need proof they have tested negative for COVID-19 to gain entry; a negative test result obtained within 72 hours of departure must be presented. The government said the same requirement will apply to all visitors entering Greece via its land borders, including Greek citizens returning home.

The country’s government has said that it will introduce mandatory COVID-19 tests and quarantines for travellers from certain high-risk countries, following the arrival of a number of passengers testing positive on a flight from North Macedonia on 8 August. Subject to approval, the new measures will be enforced as soon as possible, and failure to respect the two-week quarantine would be sanctioned with up to three months in prison or a fine.

The local government of Northern Ireland have taken the decision to make it mandatory to wear a face mask in shops and other enclosed public spaces, in an effort to contain COVID-19 infection numbers which have risen three-fold since July. The Department of Health said it would be an offence to breach the law without having a "reasonable excuse", and breaches could attract a fixed penalty notice of £60 (GBP).

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.

Edwardian Hotels in London and Manchester have implemented new operating procedures to ensure traveller safety during their stay. The protocols are approved by SGS, a world-leading testing and certification body.