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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.

Delta Air Lines announced on 27 July that it is teaming up with Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, the makers of Lysol, to research and develop new disinfecting solutions for high-traffic areas in airports and onboard. Under the new partnership, Delta will also use and distribute Environmental Protection Agency-approved Lysol disinfectant spray and wipes.

The country's government has suspended all commercial flights to and from the central city of Da Nang for 15 days from today, 28 July. The suspension follows the previous decision to evacuate 80,000 people from the region via a series of special charter flights, following a small number of COVID-19 infections being confirmed there in the last few days.

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.

Rwanda's flag-carrying airline RwandAir will resume commercial passenger services from 1 August; flights will restart with select African routes where travel restrictions have been eased and borders have re-opened. Flights to the long-haul destination of Dubai will also recommence with a thrice-weekly service, and more destinations will gradually be added to the network as countries continue to lift restrictions.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has released further information following the announcement that, from 1 August, all passengers flying to or via Abu Dhabi International Airport must hold a valid, negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken less than 96 hours prior to departure in order to be accepted for their flight at check-in. If an airline-endorsed 'Pure Health' testing facility is available in the passenger's country of origin, they must obtain the test result from that facility accordingly; a database of all eligible facilities, searchable by destination, is available on the airline website.

The river cruise line, headquartered in China's Chongqing, has announced that it will resume multi-day cruise programs on the country's Yangtze and Jialing rivers in August, around eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic started. Initially, river cruise lines will be restricted to 50% passenger capacity, and sailings are open to domestic travellers only.

The government of the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea have today, 27 July, halted entry for cross-border arrivals with the exception of those arriving by air from the Australian airports of Brisbane or Cairns; this follows a week in which COVID-19 infections have doubled within the country. Inbound air passengers must show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the seven days prior to boarding their flight, and must isolate themselves for 14 days on arrival.

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.

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.

A number of updates to measures in the Bahamas have been made by the country’s government. A state of emergency is now in place until at least 30 September; secondly, only emergency travel to and from Grand Bahama is permitted until 7 August as part of a local lockdown imposed until 7 August. Finally, inter-island travel will also cease from 19.00 (local time) on 28 July. Meanwhile, all arrivals are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine and testing at their own expense.

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.

Hong Kong has today announced further restrictions to curb the surge of COVID-19, including a total ban on restaurant dining and a face mask requirement outdoors. The new rules will take effect from 29 July; this will be the first time the city has completely banned dining in restaurants.

The country’s president has extended a nightly 21h00 to 04h00 curfew for 30 days past it’s previous deadline of 6/7 August, to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Other measures have also been heightened including restaurant opening hours and an indefinite closure of bars.

The Dubai-based airline has released further information following the announcement that, from 1 August, all passengers flying to or via Dubai International Airport must hold a valid, negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken less than 96 hours prior to departure in order to be accepted for their flight at check-in. If a UAE-endorsed testing facility is available in the passenger's country of origin, they must obtain the test result from that facility accordingly; if an approved facility is not listed, any registered practitioner able to provide PCR testing will be accepted.

The government of Morocco have announced that from today, movement in and out of the cities of Tangier, Tetouan, Meknes, Fes, Casablanca, Berechid, Settat and Marrakech is prohibited. This follows spikes in COVID-19 cases as 633 new infections were recorded on 26 July. Meanwhile, international flights remain suspended with the exception of special flights by national airlines carrying Moroccans or foreign residents.

The Vietnamese government announced today, 27 July, that is is evacuating 80,000 people from the central tourism hotspot of Da Nang after three residents tested positive for COVID-19 over the past few days; the first community infections confirmed since April, these new cases have put the country on high alert. The evacuation, which involves mainly domestic tourists, will take at least four days and will rely on domestic airlines operating approximately 100 flights daily from Da Nang to 11 other Vietnamese cities.

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.