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The government of Estonia has announced that from today, 24 August, it has added the UK to the list of countries from which arrivals are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Those arriving from countries where the COVID-19 infection rate is 16 cases or fewer per 100,000 people for the previous 14 days, however, do not need to self-quarantine on entry.

The government of Panama has confirmed that it has suspended all international flights for an additional month from the previous resumption date of 22 August, following concerns over ongoing COVID-19 case numbers within the country.

The government of France will in the coming days reportedly reciprocate the UK's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France, according to a government source. In addition, the UK said on 21 August that travellers from the United Kingdom to France are required to self-certify that they are not suffering COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with a confirmed case within 14 days preceding travel.

The country’s prime minister has said that the current reinstated lockdown measures in Auckland will be extended until 23.59 (local time) on 30 August, with the city’s step down from level three to level two restrictions starting gradually from the following morning. Under level three, most businesses remain closed and residents must stay at home when not at work or school. The rest of the country will remain at level two until at least 6 September.

The U.S. government on 21 August closed a number of lanes at select ports of entry at the land border with Mexico, and also began conducting secondary checks to limit non-essential travel and the spread of COVID-19. Non-essential travel has been restricted at the border since March, but U.S. citizens and permanent residents can still enter the United States from Mexico; the new measures are aimed at those travelers, according to a government source.

A newspaper in the country has reported that an announcement could be made this week in relation to the resumption of international flights to France, Hungary, Malta, Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt and China’s Shanghai. Russia grounded international commercial flights during the COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year and has so far only resumed flights to London, Turkey, Tanzania and Switzerland.

The governor of the Indonesian island of Bali has confirmed that plans to re-open to international tourism on 11 September have been postponed indefinitely, following an increase in COVID-19 cases. A decision on when foreign tourism can resume will depend on the assessment of the situation in and outside of the country, according to a government statement.

Active-travel company Backroads has said that it is launching a category of trips designed for first-time adventure travelers or those seeking easier options; the operator's new Dolce Tempo segment offers 29 'easygoing' itineraries of e-bike, walking and multi-adventure trips. In addition, Back-Roads has said that it is expanding its roster of weekend getaways in North America, including new itineraries in the Texas Hill Country and Whistler, British Columbia.

The country's government has removed a requirement for people to wear masks outdoors, further relaxing rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, after the city reported 13 consecutive days without new cases.

It has been reported that a note from the Italian embassy in Tirana has confirmed that travel for tourism between Italy and Albania has been banned, in a further effort by European states to avoid imported cases of COVID-19. Trips between the two countries will still be allowed for specific reasons, such as work, health and for those who have to return to their place of residency.

Marriott International has announced that, in an effort to boost event, meetings and groups bookings and assure customer confidence post-COVID-19, eligible bookings made for events held by 31 March 2021 will receive triple Marriott Bonvoy points. In addition, customers will receive 5% off master-billed group rooms, one complimentary delegate or room in every 10 paid delegates or rooms for groups between 10-100 people, and a signing bonus of 5,000 points at participating hotels across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The airline has announced that it will suspend services to 15 smaller U.S. destinations from 7 October, due to low demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspensions are due to last until at least 3 November initially, and include flights to Del Rio, Texas; Dubuque, Iowa; Florence, S.C.; Greenville, N.C.; Huntington, W.Va.; Joplin, Mo.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Lake Charles, La.; New Haven, Conn.; New Windsor, N.Y.; Roswell, N.M.; Sioux City, Iowa; Springfield, Ill.; Stillwater, Okla.; and Williamsport, Pa.

The country's government has announced that it will tighten border crossing rules from 1 September to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the number of new infections is rising in neighbouring countries. Under current regulations, those returning from countries with higher infection rates need to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they produce two negative virus tests; however Croatia, a popular holiday destination for Hungarians, is still listed as “green” despite a surge in infections, which means no special rules apply.

The airline has announced that from 1 September it will award tier points on every flight, including redemption bookings; passengers will receive the same number of points as they would when booking using cash, making it easier to progress to Gold and Silver status.

The U.S. airline has said that although it will continue blocking middle seats through to 6 January, it will begin filling more overall seats on its planes beginning in October. This will include raising the capacity on both single-aisle and wide-body jets to 75% in the main cabin from 1 October.

The government of Germany has yesterday, 20 August, issued a warning to it's citizens against travel to parts of Croatia, due to both countries battling to contain a rising number of COVID-19 cases during the summer tourism season. The German foreign ministry advised against travel to the regions of Sibenik-Knin and Split Dalmatia, which are popular with tourists. Germany also urged people not to travel to the Valcea region of Romania, but removed a warning for the regions of Ialomita, Mehedinti and Timis. It also lifted a travel warning for Luxembourg.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK has reported that the country's government is planning to ease its COVID-19 entry restrictions on foreign nationals with resident visas starting next month. Re-entry will be permitted for visa holders, including permanent residents and exchange students, on condition that they undergo COVID-19 testing and quarantine for 14 days - the same policy that applies to Japanese citizens re-entering the country. The government is yet to officially confirm these measures and their start date.

Airlink has announced that it has now re-introduced five flight routes and increased its frequency on services between Cape Town and both George and Port Elizabeth, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa to level two. Re-Introduced routes include those between Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg, Mthatha, Hoedspruit and Skukuza; also included are services from Cape Town to Upington.

The airline has said that select Middle East flights from 20-28 August will transit at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport rather than Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will include departures from Dubai, Qatar's Doha and Dammam in Saudi Arabia. Information on what these means for passengers, and requirements for pre-registering with Cebu Airport for those on affected flights, can be found on the airline's website.

The middle eastern airline has published its latest schedule updates, whereby it’s been announced that its network will now be re-built to more than 550 weekly flights to over 85 destinations; this includes the increasing of frequencies to a number of destinations across Asia and the resumption of routes to the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and the UK.