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The government of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has said that from 17.00 (local time) on 6 May, the Greater Sydney region will be subject to increased COVID-19 restrictions. This includes compulsory masks while on public transport and in indoor public venues; household visitors will be limited to 20 and a maximum of two visitors will be allowed at aged care facilities. Additionally, from 01.00 (local time) on 7 May, anyone arriving in the state of Queensland from NSW will be required to enter hotel quarantine if they have been to any of the listed venues linked to the NSW COVID-19 cluster.

The government of New Zealand has said that quarantine-free travel from Australia's New South Wales (NSW) to New Zealand will now be paused while the source of infection of two Sydney cases of COVID-19 is investigated. The pause commenced from 23.59 (local time) on 6 May and will be under constant review during an initial period of 48 hours. This is a one-way pause to quarantine-free travel, meaning while no flights will depart from NSW to New Zealand, flights from New Zealand to NSW will continue.

The country's government has extended a 'ban' due to come into force on 7 May to last indefinitely until further notice; the restriction prevents entry to Oman for passengers coming from Sudan, Lebanon, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, the UK, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It also includes those coming from any third country, if they passed through any of the named countries during the 14 days prior to arrival in Oman.

The government of Tanzania has issued a modified travel advisory specifying that South African travellers will no longer be subject to a 14-day COVID-19 quarantine period on arrival. The updated advisory now specifies that it is passengers and returning residents who have travelled through India in the prior 14 days who will be subject to the mandatory quarantine, at a government-designated quarantine facility, at their own cost. However, all passengers arriving into Tanzania are still subject to several other measures; this includes hand hygiene, face masks, health information card submission, travellers’ surveillance forms, a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate from a test taken within 72 hours from arrival, and an additional rapid test on arrival.

The government of Jamaica has said that it has 're-opened' its borders to UK-based passengers; the decision comes after flights to the Caribbean island were banned for several months in the wake of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in Europe.

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that from today, 3 May, COVID-19 vaccinated passengers from countries designated as 'green' will not be required to quarantine on arrival; these passengers must however take a PCR test once on arrival, and again on day six of their stay. Vaccinated travellers arriving from other countries not classified as 'green' must take a PCR test on arrival, quarantine for five days, and take another PCR test on day four of their stay. Non-vaccinated travellers must take a PCR test on arrival, quarantine for 10 days and take another PCR test on day eight.

The country's government has announce a loosening of current, domestic COVID-19 restrictions; travel in and out of the capital of Nairobi is now permitted, and the city’s curfew has been shortened to reflect the 22.00 to 04.00 (local time) curfew in effect in the rest of the country. In addition, bars across the country may now operate within restricted hours, restaurants are allowed to open and sporting and religious events are authorised with caps on attendance. However, political gatherings such as rallies remain prohibited. The ease in restrictions follows a decrease in COVID-19 cases.

The government of Taiwan has become the latest to 'ban' arrivals from India today, 3 May, as the latter struggles to deal with a huge surge in COVID-19 infections; except for Taiwanese citizens, anyone who has been in India in the 14 days prior to arrival will be denied entry, while returning citizens face 14 days in centralised COVID-19 quarantine facilities.

The government of Abu Dhabi has revised the rules regarding mandatory COVID-19 testing and home quarantine requirements for vaccinated arrivals who are either United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizens or residents of the emirate; effective from 3 May, COVID-19 vaccinated passengers arriving from ‘green list’ countries must take a PCR test on arrival and on day six, without the need to quarantine. Vaccinated passengers arriving from other countries must take a PCR test on arrival, then quarantine for five days, and take another PCR test on day four of their arrival to the UAE.

The government of the Maldives has announced the re-opening of its borders to all COVID-19 vaccinated passengers from 3 May; however, it is now a mandatory requirement for all tourists (including those who have completed the prescribed dose(s) of a COVID-19 vaccine) to present a negative result for a PCR test for COVID-19 on arrival. The sample for the PCR test must be taken not more than 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure from the first port of embarkation en route to the Maldives. Additionally, everyone traveling to and from the Maldives must submit a self-declarative health declaration within 24 hours before their departure; the test result needs to be submitted through the 'IMUGA' portal.

The country's government has announced that current COVID-19 'lockdown' measures including a night-time curfew will now remain in place until 18 May; the announcement followed the news of virus infections remaining high over the past week as hospitals struggle to cope with large numbers of patients. Previously, the country's government had said they were looking at easing restrictions on 28 April by lifting the curfew and allowing bars and restaurants to welcome guests in outdoor spaces.

The government of Portugal has confirmed that it is extending current COVID-19 flight restrictions that prevent non-essential travel from countries including Brazil with high incidence rates of the virus, and also has added India to the list due to the rapid rise in infections there. The curbs on air travel will now be enforced until at least 16 May.

The Turkish low-cost airline has announced the launch of a new international flight route from the UK's London Stansted Airport to Batumi in Georgia; the service will begin from 7 May and fly via Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. On the same date Pegasus will also be launching a new domestic route, with flights three times per week from Istanbul to Iğdır.

The U.S. president has imposed new travel restrictions on India in light of recent surges in cases of COVID-19, preventing most non-U.S. citizens from entering the United States; the new restrictions take effect on 4 May at 00.01 Eastern Time (ET).

The country's government has announced that it is extending face mask requirements across all domestic transportation networks through 13 September, to address the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements that took effect on 1 February were to set to expire on 11 May; they cover workers and passengers at airports, on board commercial aircraft, on over-the-road buses and on commuter bus and rail systems.

The airline's resumption of four weekly U.S. flights to Atlanta from 31 May marks the full return of the Qatar Airways' pre-pandemic U.S. network. The carrier now offers 12 destinations within the country, which is two more than it operated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline will also be increasing frequencies to Boston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle offering more flexible travel options for its passengers, with more than 85 weekly flights across the U.S.

The country's government has said that it will press ahead with plans to re-open all retail stores, personal services and non-residential construction in May, with hotels, restaurants and bars to follow sooner than expected in early June. The government committed a month ago to re-opening all shops for the first time this year in May and hotels in June if it could avoid a fourth wave of COVID-19 and speed up its vaccine programme - criteria that it has met. Under the plan, hotels will open their doors again on 2 June, with restaurants and pubs allowed to serve guests outdoors from 7 June.

The government of the Bahamas has updated its COVID-19 entry restrictions for U.S. passengers from 1 May, meaning that those arriving with proof of full vaccination against the virus will be exempt from testing requirements. However, un-vaccinated passengers must upload a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of five days prior to arrival in the Bahamas.

The major of New York has said that the city aims to 'fully re-open' and remove all COVID-19 restrictions by 1 July following more than a year of closures and capacity restrictions. Earlier this week it was also announced that a current curfew within the city, forcing restaurants to end their bar and food services by midnight, will end on 17 May for outdoor dining areas and 31 May for indoors; capacity limits on a number of venue types, both in the city and the wider state of New York, will also start to increase from 15 May.

The country's government has outlined a plan for the loosening of current COVID-19 restrictions to permit international tourists to enter France on 9 June, provided they hold a 'sanitary pass' with proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or a negative PCR test result. The news came as part of the outlining of a four-step plan to re-open the country and revive its economy.