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Germany's health minister has said that mandatory testing of passengers returning to the country from nations with a high risk of COVID-19 infection will take effect 'later this week'; final preparations are reportedly in progress in order to coordinate the testing solution across both airports and international train stations across all states of Germany.

The government of Cyprus has confirmed that the country will introduce mandatory COVID-19 testing for all arrivals from Greece from 6 August; arrivals must show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken a maximum of 72 hours before departure. Cypriots or permanent residents of Cyprus can, however, opt for testing on arrival instead.

The country's government has announced that from today, 31 July, all arrivals from Luxembourg will need to self-isolate for 14 days following its removal from the UK's travel corridor list. The decision is cited as being due to a consistent increase in COVID-19 cases in Luxembourg since the end of June; the devolved UK nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have all agreed to take the same decision within their respective jurisdictions.

The country's government has announced that from today, 31 July, all international arrivals from high-risk areas who intend to stay in Iceland for 10 days or more must undergo two COVID-19 PCR tests. A first will be taken on arrival at the border, and the second will be conducted by a health care service 4-6 days later. Details on special precautions that must be taken in between tests, plus applicable charges for testing, can be found on the Icelandic government's COVID-19 portal.

The airline has announced the resumption of flights to an additional 15 destinations between 31 July and 1 August. Flights to Bucharest, Chicago, Pristina and Sarajevo are to be offered from today, 31 July. From tomorrow, 1 August, flights will resume to Belgrade, Cairo, Kiev, London, Podgorica, Sibiu, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm, Tirana and Varna.

The government of Norway has announced that will re-impose a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Belgium from 1 August, citing a significant rise in COVID-19 cases there. Norway last week also re-imposed restrictions on travel from Spain in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

The UK rail operator LNER, who operate long-distance inter-city services from London King's Cross to north east England and Scotland, is set to begin trials of a new onboard catering service; featuring mobile ordering, the service will facilitate the delivery of food and drink directly to passengers’ seats. The digital in-seat app ‘Let’s Eat – At Your Seat’ will be available to customers in both Standard and First Class.

Reports today, 30 July, suggest that the government of Poland is considering an arrival quarantine for arrivals from select EU and non-EU countries based on COVID-19 risk level; Spain and France have thus far been cited as candidates, and the measures are still being discussed.

The local government of the popular Portuguese island of Madeira have announced that from 1 August, it will be mandatory for face masks to be worn at all times while in public; Madeira will be the first region in the country to adopt the measures against COVID-19.

Virgin Atlantic have announced further route resumptions in August, after successfully re-starting flights to destinations including Hong Kong, New York JFK and Los Angeles in the second half of July. From 1 August services will resume to Barbados; this is followed by flights to Shanghai returning on 4 August. Finally, Virgin's Miami route will be operational from 18 August.

From 27 July, Qatar Airways have moved all operations at London Heathrow from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5. This is a temporary measure in response to runway management by the airport during a period of significantly fewer flights, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country's government announced today, 28 July, that it will make mask-wearing compulsory at more indoor public spaces to contain the spread of COVID-19. The new measures come into effect from 29 July and will require masks to be worn by everyone inside retail shops, offices, banks, food stores and bakeries. Masks are already required on public transport and in supermarkets.

Germany's foreign ministry has today, 28 July, advised holidaymakers in the country not to travel to several Spanish regions including Catalonia, home to the city of Barcelona; the advice comes as some Spanish areas have seen a rise in COVID-19 infection rates this week. Also included within the advisory is travel to the autonomous communities of Aragon and Navarre.

Madrid's regional government leaders announced today that the city will make face masks mandatory everywhere at all times, as part of a package of measures aimed at preventing COVID-19 infections. In addition, bars must also now close by 01.00, and gatherings at outdoor restaurant terraces will be capped at 10 people.

The country's health ministry has announced that Bulgaria will allow visiting tourists from Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, Moldova, Israel and Kuwait to visit its resorts from today, 28 July, if they are in possession of a negative COVID-19 test result; the test must be undertaken a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival. Visitors from the Ukraine will be permitted to enter on the same basis from 30 July.

The UK government has today, 28 July, added a small number of countries to its travel corridor list, meaning that visitors or returning UK citizens travelling from those destinations will no longer be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival; the new additions are Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Meanwhile, Spain was removed from the list on 26 July.

The government of Norway announced that as of 25 July it has re-imposed a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain after a surge in COVID-19 cases there. Residents of the European Union, European Economic Area or Schengen countries with fewer than 20 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks are able to enter Norway without being required to go into self-quarantine. Meanwhile, Norway also announced on 24 July that it has now eased restrictions on people coming from more counties of Sweden.

From 1 August all passengers travelling to the United Arab Emirates from any destination, including those transiting in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a qualifying facility in order to be accepted on the flight at check-in. The test must be taken within 96 hours of departure, and only passengers under the age of 12 or those who have a moderate to severe disability will be excluded from this requirement. In addition to this, also from 1 August, passengers from 29 selected countries must also be subject to a second test on arrival via a nasal swab.

The government of Germany has announced that it will offer free COVID-19 tests to citizens returning from holiday, as part of efforts to prevent a new wave of infections. Arrivals from countries designated as high-risk will be eligible for immediate tests, while arrivals from other places will be able to get tested within three days; Germany has designated 130 countries as high-risk, including Turkey, Egypt and the United States.

The Portuguese airline has announced that by September they will resume flights to more than 76 routes across destinations in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Until 31 August new bookings can also made on a flexible basis with a free booking change.