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The government of The Gambia has declared a state of emergency and introduced a nationwide night-time curfew for 21 days due to a rise in COVID-19 infections. The country's borders and airspace will remain closed except for cargo, diplomats and those seeking treatment abroad.

The city’s mayor has implemented quarantine check points at key entry points to the city, to ensure that travelers coming from 35 states on New York’s travel advisory comply with the 14-day quarantine mandate issued by the state in June. Travelers coming in from those states will be given information about the quarantine and will be reminded that it is required, not optional; fines for not observing the requirements could reportedly be as high as USD10,000.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that its passenger flight network will now grow to 70 destinations with the inclusion of Kuwait City from 5 August and Lisbon from 16 August. This will account for over 50% of Emirates' pre-pandemic destination network, as the airline gradually resumes operations with the safety of its customers, crew and communities as its top priority.

The airline has announced that it is now mandatory for passengers to wear a face mask if they're flying to, from or within the Australian state of Victoria. When travelling from or within Victoria, passengers need to wear a mask as soon as they enter the airport and also inflight. When travelling to Victoria from outside of the state, passengers need to wear their mask during boarding, in-flight and on arrival.

The airline has continued their restructuring process after having previously secured a £1.2bn recapitalisation deal to secure their future post-COVID-19. This process yesterday, 4 August, involved attending court hearings in both the UK and U.S. as a formality; during the U.S. hearing a Chapter 15 process was filed, which is a mechanism to allow the airline to continue proceedings in the UK despite their multi-national assets. It should be noted that this is not a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and restructuring is continuing as planned.

The Montréal-based airline has announced that from 1 November it will have resumed flights to a total of 40 destinations for the winter season across the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the U.S., Europe and domestically within Canada. As well as this, Air Transat is presenting even more flexible options to book, change or cancel a trip, and are ensuring a safe experience with its 'Traveller Care' program.

The airline has added further destinations to its summer flight schedule, including the news that from September weekly services will be added to both Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Other destinations that already have recently resumed include Kalamata, Preveza, Skiathos, Skiros, Cagliari, Olbia, Catania and Ibiza.

The Caribbean island-nation is still set to re-open to international visitors from 7 August; passengers must submit an online health form and a negative COVID-19 PCR test prior to departure, plus be subject to temperature checks and rapid testing on arrival. Passengers passing all requirements will be taken to one of eight approved properties for their stay - anyone who tests positive will be subject to mandatory quarantine in other facilities.

Lufthansa has announced that it has now resumed the operation of flights to six airports in the UK and Ireland, following the reinstatement of additional UK routes; this includes links from the airline's hub in Frankfurt to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, to which flights are available six and five times per week respectively. A daily service from Munich to the UK's Birmingham airport is also now operational - from Munich, Lufthansa offers onward connections to destinations including Turkey and the Greek island of Rhodes.

The local government of the Australian state of Queensland (QLD) has announced that its borders with New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will close from 01.00 (local time) on 8 August. All visitors will be denied entry with few exceptions, and returning Queensland residents will incur the cost of a 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine.

The government of Greece has announced that from 18 August it will extend mandatory requirements for the wearing of face masks to passengers travelling on the decks of ferries between its islands; last week the country had already made mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public spaces, and also in outdoor spaces where proper social distancing cannot be observed.

U.S. based line Crystal Cruises have taken the decision to cancel the remainder of their 2020 sailings, citing the uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic; this includes all ocean cruises on the Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Esprit. The operator recently launched health and safety protocols and procedures, Crystal Clean+ 2.0, for when services eventually resume.

The country's government has announced that it has stopped all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking in Norwegian ports for 14 days effective yesterday, 3 August; this follows a recent outbreak of COVID-19 on board a ship operated by Norwegian company Hurtigruten. Any ships that have not yet departed will not be able to dock at Norwegian ports while the restriction is in effect.

The brand, who own and operate luxury resorts across predominantly Mexico and the Caribbean, have published update and adjusted re-opening dates for a number of their resorts. If guests with advance bookings have been affected by extended closure, they are to be granted additional flexibility for re-booking and a complimentary extra night.

British Airways has resumed flying to a number of popular holiday destinations, among a number of other route resumptions announced as part of an update to their August-September schedule. Flights to Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Kefalonia, Malta, Paphos and Pula have resumed; while in long-haul, Antigua, Nairobi and Islamabad are now operating. Also notable is that from September, the service from London Heathrow to New York JFK will double in frequency and become daily.

British Airways have confirmed that they have stopped their historic BA1/BA2 service from London City Airport to New York JFK - a 32-seat all business class service which made a re-fuelling stop in Shannon, Ireland where passengers could also clear US customs prior to arrival in New York. The service had operated since 2009 using flight numbers previously owned by Concorde.

The country's government has announced three amendments from 6 August to the list of countries from which Cyprus accepts visitors. Greece will move from category A to B, meaning a COVID-19 test certificate must now be obtained within 72 hours of departure. Thailand will move from category B to A, meaning arrivals to Cyprus are now not required to self-isolate or be tested. Finally, Morocco will move from category B to C, meaning most passengers are not permitted to enter, and those who are eligible must be tested and self-isolate. In addition, all passengers must apply for a 'CyprusFlightPass' within 24 hours of their departure, and present this at passport control when they arrive in the country.

The government of the Philippines has announced that from 4 August it will re-impose a stricter COVID-19 lockdown in and around the capital of Manila for at least two weeks, as the country struggles to contain a jump in infections. Included in the restrictions will be Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.

Namibia opened its borders to tourists from a selected list of low-risk international countries on 3 August for a trial period set to last until 17 September. International tourists permitted to travel to Namibia will be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained within 72 hours prior to arrival; tourists will not be subjected to a mandatory quarantine but must remain in their initial arrival destination for a seven-day period, during which time an additional COVID-19 test will be conducted. Provided the results are negative, they may then resume their travels.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume flights to Nairobi (from 2 August), Baghdad and Basra (from 10 August), expanding its growing network. The move will take the airline’s passenger network to 67 destinations in August, including seven points in Africa and five points in the Middle East. Flights between Nairobi-Dubai and Basra-Dubai will operate three times a week while flights between Baghdad and Dubai will operate four times a week.