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The government of Malta has announced that it has placed the UK on its 'amber' travel list, meaning that non-vaccinated travellers will not need to quarantine on arrival if they have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result; the test should be carried out within the previous 72 hours prior to boarding a plane to Malta.

The country's president has announced that people will be required to stay mostly at home under a nationwide 'full lockdown' beginning on 29 April and lasting until at least 17 May; the measures are being introduced in order to curb a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths. Among the restrictions will be the requirement for official approval for all inter-city travel, the closing of all schools, caps on public transport capacity, and permission to leave home to be limited to the reasons of essential shopping and urgent medical treatment only.

Government officials from the two regions have confirmed that Hong Kong and Singapore will finally establish a long-awaited COVID-19 travel bubble from 26 May, as they move to re-establish travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine requirements for visiting passengers. The scheme will start with one flight per day into each city, with up to 200 passengers on each flight; those wanting to travel from either city must test negative for COVID-19 before departure and on arrival. Hong Kong residents can also only fly to Singapore at least 14 days after they have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The national carrier of Belgium has said that it will start of resume flight services to 43 destinations throughout the spring and summer, including its first flights across the North Atlantic in more than a year; once added, the airline will serve a total of 79 destinations.

The country's government has announced that Greece will lift current quarantine restrictions on COVID-19-free visitors from more countries including Australia and Russia from 3 May, as it extends exemptions prior to formally re-opening to tourism on 15 May. Visitors from these countries are to be allowed into Greece without spending a week in quarantine as long as they are vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19; As well as Australia and Russia, Greece will lift restrictions on visitors from New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda and Singapore.

The country's government has ordered its capital of Bangkok to close public venues and sporting facilities from 26 April until at least 9 May, after Thailand reported a record daily rise in COVID-19 infections and deaths. The closures apply to venues including public parks, gyms, swimming pools, meeting halls, internet shops, daycare centres, sports fields, museums and libraries; Bangkok and 40 provinces have also made the wearing of face masks in public mandatory.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume four weekly services to Mexico City via Barcelona from 2 July; the route will be operated with a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft which offers 38 business class seats in a two-two-two configuration and 264 seats in economy. Emirates flight EK255 will depart Dubai at 03.25, arriving in Barcelona at 08.35, before departing again at 10.50 and arriving into Mexico City at 16.05 the same day (all local times).

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it has suspended passenger flights from India effective 25 April for the 10 days; furthermore, passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE. The measure has been taken in response to sharp rises in COVID-19 cases and variants within India.

The country's government has confirmed the pending implementation of what it calls a 'short and powerful' state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures, as the country battles to contain a spike in cases of COVID-19. Under the measures to be enforced from 25 April to 11 May, the government will require restaurants, bars, and karaoke parlours serving alcohol to close, and big sporting events to be held without spectators. Department stores, cinemas and other commercial facilities larger than 1,000 square metres will need to close, while companies will be asked to make greater allowances for people to work from home; schools will though remain open.

The government of the islands of Tahiti has said that they will re-open their borders from 1 May to U.S. passengers, and will waive quarantine requirements for those who are vaccinated for COVID-19, or can show proof of recent recovery. However, all passengers will still have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within three days of departing for Tahiti, and take another test on arrival. Arrivals without proof of a vaccine or antibodies, as well as children under 16 who currently aren't eligible for vaccines, will have to quarantine for 10 days on arrival.

The government of the state of Western Australia (WA) has announced that Perth and the neighbouring region of Peel are to enter a three-day COVID-19 'lockdown' from 23.59 (local time) on Friday 23 April; the measures are in response to an outbreak of COVID-19 in WA's hotel quarantine system. Restrictions during the three day period will include the requirement to leave home only for essential reasons, and the wearing of face masks in public during all but rigorous exercise.

The government of Singapore has eased travel restrictions and will now once again allow South African passengers to transit through the country. Only passengers transiting through Singapore Changi Airport are affected, and restrictions for people wanting to enter Singapore from South Africa remain in force.

The U.S. State Department has added at least 116 countries this week to its 'Level Four: Do Not Travel' advisory, putting the UK, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico, Germany and others on the list, citing a 'very high' level of COVID-19. Previously the department said it would boost the number of countries receiving its highest advisory rating to about 80% of countries worldwide; after multiple updates throughout the week, it now lists a total of 150 countries out of an approximate total of 200. It is not known when the updates will be completed.

The country's government yesterday, 21 April, implemented a nighttime curfew and other local mobility restrictions in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases threatening to overwhelm hospitals; in 16 of the country's 24 provinces, only workers in the healthcare, food and other sectors deemed essential will be allowed to circulate over weekends and during evenings from Monday through to Thursday while the measure is in place - which will be for 28 days from 23 April.

The country's deputy director of tourism has said that the government of Anguilla will impose a 14-day COVID-19 'lockdown' from 23.59 (local time) on 22 April, citing a surge in cases of the virus on the island as the cause. The airport, and ferry services connecting Anguilla with St. Maarten/Martin, are closed to incoming passengers, although those already on the island will be allowed to leave. Otherwise, all people on other than those providing essential services are required to stay home; public gatherings are prohibited; schools are closed, and restaurants and other food establishments are restricted to take-out services only.

The Dubai-based airline has confirmed that the suspension of inbound flights from South Africa (Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town) to Dubai has been further extended up to & including 30 May; up until this date only daily passenger services outbound from Dubai to Johannesburg will continue.

The government of Japan is considering the declaration of a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka, according to broadcaster NHK, in order to curb the increased spread of COVID-19; Osaka's neighbouring prefectures of Hyogo and Kyoto could also be affected. If adopted in all four regions, the emergency measures would cover close to a quarter of Japan’s population of 126 million. In Tokyo, reports suggest this could span from 29 April to 9 May in order to incorporate the annual 'Golden Week' holiday period.

The island's Grantley Adams airport has re-opened following a week-long closure due to the ash fall from La Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent. In St. Vincent, however, Argyle airport remains closed due to heavy ash fall; the island was hit by another eruption on 18 April, blanketing St. Vincent with another layer of ash.

The airline has announced that its passengers due to travel before 31 May will be among the first to trial the IATA Travel Pass app to manage their travel health credentials. The new technology will be tried on routes from the airline's hub in Abu Dhabi to Chicago, New York, Washington and Toronto; the app will enable Etihad’s passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to receive COVID-19 test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey.

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly warned that it could impose restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, as the region’s business and tourism hub pushes its immunisation campaign. The UAE, where social distancing and mask-wearing in public are required, is among the countries with the world’s fastest COVID-19 vaccination programmes.