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The Canadian government has announced that its land border with the United States will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month until 21 May. The land border restrictions, aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, were first announced in March 2020 and have thus far been renewed monthly.

The Caribbean island has said that it will begin to welcome visitors from countries deemed 'high-risk' for COVID-19, including the United States, from 1 May; However, passengers need to obtain approval before arriving in Saba via info@sabagov.nl. Fully COVID-19 vaccinated adults must present proof of a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival and are not required to quarantine. Non-vaccinated travelers must quarantine for five days and take a rapid COVID-19 antigen test on day five.

The government of Japan is considering the declaration of a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka, according to broadcaster NHK, in order to curb the increased spread of COVID-19; Osaka's neighbouring prefectures of Hyogo and Kyoto could also be affected. If adopted in all four regions, the emergency measures would cover close to a quarter of Japan’s population of 126 million. In Tokyo, reports suggest this could span from 29 April to 9 May in order to incorporate the annual 'Golden Week' holiday period.

The island's Grantley Adams airport has re-opened following a week-long closure due to the ash fall from La Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent. In St. Vincent, however, Argyle airport remains closed due to heavy ash fall; the island was hit by another eruption on 18 April, blanketing St. Vincent with another layer of ash.

The government of the U.S. state of Alaska has said that COVID-19 vaccines are due to be made available to visitors at key airports from 1 June, in a further attempt to bolster the state's tourism industry, which has been heavily affected by the pandemic. The state plans to offer vaccines at airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan, with the clinics outside the security area; they will be available to anyone passing through from 1 June. State health officials are also encouraging travelers to test for COVID-19, although it's no longer mandated.

The U.S. state department said yesterday, 19 April, that it plans to boost its 'do not travel' guidance for citizens to include 80% of destination countries worldwide, citing the risk to travellers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently around 34 our of 200 countries are listed under the level four guidance, implying that this will shortly increase to around 130 countries. So far, no indication has been given as to when the measures will eventually ease.

The U.S. airline has announced that it will add flight services to Croatia, Greece and Iceland during Summer 2021, as United focusses its upcoming transatlantic schedules on countries which are easing COVID-19 travel restrictions. The airline will fly between Newark and Dubrovnik, Croatia, three-times weekly from 8 July through to 3 October; it will expand its Greece service with daily flights from Washington Dulles to Athens running between 1 July and 3 October; finally, United will fly daily between Chicago and Reykjavik from 1 July through to 3 October, competing on the route with Icelandair.

The UK’s Department of Transport has announced a change to be made to England’s ‘red list’ from 04.00 (GMT) on Friday 23 April 2021. From this date, visitors who have departed from or transited through India in the previous 10 days will be refused entry to England. Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights (including long-term visa holders) will be permitted to enter; however, they must stay in a government-approved facility for 10 days.

The country's government yesterday, 19 April, lifted COVID-19 quarantine restrictions for travellers from most European countries and the United States, as well as Israel; the easing of measures come as it prepares to re-open tourism services from next month. Air travelers from exempt countries will no longer be subject to a seven-day quarantine requirement if they hold a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test issued within the previous 72 hours. Other exempt countries include the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Iceland, Liechstenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The middle-eastern carrier has introduced the second version of its Honeywell ultraviolet (UV) cabin system, further advancing its hygiene measures on board in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The system now features extended UV wings that treat both narrow and wide areas on board, reducing the overall disinfection time. This version also includes a hand wand that disinfects areas like the cockpit and other smaller spaces and is non-motorised leading to less battery consumption.

The government of Hong Kong has announced that it will suspend flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines from 20 April for two weeks after a mutant COVID-19 strain was detected in the Asian financial hub for the first time. The three countries will now be classified as 'extremely high risk' for the virus, after there have been multiple imported cases carrying the strain into Hong Kong in the past 14 days, the government have said.

The Dubai-based airline has become the latest carrier to launch trials of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass. The mobile app is designed to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. In the future, travellers will also be able to share vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel.

The country's government has announced that its capital of New Delhi will be under a strict COVID-19 'lockdown' for six days from the evening of Monday 19 April, following the news that India's healthcare system is at breaking point due to the worsening spikes in cases of the virus.

The Abu Dhabi-based low-cost airline has announced that it will soon launch two new summer flight routes from London Luton Airport to Antalya in Turkey and Rzeszow in Poland. The services are due to begin from 22 June and 22 September respectively; with the addition of these new destinations, the airline will now operate a total of 74 routes from its base at London Luton Airport.

French authorities will restrict who can travel to France from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and South Africa, and will impose a 10-day quarantine on those who do. Entry from the four listed countries will be limited to French citizens and their families, citizens of other EU countries, and foreigners with permanent homes in France. Travellers must have tested negative for the virus before take-off, and will be given antigenic tests on arrival. The above restrictions will come into effect on 24 April. Currently, travellers from France’s low risk list of countries are not restricted and are subject to only a seven-day quarantine period according to France’s ministry of foreign affairs.

The Latvian airline has announced that from 2 September it will launch new flights from its base in Riga to Tenerife in Spain; the new service will operate three times per week using an Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

The Canadian luxury rail-tour company has announced that it has delayed the start of its travel season in the country until at least 5 July 2021; the operator had previously hoped to begin offering services in June.

The low-cost U.S. airline has announced seven new flight routes to Latin America and the Caribbean to be launched in Summer 2021. From Miami the carrier will serve St. Maarten, Nassau and San Jose, Costa Rica. From Orlando, Frontier will fly to St Maarten and San Jose. From San Juan, the airline will serve St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. And from Dallas-Fort Worth, Frontier will be flying to Cancun. Launch dates for the routes range from 10 June through to 10 July, and frequencies range from weekly to four times per week.

UK regional airline Flybe, who previously collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, is preparing to return to the skies in the Summer of 2021 after the sale of assets to a new company previously known as Thyme Opco - who will now be renamed as 'Flybe Limited'. The airline previously had a hub based at Exeter Airport and also operated flights from Cornwall Airport Newquay.

The government of France has announced that it will order a strict 10-day quarantine for all passengers arriving from Brazil from 24 April, in a bad to prevent the spread of a COVID-19 variant first discovered in the South American country. In addition, the suspension of all flights to Brazil by the government of France has now been extended until at least 23 April.