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The airline has announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with select Caribbean governments to directly offer COVID-19 tests prior to travel; the scheme will begin next month in Miami International Airport in collaboration with Jamaica, and will initially be open only to Jamaican residents. If the pilot proves successful, however, the airline hopes to expand availability to all passengers flying from select U.S. airports to around 20 participating Caribbean nations and associate nations.

The country’s chancellor has yesterday, 29 September, announced that she will introduce a number of increased restrictions to curb COVID-19 infection rates over the winter months; the measures include, but are not limited to, restricting the size of gatherings and increasing penalties for those not adhering to the track and trace system.

The airline has published updates to their flight schedules and pledged to keep Switzerland connected with the world throughout the winter, despite strict quarantine restrictions. Among additions to their short haul services will be Munich and Wroclaw, Poland from the end of October; Luxembourg, Birmingham, London City and Nuremberg from February 2021 and Graz from March 2021.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it has updated its 'OK to board' approval process for some passengers travelling to Iraq; all non-Iraqi nationals travelling to the country will now require this approval for travel using all visa types. The documents required are the passenger booking reference, passport copy and visa copy, and the approval can be obtained at check-in.

Administrators in charge of South African Airways (SAA) have said that they have suspended all operations and put the state-owned airline under “care and maintenance” until funding for a restructuring plan is found. It is understood that all existing cargo and repatriation flights will be undertaken but no new ones will be accepted.

The country’s government has yesterday evening, 29 September, announced increased restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, including amended opening hours for many businesses and limits on the sale of alcohol from 8 October.

The country's government has said that travellers who wish to make an application to travel from a 'high risk' country to South Africa for essential business purposes may do so as of 1 October. Applications must be made in writing to the Minister of Home Affairs and must demonstrate justifiable reasons for their request. Applications must be directed to: Covid19BusinessTravel@dha.gov.za with the following supporting documentation: a copy of the passenger's passport and/or temporary residence visa; ​proof of business activities to be undertaken in the country; proof of travel itinerary and proof of address or accommodation in South Africa.

The latest updates from the country's government show that Canada's borders will remain closed to all international tourists until at least 31 October. This applies to tourism and leisure travel from all countries including the U.S. by land, air or sea. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are exempt from the ban but face a strict 14-day self-quarantine on returning to Canada. The closure of Canada's land border to all non-essential crossings between the country and the United States also remains in place until at least 21 October.

The country's government is set to trial a return to tourism on the island of Phuket from 8 October, when a flight carrying around 120 people will fly directly into the region’s airport from Guangzhou, China. Visitors will be provided a long stay visa, be quarantined for 14 days, be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result and be tested a further two times during quarantine.

The country’s prime minister has yesterday, 28 September, said that plans for a ‘travel bubble’ between New Zealand and some Australian states could finally be in place before the end of the year; with the virus largely contained in New Zealand, and as cases continue to decline in Australian regions, talks of the long-discussed arrangement have been revived.

Muscat-based Oman Air will resume flights to 18 cities in 12 countries, including the UAE and Qatar by 1 October; this will include two scheduled flights per week to Dubai and Doha, according to an announcement by the airline on Twitter. All flights will depart and arrive on Sundays and Thursdays and will run until at least 24 October initially.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will shortly resume services to Entebbe, Uganda from 1 October and Muscat, Oman from 2 October; this will bring the total airline network globally to 94 cities. The Entebbe service will operate three weekly flights, and the flight from Dubai to Muscat will operate twice per week. Both routes will be served by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The country’s government announced a range of new restrictions yesterday, 28 September, in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases which is being described as a second wave for the Netherlands. The measures include rules on the use of face masks, earlier closure of some businesses, restrictions on public events and advisories against non-essential domestic travel.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that passengers due to depart from Dubai on their services can access a reduced COVID-19 PCR testing price of AED 150; this is available at the American Hospital Dubai Media City Clinic, the American Hospital Al Barsha Clinic and the American Hospital Al Khawanij Clinic (opening soon). Home or office testing is also available and test results will be available within 48 hours. Passengers must present a valid ticket/boarding pass and ID to take the COVID-19 PCR test at these rates.

The Japanese airline yesterday, 28 September, released an updated flight schedule announcing that it will resume flights to Singapore and Bangkok in November, in addition to increasing frequency on other international routes; among them, twice-weekly services will fly from Tokyo Haneda to Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Manila in the Philippines. One flight per week will also operate from Tokyo Haneda to London.

The country’s government announced yesterday, 28 September, that it is banning most public events due to spikes in COVID-19 case numbers; these rules, among a raft of other measures, will be in place from 1 October until further notice.

The airline has announced that it will begin to offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing in some U.S. gateway airports; initially it is partnering with a supplier to do so in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with more locations to come. Hawaiian Airlines have said the COVID-19 PCR tests will be shallow nasal-swab tests, a 'gold standard' screening that meets state guidelines; the tests will be $90 (USD) for results within 36 hours and $150 (USD) for day-of-travel express service.

The country’s government has added several countries including the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal to its list of countries from which travellers must go into a 10-day quarantine on arrival; the measures take effect from today, 28 September. Quarantine measures which are in force in Switzerland also apply to Liechtenstein.

Kenya's president yesterday, 28 September, announced a 60 day extension on a nationwide curfew intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, but relaxed the starting time by two hours until 23.00 (local time), finishing each morning at 04.00. The president also lifted a ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to South Africa, coinciding with the re-opening of the country's borders on 1 October; passengers services to the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town will resume from 1 October, to be followed by services to Durban from 4 October. The flights are still currently subject to final government approval.