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The airline are continuing to add to a raft of COVID-19 testing programs available for passengers, with the addition of now also being the first carrier to facilitate at-home pre-testing for all domestic U.S. flights due to land in states or cities with travel restrictions. Available from today, 9 December, for travel commencing from 12 December, tests are available for $129 USD via third party provider ‘LetsGetChecked’. Currently around 14 domestic U.S. states or cities have travel restrictions in place.

We previously reported that the countrys’ governments planned that from today, 10 December, all cross-border rail services would be stopped between Italy and Switzerland due to rail staff not having the capacity to carry out COVID-19 safety checks mandated by the Italian government. However, in an update later released it was stated that this move was confirmed as being reversed, and trains will no longer be halted; services are now expected to gradually return to ‘normal’ volume within the next few days.

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.

South Africa's government has opened a mobile COVID-19 test unit in the international arrivals hall at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA). The unit is open from 10.00-18.00 (local time) daily, and appointments are not required. The mobile testing unit in the pause area in the international arrivals hall at Cape Town International Airport is presently conducting antigen tests (rather than PCR tests as previously stated). The tests are intended for inbound passengers only arriving without a valid, negative PCR test result. The cost of the antigen test is R175 and results are available in 45 minutes.

The country's government has announced that from 15 December, the island province of Bohol will once again accept arriving passengers travelling for leisure purposes, regardless of age and including those arriving from general community quarantine areas; the move is part of a new 'test-before-travel' policy. Travellers must submit a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to travel., and must also have a pre-arranged booking with 'DOT-certified' accommodation establishments or tour operators. Arrivals must also register through the province’s website, and will be issued with a contact tracing card bearing a unique QR code that will serve as a pass upon entry and while in Bohol. Travellers should be aware that international travel restrictions may still apply for entry to the Philippines.

The country is the first in Latin America to welcome passengers from the U.S. under the new American Airlines digital ‘health pass’. Called ‘VeriFLY’, the mobile app allows passengers to securely store required travel documentation, including flight details and proof of a negative COVID-19 test; it will then verify if the given information provided by the passenger matches the entry policies of the user’s destination before giving them the green light to travel. Passengers travelling from Miami to Chile's Santiago were the first to be given access to the service from yesterday, 7 December.

The country’s government has announced the extension of current nationwide COVID-19 restrictions until March 2021. In addition, further lockdown measures were announced yesterday, 7 December, which will simultaneously be in place until 3 January 2021; the new measures include the closure of restaurants, museums, cinemas and other cultural institutions from 9 December in 38 of 98 municipalities.

The government of Australia has announced that it will extend a cruise ship suspension for another three months and extend its ban on outbound international travel; the ban was set to expire on 17 December, but is now set to cease on 17 March 2021. A government spokesman said the existing restrictions that sit under the associated emergency declaration will remain in place including limitations on outbound international travel, limitations on the movement of cruise vessels, and restrictions on the operation of retail stores at international airports.

The airline has announced a second European flight route on which passengers can be tested for COVID-19 to become exempt from a quarantine requirement; from 15 December a four-times weekly transatlantic service from Atlanta to Amsterdam will operate the program, which is very similar to the program launched on flights between Atlanta and Rome from 19 December.

The government of Hong Kong has announced today that from 10 December, arriving passengers will be required to take an extra COVID-19 test three weeks after landing, in addition to the tests already required immediately after landing and towards the end of their mandatory two-week quarantine. The increased measures coincide with an increase in local restrictions from the same date; Hong Kong will once again ban dining in restaurants after 18.00 (local time) and close all gyms and beauty salons, to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases in the densely packed financial hub.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has published important information for passengers travelling to Italy. Firstly, from 10 December the country’s COVID-19 pre-testing requirements will apply to arrivals from all European countries; the testing window will also be reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours prior to travel. However, secondly from 21 December until 6 January, all arrivals must self-isolate for 14 days regardless of nationality or testing fulfillment. A curfew 22.00 to 05.00 (local time) will also be in place.

The government of the U.S. territory has entered into an American Airlines pre-flight COVID-19 testing program, allowing passengers access to at-home nasal swab testing and virtual observation by a medical professional; it’s available from 9 December for passengers from the U.S.. The airline has previously partnered with Grenada, St Lucia and Jamaica to provide similar programs.

The government of the U.S. state of California have announced that from 10 December, they will launch an app to help people track their exposure to COVID-19, becoming the biggest U.S. state to take advantage of new technology from smartphone software makers Apple and Google. Beginning on Thursday, people in California can activate the exposure notifications tool from the settings menu on iPhones, or by downloading the 'CA Notify' app in the Google Play store on Android devices.

The airline has announced that free of charge COVID-19 insurance will be automatically applied to flights booked from today, 7 December, through to 28 February 2021; the policy will cover medical expenses related to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

The airline has said that it will begin to offer COVID-19 tested flights to Atlanta in the U.S., with passengers receiving one test five days before their flight, a second test shortly before the flight and a third test after landing. U.S. and EU passengers travelling inbound to Amsterdam from the U.S. will be able to skip a five-day quarantine on arrival if testing negative on all three stages. The flights will run four times per week from 15 December, with more expected providing that the pilot is successful.

The airline is to become the first in the U.S. to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to introduce an international contact tracing app for passengers, in a bid to continue to make travel safer during the era of COVID-19. Data supplied voluntarily by passengers will be submitted to the CDC upon their arrival and will help to identify, notify and isolate people potentially affected by the virus.

The southern German region of Bavaria announced yesterday, 6 December, that it will impose tougher COVID-19 restrictions upon its residents from 9 December through to 5 January 2021. Anyone within the region will only be able to leave their homes for valid reasons such as work, to visit a doctor or for exercise; shops and schools, however, will remain open. The move follows the recent news that Bavaria has recorded the country's highest COVID-19 death toll.

The hotel group has announced a new COVID-19 ‘test and rest’ initiative at the Sofitel London Heathrow and Sofitel London Gatwick. From a cost of around £179 per person based on single occupancy, passengers receive a one-night stay plus a fully certified COVID-19 PCR saliva test; when the test is submitted to reception by 20.00, an overnight result is then received by the morning via a dedicated mobile app.

The airline has further expanded its COVID-19 testing options to assist passengers arriving from the mainland in complying with the U.S. state’s testing protocols. Hawaiian Airlines is now offering drive-through and walk-up options for pre-flight testing in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Portland (Oregon) and Seattle; it first offered $90 USD nasal-swab testing near San Francisco Airport in October. Mail-in options are also available nationwide through a third-party provider.

The government of Japan is reportedly considering allowing a limited resumption of inbound tourism from Spring 2021, as Tokyo prepares to host a delayed Summer Olympics later in the year. It has been suggested that small tour groups may be permitted from Asian countries where COVID-19 infections are deemed under control, including China and Taiwan; visitors would be subject to pre-testing requirements and would remain separated from domestic tourists during their trip.