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The country’s government announced yesterday, 5 November, that it is cutting the number of trains running to neighbouring Italy, Germany and France amid partial COVID-19 lockdowns in each of those destinations. Five Swiss train connections daily to Italy will be suspended from 9 November until at least 12 December, while long-distance routes to France will be reduced to two connections daily between Geneva and Paris, and one connection daily between Zurich to Paris via Basel until at least 1 December.

The airline are due to start trial runs of rapid COVID-19 testing on flights between the German cities of Munich and Hamburg from 12 November. The tests will be free of charge and access to the boarding gate will be granted electronically within 30-60 minutes once a negative test is returned; if passengers do not wish to be tested, they may be transferred to separate flights that are not confirmed as 100% COVID-free.

The country's government has said that most out-of-state visitors from 'high-risk' locations must now present a negative COVID-19 test result prior to arriving in Washington DC; however, they will no longer be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Visitors staying longer than three days will have to take a second test three to five days after their arrival, according to the order. The new travel advisory goes into effect on 9 November.

The government of Greece has ordered a second nationwide COVID-19 lockdown for three weeks from 7 November to help contain a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Under the new restrictions, retail businesses will be closed with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies; Greek citizens will need a permit to venture outdoors at allocated times.

Colombia has eliminated its requirement that inbound travellers provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 92 hours of arrival. However, travellers still must complete an online health screening form no more than 24 hours prior to entry. They must also download a tracking and monitoring app through which they agree to self-report any changes in their health during their trip and 14 days after returning home.

The country’s government has temporarily suspended entry to non-Chinese arrivals from the UK, Belgium and the Philippines. In addition, from 6 November passengers from France, Germany, Thailand and the U.S. must present results of additional health tests obtained a maximum of 48 hours prior to boarding.

The government of Ireland has announced that it will start implementing the European Union’s ‘traffic light’ system for non-essential EU travellers such as tourists from 8 November, easing current restrictions which represent some of the bloc’s tightest. In line with EU guidance, the so-called ‘green' list will remain, but those arriving from regions designated 'orange' will not need to restrict their movements if they produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a test taken up to three days before arrival. The requirement for ‘red’ country arrivals to quarantine for 14 days remains, but the government plans that within a short number of weeks this too can be waived following a negative test result taken five days after arrival. Children under six will be exempt and arrivals will have to pay for their own test.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported that from 14 November until further notice, UK passengers staying within regulated tourist accommodation in the Canary Islands are subject to increased entry requirements; they must produce a negative COVID-19 test result when checking-in to accommodation, obtained a maximum of 72 hours earlier, and must also use an official COVID notification app.

The country’s government has announced that from today, 5 November, a movement curfew from 23.00 to 05.00 (local time) will begin and remain in force until 30 November; the new restriction will be introduced to fight a resurgence of COVID-19 after a rise in cases in recent weeks.

The government of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has confirmed that the state will open its borders to travellers from the state of Victoria from 23 November. New South Wales will become the first Australian state to allow every Australian citizen to enter without undergoing quarantine, as well as New Zealand citizens.

The country’s government yesterday, 3 November, ordered extra COVID-19 lockdown measures to be imposed in order to curb a rise in cases of the virus within the Netherlands; it also said that curfews and school closures are being considered. The new measures will go into effect from 4 November and last for at least two weeks, including a ban on public meetings of more than two people from different families.

The country's government has announced that from 5 November to 3 December, Italy will be divided into three tiers based on a COVID-19 alert level; 'red' (high risk), 'orange' (intermediate), and 'yellow' (safer) zones, each with different restrictions. The 'red' zone includes Lombardy, Piedmont, Calabria, South Tyrol, and Valle d’Aosta. The inclusion of Campania is uncertain. The 'orange' zone includes: Puglia, Sicily, Liguria, and Veneto. All other areas are in the 'yellow' zone.

The country's government has announced that 21 November, air travellers with Canada as their final destination must submit their information electronically through the 'ArriveCAN' platform before they board their flight; this includes travel, contact, quarantine plan and COVID-19 symptom self-assessment. Travellers must be ready to show their 'ArriveCAN' receipt when seeking entry into Canada, and travellers who do not submit the required information digitally could be subject to fines of up to $1,000.

The country’s government has announced that it will re-impose an evening curfew in Paris, and possibly the wider Ile-de-France region, in addition to the new national lockdown imposed last week; the curfew will start at 21.00 (local time) each evening. France is experiencing a huge surge in COVID-19 infections, with an estimate that a Parisian is being admitted to hospital every 15 minutes.

The country’s president announced yesterday, 2 November, that a state of emergency may be pending as a preventative measure to curb COVID-19 infections; a previous state of emergency was declared in the country in March and lead to the introduction of increased restrictions for around six weeks.

A COVID-19 testing facility was opened yesterday, 2 November, at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport in Japan; the facility will cater for outbound travellers who need proof that they’re virus free on arrival at their destination. Meanwhile, the government of Japan on 30 October eased travel curbs for nine Asian countries and regions. Travellers arriving in Japan are also required to undergo a COVID-19 test, with three international airports having the capacity to carry out around 10,000 tests each day.

The government of the Bahamas has updated its latest COVID-19 travel and entry protocols, which came into effect from 1 November. Among these measures, the Bahamas will now require all travellers to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test result a maximum of five days prior to arrival. Passengers must also apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at travel.gov.bs and for the duration of the visit, complete a daily online health questionnaire for symptom tracking purposes. In addition, passengers will need to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test on day five of the visit In addition, beginning 14 November, all visitors will be required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Health Travel Visa. The insurance will cover travellers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

The territory's government has announced updated information on the steps it will take to permit entry to international visitors from 1 December, when it is due to re-open its borders. Passengers must register on an online portal at least 48 hours prior to departure, must hold a valid COVID-19 test certificate and will be subject to further testing after arrival.

The government of the devolved UK nation of Scotland imposed a new series of COVID-19 restrictions Scotland today, 2 November, ahead of England’s impending national lockdown later in the week. Scotland’s regional system has five levels but each of the country's 32 local authorities has initially been graded between levels ‘1’ and ‘3’; residents under level '3' restrictions have been told to make only essential journeys outside of their local area.

Emirates has launched an integrated biometric path at Dubai International airport for a contactless airport experience open to passengers travelling from and through Dubai. The path will give passengers a seamless travel journey from check-in to the boarding gates, improving customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing. Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge and board their flights, simply by passing through the airport.