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Multi-national hotel group NH Hotels has announced that their landmark property ‘The Lord Charles’ hotel in Cape Town's Somerset West is to close its doors at the end of August. Although the closure comes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has devastated the South African tourism industry, it appears from the statement by NH Hotels that the decision to shut the hotel was taken prior to the lockdown.

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 country's government has announced that it will allow events of more than 1,000 people from 1 October, provided organizers follow hygiene measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19; such events have been banned in Switzerland since 28 February, forcing many cancellations. The Swiss government have also said that face masks must now be worn by passengers on all flights; masks have thus far been mandatory on buses, trains and trams since early July.

The government of the Caribbean nation has announced that it now plans to re-open its borders to international passengers from October; all arrivals are expected to be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arrival, face mandatory quarantine for 14 days and then take a second test after its completion. A number of hotels are announcing re-opening plans to coincide with this updated plan.

The country's government has yesterday, 12 August, ordered travellers arriving from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain to be tested for COVID-19, and also added Colombia to a list of countries under a complete travel ban amid growing concern over new infections. Italy had managed to bring down and contain the number of infections in recent weeks, but officials are now worried by a gradual resurgence.

The country's government has announced that it will re-impose quarantine measures on travellers from more foreign countries, and reiterated its advice that Norwegians should avoid going abroad, amid a jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases. It will now re-impose 10-day quarantines from 15 August for all travellers from Poland, Malta, Iceland, Cyprus and the Netherlands, as well as the Faroe Islands and some Danish and Swedish regions. Norway has already reintroduced similar constraints for Spain, France, Switzerland and several others.

South African hotel brand City Lodge Hotel Group has launched a remote working solution that it hopes will solve the difficulties faced its guests who otherwise work from busy households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed '#YourPrivateOffice', guests can book a room to work in for several hours a day at a special rate that is inclusive of tea and coffee-making facilities, secure parking, fast and reliable WiFi and air conditioning.

Following the announcement by the country's minister of tourism that intra-provincial travel will now be open to South African nationals, South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that Kruger National Park (KNP) will partially open some of its camps for accommodation from 14 August. Further information on the camps to be re-opened in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces can be found on the SANParks website.

The Dubai-based airline has announced it will resume passenger services to Birmingham from 1 September, Cebu from 20 August, and Houston from 23 August. This will bring the airline’s network to 74 destinations, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its hub.

The country's government has announced that it will lift one of the world’s longest quarantines on 17 August, moving the capital Santiago’s central business district and adjoining Central Station to a 'transitional' stage under a 'step-by-step' re-opening. Residents may leave their homes on weekdays without the previously required police permissions, and meet in small groups, while businesses can gradually re-open.

The country's government has announced that it has extended its current state of emergency until at least 11 September due to the COVID-19 outbreak, despite reporting a decline in the number of new daily infections. The country’s borders remain closed and international flights have not yet resumed; a ban on foreigners entering Armenia has though been removed, but visitors from abroad should self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.

The U.S. airline will this winter offer 17 new routes from Florida to the country's Midwest and Northeast, in a strategic move whereby it chases demand in locations that do not feature a United Airlines hub. The first of the new services will begin from 6 November with flights from New York LaGuardia, Boston and Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa.

Hong Kong International Airport have announced that outbound passengers from mainland China will be able to transit through Hong Kong to other destinations from 15 August until 15 October, which will provide a boost for Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific. Transit inbound to mainland China will though remain banned at this time

Holland America Line has confirmed in a press release that it is extending its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through to 15 December, following the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global COVID-19 health concerns.The pause extension affects sailings from, to and via the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia.

The airline has said that select flights from 13-15 August will transit at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport rather than Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will include departures from Dubai, Qatar's Doha and Singapore. Information on what these means for passengers, and requirements for pre-registering with Cebu Airport for those on affected flights, can be found on the airline's website.

This update follows a previous bulletin reporting that Macau will from today, 12 August, begin to reinstate tourist visas for the neighbouring, mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai; it has since been announced that in addition, residents from the neighbouring mainland province of Guangdong will be able to apply from 26 August, and all remaining mainland provinces will be able to follow suit from 23 September.

The Seattle-based ultra-luxury cruise line has announced the cancellation of sailings on three ships as part of an extension in the pause of global ship operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the operator has previously already announced the suspension operations from until 20 November. Sailings on the Encore will be suspended until 25 November, the Ovation until 20 December and the Sojourn until 24 May 2021.

The government of Belgium has confirmed that face masks will be mandatory in all public places within the country's capital of Brussels from today, 12 August. The news comes as the number of COVID-19 infections rose to a government alert level that puts the city among the worst affected in Europe. Until now masks had been mandatory only in crowded public spaces and enclosed sites, such as shopping malls.

The country's government has confirmed from 15 August the wearing of face shields on public transport will be mandatory; this includes but is not limited to trains, buses, jeepneys, taxis, boasts and ships.