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The U.S. government has announced that its land borders with both Mexico and Canada will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month until 21 September. The land border restrictions, aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, were first announced in March and have thus far been renewed monthly.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to Warsaw, Poland from 4 September starting with twice-a-week services, and increasing to three-a-week from 7 October. The resumption of flights to Warsaw will expand Emirates’ current network to 75 cities in September, offering travellers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific connections via Dubai to the Polish capital.

It has been announced that from 21 August, passengers travelling from the UK to China must obtain a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result within five days of boarding; they must also submit a scanned copy of a health declaration form to their nearest Chinese embassy or consulate within the UK.

Canada's public safety minister has announced that the Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month until 21 September. The statement came a day after Mexico announced a similar measure for its border with the United States. The land border restrictions, aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, were first announced in March and have thus far been renewed monthly.

The U.S. Virgin Islands have announced that it is closing its doors for a second time to visitors for the purposed of tourism from 19 August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 17 August, all non-essential businesses and churches have already been ordered to cease operations and all accommodation providers have been ordered to not accept new bookings for a period of 30 days.

Low-cost airline easyJet has confirmed that it will close its base at London Stansted Airport from 1 September; easyJet will also close bases at the UK's Southend and Newcastle Airports. In-bound flights from Stansted and Newcastle will continue, but all flights departing and arriving in Southend will stop. The decisions have been cited as being due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The South African hotel and entertainment brand has announced that with inter-provincial borders within the country now open and restrictions on alcohol now lifted, its hotels will also begin to-reopen for guests; Sun International has accordingly published the re-opening dates of each property along with the answers to many frequently asked questions. All hotels now bear the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) safe stamp of approval, verifying that the COVID-19 health and safety protocols they have in place meet international benchmarks.

The government of Jamaica has announced that from 20 August, arrivals from all U.S. states are required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited lab within 10 days of the intended travel date. As a reminder, all tourists visiting Jamaica must also adhere to the ‘Stay in Zone’ order, requiring them to stay in accredited hotels within certain areas.

The government of Mexico has agreed with the U.S. to extend by a further month the restriction on non-essential travel between the two countries via their shared land border. The agreement will now be in place until at least 21 September; the land border restrictions, aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, were first announced in March and have thus far been renewed monthly.

The U.S. airline has announced that from 19 August it will not allow certain types of face coverings on board; this includes those with exhaust valves, those made with materials such as mesh or lace, and those that do not cover the nose and mouth. Face shields without the addition of a face covering are also prohibited. American Airlines’ face mask rules apply to all passengers over the age of two, but the masks may be taken off briefly by passengers while they're eating and drinking.

The Czech government will make the wearing of face masks compulsory again from 1 September, on both public transport and in many indoor public venues, following a resurgence of COVID-19 infections within the country.

The country's government has announced that it is gearing up to resume international flights in and out of the country after shutting down its airport in March to curb the spread of COVID-19. According to a statement released today, 17 August by the Nigeria's government, flights will resume on 29 August from Lagos, the west African nation's commercial hub, and Abuja, its capital city. Travel within other cities will follow at a later date.

Indian private airline Vistara are reportedly likely to shortly begin flight operations between India and the UK, Germany and France under the bilateral air bubble arrangements that have been signed with these countries by the government of India. A three-times weekly service between Delhi and London Heathrow Airport is likely to the first new flight announced as early as next week, according to industry sources.

International travellers arriving in Ecuador by air are no longer required to quarantine so long as they present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result prior to arrival obtained a maximum of 10 days before departure. Passengers who do not present this may take a test on arrival at their own cost, using a qualifying facility, and self-isolation is mandatory while they wait for the results. If negative they can leave the isolation; if positive they must self-isolate for 14 days, at their own expense, in hotels or private accommodation.

South Africa will be downgraded to enter COVID-19 alert level two as of midnight, 17 August, whereby all restrictions on inter-provincial travel will be lifted. Accommodation, hospitality venues and tours will also be permitted according to approved protocols to ensure social distancing. South Africa's borders though remain closed, with no international travel taking place with the exception of repatriation flights in and out of the country. Meanwhile, a national state of disaster has been extended by a further month, until 15 September 2020.

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 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 Dubai-based airline has said that it will operate a one-off passenger flight on it's flagship Airbus A380 aircraft to Clark in the Philippines on 19 August; the special flight will help to meet the demand for flights to and from the Philippines, especially serving passengers from metro Manila and the surrounding Luzon areas and beyond.