SOUTH AFRICA: Country set to ease to COVID-19 alert level one from 21 September 2020

South Africa will enter alert level one as of 00.01 (local time) on 21 September; there will be a gradual easing of restrictions placed on international travel for business and leisure purposes as of 1 October. Travellers will only be permitted to travel to and from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka Airport, and a negative COVID-19 test result must be presented on arrival, obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure. Should a COVID-19 test not be presented, passengers will be required to enter mandatory quarantine at their own cost.
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AUSTRALIA: Residents of the Australian Capital Territory now able to visit South Australia

From midnight (local time) on 15 September, residents of the state of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are now able to visit South Australia without having to undertake a 14-day quarantine period. Residents of the ACT must complete an online pre-approval before entering the state, and must declare they have not been in the states of New South Wales (NSW) or Victoria in the 14 days before their arrival into South Australia (SA). They will only be able to fly into South Australia and will not be permitted to drive across the borders from NSW.
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REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Country re-opens to international travellers

The government of the Republic of the Congo has said that it has re-opened to international visitors; travellers will be required to do a health screening and follow quarantine protocols, and all visitors must obtain a negative COVID-19 test result a maximum of seven days prior to arrival, submitting the test results within two days of departure. All arriving passengers may be requested to take another COVID-19 test. Upon departure, travellers may also be subject to screening, including temperature checks.
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MADAGASCAR: Island of Nosy Be to resume international travel from 1 October 2020

The government of Madagascar has announced that the popular tourism destination of the island of Nosy Be will resume international travel from 1 October. All arriving passengers must present a return air ticket and may not travel outside of the island; a negative COVID-19 (PCR and/or serology) test result is required for entry, health screening procedures are in place at airports and a 14-day mandatory quarantine is required. Complimentary COVID-19 testing is though reportedly to be provided at the airport on arrival.
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QANTAS: Airline to boost regional flights with new Brisbane-Port Macquarie service

Qantas has announced that it will help maintain critical transport links to key regional cities in Australia, following Virgin Australia's decision to exit a number of markets. Subject to state borders re-opening, Qantas will launch a new flight from Brisbane to Port Macquarie, which will operate up to five times per week with the airline's Q400 turboprop aircraft, adding more than 700 seats to the route each week.
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QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline to resume flights to Lagos, Nigeria from 10 September 2020

The national airline of Qatar has confirmed that it will resume flights to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, from 10 September. The four-times weekly service to Africa’s largest city will be operated by Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy. With the addition of Lagos, Qatar Airways’ network in Africa will expand to 10 destinations served by 44 weekly flights.
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INDIA: Visa applications for Germany now being accepted via government partner VFS

Visa applications for travel to Germany from India are now being accepted at some locations; among them, the German consulate in Bangalore is now accepting applications of 'D' category visas, and the German visa application centres in both Chennai and Hyderabad are also accepting additional 'D' and limited 'C' visa applications. As of September 2020, these applications can only be processed through Indian government partner VFS.
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UNITED AIRLINES: Airline extends elimination of change fees to include flights to Mexico and the Caribbean

The U.S. airline has confirmed that it is extending its recent long-term elimination of change fees to include those on flights to Mexico and the Caribbean; previously, United Airlines had planned to cut the fee for domestic U.S. flights only.
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UNITED AIRLINES: Airline announces new services to Hawaii from 2021

The U.S. airline has announced that it will launch summer 2021 services from New York's Newark to Hawaii’s Maui, and from Chicago to Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. Each flight will operate four times weekly, and are among a combined total of seven new domestic and international services announced by the airline yesterday, 9 September.
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MALDIVES: Negative COVID-19 results mandatory for Maldives tourists

From 10 September, the Maldives government has made it mandatory for all tourists to present a negative COVID-19 test certificate upon arrival in the country. The Ministry of Tourism said the PCR test must be carried out within 72 hours of departure from the country of origin.
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OMAN AIR: Airline to resume flying to 16 destinations from 1 October 2020

The national carrier of Oman has confirmed that it will return to operating scheduled flights to 16 cities in 12 countries from 1 October. The airline will connect Oman's capital Muscat with London, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dubai, Doha, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lahore and Islamabad, with more destinations to be added soon.
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UNITED AIRLINES: U.S. airline announces new Indian routes to New Delhi and Bengaluru

The U.S. airline has announced that it will offer two new Indian routes, which will commence flying in the coming months. A daily flight between Chicago and New Delhi will operate from December; a flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru, which will be the first non-stop service between the U.S. and South India, will also operate from Spring 2021.
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UNITED STATES: U.S. government could ease enhanced screening for international arrivals from 14 September 2020

Reports by some news outlets suggest that from as early as 14 September, the U.S. government is set to end some enhanced screening measures for international travellers, which include the requirement that they arrive at one of 15 designated U.S. airports. The U.S. administration in February imposed enhanced screening measures on arrivals who had been in China, the UK, Brazil, Iran and the Schengen region of Europe, and denied entry to most non-U.S. citizens who had been in those locations within the past 14 days.
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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Airline announces withdrawal of some domestic services

Virgin Australia has announced they are making some adjustments to their domestic Australian network, withdrawing domestic services from Ayers Rock (Uluru), Albury, Tamworth, Hervey Bay, Port Macquarie, Mildura and Cloncurry for the foreseeable future.
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UNITED KINGDOM: Arrivals to England from seven Greek islands to be required to self-isolate

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (local time) on 9 September, both arrivals and returning passengers to England from the Greek islands of Crete, Lesvos, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Tinos and Zakynthos will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. In addition, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also advised British nationals against all but essential travel to these destinations, based on the risk currently presented due to their levels of COVID-19. The mainland, and remaining islands within the country, remain exempt from these changes. Meanwhile, the devolved government of Scotland has placed the same restrictions on all arrivals to Scotland from anywhere in Greece since 3 September.
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ZIMBABWE: Country to resume international flights from 10 September 2020

The country's government has said that Zimbabwe will resume domestic flights from 10 September, and international flights from October, in an effort to boost tourism; travellers will though be required to have a certificate clearing them of COVID-19. All travellers will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result issued by a recognised facility, obtained a maximum of 48 hours from the date of departure.
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ETIHAD: Airline launches COVID-19 global insurance cover for all passengers

The Abu Dhabi-based airline is now offering COVID-19 insurance cover as part of their Global Wellness program; the cover is included with every Etihad ticket travelling between 7 September and 31 December, for the first 31 days of a passenger’s trip.
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JORDAN: Country to resume regular international flights from 8 September 2020

Jordan will resume regular international flights on 8 September, following a shutdown of nearly six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan's capital of Amman will initially handle just six flights per day, and arriving passengers will need proof of a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within 72 hours of travel, followed by a further mandatory test on arrival. Arrivals will be subject to between one and two weeks of self-isolation or state quarantine depending on the severity of the pandemic in their country of origin. A total of 43 countries will be allowed to enter Jordan for tourism, classified into three categories based on the scale of the COVID-19 outbreak within their own borders.
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Country to introduce free COVID-19 insurance policy for visitors

The government of the Dominican Republic has announced that from 15 September until 31 December it will provide visitors with a COVID-19 travel assistance insurance policy free of charge. Similar to a policy from Spain’s Canary Islands, and airline Virgin Atlantic, the policy will cover expenses that could be incurred relating to COVID-19 while in-destination. The news comes days after the Dominican Republic also announced that they will be dropping the current requirement for visitors to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival, in favour of random, rapid testing on arrival.
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