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The airline has now resumed services to London Gatwick Airport, operating three flights per week from its Doha hub. The resumption means the carrier is now offering 55 flights a week in total from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports during December. The airline also resumes flights from Doha to the Seychelles from today, 15 December.

The prime minister of New Zealand has announced that the country's government has agreed in principle to establish a trans-Tasman travel bubble with Australia from early next year. The bubble would be conditional on case levels staying low, and is pending approval by the Australian federal government. More to come.

The country's government has announced that it will increase COVID-19 lockdown restrictions over the Christmas period, as the number of deaths and infections from COVID-19 reaches record levels; the measures will run from 16 December to at least 10 January, and include the closure of non-essential shops and schools. The region of Bavaria is also extending a night-time curfew. With immediate effect, German authorities are requiring passengers entering the country from any country or region with increased risk of COVID-19 infection to register online. Use the following link for online registration: https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de/.

The country's National State of Disaster has been extended until 15 January 2021. In addition to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, the Sarah Baartman district and Garden Route district have been declared as Coronavirus hotspots. A curfew between 10h00 pm and 04h00 am will come into effect for these metros and districts with immediate effect as of midnight, 14 December 2020. Beaches and public parks in the Eastern Cape and Garden Route district will be closed between 16 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. Beaches and public parks in Kwazulu Natal will be closed on 16, 25, 26 and 31 December 2020 as well as on 1, 2 and 3 January 2021. Beaches and public parks in the Northern Cape and Western Cape will remain open. Beaches and public parks permitted to remain open will do so between 9am and 6pm daily. Festivals and live performances are prohibited. There will be stricter enforcement of level one restrictions with additional restrictions to be implemented nationwide as of midnight, 14 December 2020. These restrictions are: curfew between 11pm and 4am, non-essential establishments such as restaurants and bars must close at 10pm. The sale of alcohol is only permitted between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday and the consumption of alcohol on public beaches or in public parks is strictly prohibited.

The airline has launched their new ‘Agent on Demand’ initiative to facilitate touchless customer service at their airport hubs in Chicago and Houston, with the rollout expected to reach all United hubs by the end of the month. Passengers are able to communicate directly with customer service representatives via a mobile app for tasks such as seat assignments, upgrades and rebooking; access is granted via the scanning of a QR code within the airport and communication is via video call, voice or text.

The country's government announced Oman's official reopening for tourism from 10 December, allowing passengers from 103 countries to enter without a visa for a period of 10 days. All passengers must take a COVID-19 PCR test on arrival at Muscat International Airport, at a cost of OMR25 (USD65) which can be paid through the Tarassud+ App before arrival in Oman. All passengers must self-isolate at their hotel while they await test results, which usually take 12-24 hours. Passengers staying in-country for less than 10 days are then free to leave, while passengers staying for more than 10 days are subject to additional requirements; this includes further self-isolation regardless of result, follow-up COVID-19 testing and the requirement to wear a tracking bracelet.

Airport representatives have announced that Terminal 4, one of four within the airport, will remain closed until the end of 2021; London Heathrow Airport posted an 88% fall in passenger numbers in November due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country's government has announced that Nepal has re-opened to foreign tourists, after a nine month suspension as the country battled the COVID-19 pandemic; all tourist visas have been restored, and foreign visitors are now free to fly into the country, but the land borders are still closed. All travellers must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to their departure, and must take a further COVID-19 test after five days of a mandatory seven day hotel quarantine; this also applies to Indian nationals arriving in Nepal under the bilateral travel bubble agreement. Tourists are also required to hold valid COVID-19 travel insurance to the value of at least $5000 USD.

Philippine low-cost airline Cebu Pacific has announced that it is increasing flight frequency between the country's capital of Manila and key Asian destinations including Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Dubai and Japan; as border restrictions internationally begin to ease, the airline has done so to cater to increased demands for flights during the festive season. Flights between Manila and Singapore will now operate with an increased frequency of three times weekly, while flights between Manila and Dubai will operate six times weekly.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it is expecting a busy holiday travel period, and asks customers departing from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport to arrive at least three hours ahead of departure to allow extra time for check‑in and security screening. Passengers are also encouraged to use Emirates’ self check‑in and bag drop kiosks for a more seamless airport experience, with less queues and waiting time during the peak period.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported updated information for arrivals of all nationalities to Greece; after 06.00 (local time) on 18 December, in addition to a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival and completion of a passenger locator form, travellers will also be required to complete a rapid COVID-19 test on arrival and to self-isolate for 10 days. National measures and restrictions within Greece have also been extended until at least 7 January.

The UK’s chief medical officer has said that from 00.01 (GMT) on Monday 14 December, the mandatory self-isolation period for passengers arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from a country which is NOT on the ‘travel corridor’ list of the respective nations will be reduced from 14 days to 10 days. Importantly, the guidance released today also states that the amendment will apply to all those who are currently self-isolating in the UK, including those who commenced self-isolation before 14 December.

Singapore will unilaterally lift border restrictions on travellers from Taiwan. With immediate effect, travellers can apply for an Air Travel Pass (ATP) for entry into Singapore quarantine-free from 18 December, as long as they test negative for COVID-19 on arrival. Applicants must have remained in Taiwan in the last 14 consecutive days prior to departure, and they must also travel to Singapore on direct flights without transit.

The country’s government has announced that it will introduce a night-time curfew, in addition to delaying the re-opening of cultural venues, in response to a rise in cases of COVID-19. A stay-at-home order will be lifted on 15 December as planned, and then a daily 20.00-06.00 (local time) curfew requirement will begin and will not be waived over the festive period. Museums, cinemas, theatres and sports venues will also remain closed for an additional three weeks.

The government of the Australian state of Queensland has announced that the state will open its border to arrivals from New Zealand from 12 December. Visitors from across the Tasman will be able to travel into the state without having to quarantine from 01.00 (local time). At this stage, New Zealanders subsequently returning home will still be subjected to a mandatory quarantine period of two weeks.

The country’s government has announced a slight reduction in restrictions on arrival quarantine, meaning that travellers can now self-isolate for 10 days at a place of their choosing pending certain conditions being met, rather than the current requirement to do so in a designated hotel at their own cost.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (GMT) on Saturday 12 December, anyone arriving or returning from Spain's Canary Islands to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will be required to self-isolate. However, anyone arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the Botswana or Saudi Arabia will not be required to self-isolate, as the nations have been granted a travel corridor.

The government of the territory has officially re-opened to international travellers, however comprehensive COVID-19 entry protocols are in place. This includes a pre-testing requirement, proof of applicable travel insurance, an application for a traveller authorisation certificate, arrival testing with a four-day quarantine and the requirement to wear a tracking bracelet.

The country's government has announced, after multiple delays, that Sri Lanka is now confirmed as planning to re-open its borders for tourism starting in 2021; the exact dates of re-opening, which will be under a 'travel bubble' arrangement, are due to be announced by 1 January 2021. All tourists arriving in Sri Lanka will need to undergo COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival and seven days after arriving in the island, and it will be mandatory that all international visitors have also evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours before arrival. All tourists will be required to stay a minimum of 14 days in the country. The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be reopened in a phased-out manner, with no more than 300 arrivals per day in total as the first phase.

The airline has announced that it will add flights to Seattle to its network from 15 March, launching a four-times weekly service from Doha using a two-class Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Seattle is the second U.S. destination added by the airline during the COVID-19 pandemic, following services to San Francisco which are due to launch on 15 December, alongside a frequent flyer program with Alaska Airlines. In total, from 15 March the airline will be operating 59 weekly flights to 11 U.S. destinations.