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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a raft of new restrictions for Great Sydney. From Monday, 16 August 2021, additional fines of $5,000 will apply for on the spot quarantine breaches, lying on a permit, or lying to a contact tracer. There will be $3,000 fines for people breaking the two-person exercise rule or travelling into regional NSW. Across all of greater Sydney, the 10km radius rule will now drop down to 5km. Authorities have also removed “recreation” from the public health rules, meaning police will be cracking down on people outside their homes who are not exercising.

The latest update for South African residents wanting to travel to Spain reveals that SA is on a list of high-risk countries. Although there are no more restrictions on flights from South Africa a 10-day quarantine will apply for anyone coming from South Africa to Spain. Quarantine could be finalised sooner if on the seventh day a negative result for an infection-diagnostic test can be shown. Travellers from South Africa are limited to those who are residents in Spain or Andorra and spouses of Spanish citizens, with few exceptions.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has amended the risk level to multiple jurisdictions. Currently, NSW is deemed as medium risk, but will move to high risk from 12:01am on Tuesday, 17 August 2021. Victoria, QLD, and SA are deemed as medium risk - but SA will move to low risk from 12:01am on Saturday, 14 August 2021. The ACT is currently declared as low risk but will move to medium risk at 12:01am on Saturday, 14 August 2021. The trio of New Zealand, the NT, and Tasmania have been deemed as very low risk jurisdictions.

WA has further tightened its border restrictions for people coming from high-risk states, requiring proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccination and a negative test result in the last 72 hours. Premier Mark McGowan announced the changes to the controlled border with NSW as that state recorded 390 new COVID-19 cases in the community. The new restrictions are due to take effect next Tuesday, 17 August 2021, and will apply to all jurisdictions designated high risk, where there are more than 50 new cases a day.

After two months of not flying, BA Comair and kulula return to the skies from 01 September 2021

QLD has announced it will declare the ACT a hotspot from 1:00am on Saturday, 14 August 2021. Anyone arriving from the ACT after this time will go into mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days - anyone arriving from the ACT before then will be required to complete 14 days of mandatory home quarantine. Tasmania has also classified ACT as a hotspot, effective from 5:00pm on Thursday, 12 of August 2021. People who've spent time in the ACT will only be let in to Tasmania if they've been granted essential traveller status and will have to quarantine for 14 days.

The lockdown in the Hunter Valley region scheduled to end at midnight on Thursday, 12 August 2021, has been extended by another week. The LGAs impacted are Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton and Muswellbrook.

The Northern Territory will declare the ACT as a COVID-19 hotspot from 4.30pm ACST on Thursday, 12 August 2021. Anyone approved to come to the NT from the ACT after that time will be directed into 14 days of supervised quarantine at their own expense.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has announced a seven-day lockdown for the ACT that will begin at 5.00pm on Thursday, 12 August 2021. The territory has recorded one positive case of COVID-19 - it's the first locally acquired case in more than a year.

QLD has reopened its border with SA, effective immediately. To enter QLD you still have to complete an entry pass, get tested if you develop any COVID-19 symptoms after arriving, and monitor the list of interstate exposure venues daily (at least once every 24 hours) from the time you complete a declaration and for 14 days after arriving in QLD.

In view of the latest development in global and local COVID-19 epidemic situations, the Hong Kong SAR Government will tighten the border control measures for overseas inbound travellers based on "vaccine bubble" in order to build an anti-epidemic barrier to prevent the importation of cases. The new measures take effect from 9 August 2021.

Cairns and Yarrabah will exit their snap lockdown at 4.00pm on Wednesday, 11 August 2021. Restrictions will remain in place and will mirror the restrictions in the 11 South East Queensland LGAs.

Walgett Shire and surrounding LGAs have been placed into a snap lockdown from 7.00pm on Wednesday, 11 August 2021, after a local man who travelled to Dubbo tested positive for COVID-19. The Western NSW LGAs of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine and Warren have also joined Walgett in lockdown.

The government of Laos has extended the current nationwide lockdown to 18 August 2021, originally set to expire on Tuesday 3 August.

The Northern Territory Government has revoked hotspot declarations for eleven LGAs in South East Queensland. The areas, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Logan City council areas are no longer considered hotspots for the purposes of travel to the NT. Cairns and the Yarrabah area remain declared hotspots.

According to the Emirates Airlines, transit passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued within 72 hours before departure. From 9 August 2021, this certificate must have been issued by a laboratory that uses a QR code system – no others will be accepted. The airline approves the Ampath, APS, Pathcare and Lancet laboratories in South Africa. No transit over 10 hours will be allowed and STPCs will not be offered to passengers while transiting through Dubai International Airport.

Regional Victoria will be released from lockdown from 11.59pm on Monday, 9 August 2021. The five reasons to leave home will be removed and there will be no limit on the distance regional Victorians can travel from home. People will only be able to travel to Melbourne for a permitted reason and must follow Melbourne restrictions. Metropolitan Melbourne will remain in lockdown.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has announced two new routes, Tirana in Albania and Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina, taking its total destinations to 31. The flights to each destination will commence on September 11, and October 3, respectively. The flight to Tirana will operate twice a week on Tuesday and Saturday, while flights to Sarajevo will operate twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday. Airfares start as low as Dh179. “We continue to add a diverse and eclectic mix of destinations to our network to ensure that there is an appealing travel option for all. Tirana and Sarajevo are fascinating destinations, rich in culture and both set amid impressive mountainous backdrops,” said Kees Van Schaick, managing director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

Anyone who has recently entered the ACT from either Tamworth or Byron Bay must immediately go into isolation according to new rules introduced by the territory. ACT Health on Monday updated its advice for the LGAs of Byron Bay Shire, Ballina Shire, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tamworth after NSW enforced a snap lockdown on these areas. The new rules apply to the LGA of Tamworth from Thursday, 5 August 2021 and the remaining LGAs from Saturday, 31 July 2021. Returning ACT residents will be required to apply for an exemption 72 hours before they return.

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has welcomed two new weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The inaugural flight, operated by Iraqi Airways using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) on Saturday, August 7 at 17:00 Local Time (LT). Iraqi Airways will start by operating one flight per week and will then increase its number flights to two per week. Flights will be operating on both Saturdays and Tuesdays, upon the recovery of the travel demand.