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The two U.S. airlines have announced that they will block middle seats through to October 2020 in order to aid social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Alaska Airlines will do so through to 31 October, and jetBlue has set a current deadline of 15 October; both airlines will however still allow for the use of middle seats for larger parties who wish to sit together.

The city of Amsterdam yesterday, 5 August, began mandating the use of face masks in crowded areas such as its 'Red Light' district, in a localised drive against COVID-19 which stands in contrast to the country's national policy. City workers will continue to hand out masks to both tourists and residents in busier areas, and will inform them that failure to wear them could result in a fine of 95 Euros (USD112).

The airline has added further destinations to its summer flight schedule, including the news that from September weekly services will be added to both Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Other destinations that already have recently resumed include Kalamata, Preveza, Skiathos, Skiros, Cagliari, Olbia, Catania and Ibiza.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that its passenger flight network will now grow to 70 destinations with the inclusion of Kuwait City from 5 August and Lisbon from 16 August. This will account for over 50% of Emirates' pre-pandemic destination network, as the airline gradually resumes operations with the safety of its customers, crew and communities as its top priority.

The airline has announced that it is now mandatory for passengers to wear a face mask if they're flying to, from or within the Australian state of Victoria. When travelling from or within Victoria, passengers need to wear a mask as soon as they enter the airport and also inflight. When travelling to Victoria from outside of the state, passengers need to wear their mask during boarding, in-flight and on arrival.

The airline has continued their restructuring process after having previously secured a £1.2bn recapitalisation deal to secure their future post-COVID-19. This process yesterday, 4 August, involved attending court hearings in both the UK and U.S. as a formality; during the U.S. hearing a Chapter 15 process was filed, which is a mechanism to allow the airline to continue proceedings in the UK despite their multi-national assets. It should be noted that this is not a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and restructuring is continuing as planned.

The Montréal-based airline has announced that from 1 November it will have resumed flights to a total of 40 destinations for the winter season across the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the U.S., Europe and domestically within Canada. As well as this, Air Transat is presenting even more flexible options to book, change or cancel a trip, and are ensuring a safe experience with its 'Traveller Care' program.

British Airways have confirmed that they have stopped their historic BA1/BA2 service from London City Airport to New York JFK - a 32-seat all business class service which made a re-fuelling stop in Shannon, Ireland where passengers could also clear US customs prior to arrival in New York. The service had operated since 2009 using flight numbers previously owned by Concorde.

The country's government has announced three amendments from 6 August to the list of countries from which Cyprus accepts visitors. Greece will move from category A to B, meaning a COVID-19 test certificate must now be obtained within 72 hours of departure. Thailand will move from category B to A, meaning arrivals to Cyprus are now not required to self-isolate or be tested. Finally, Morocco will move from category B to C, meaning most passengers are not permitted to enter, and those who are eligible must be tested and self-isolate. In addition, all passengers must apply for a 'CyprusFlightPass' within 24 hours of their departure, and present this at passport control when they arrive in the country.

The Caribbean island-nation is still set to re-open to international visitors from 7 August; passengers must submit an online health form and a negative COVID-19 PCR test prior to departure, plus be subject to temperature checks and rapid testing on arrival. Passengers passing all requirements will be taken to one of eight approved properties for their stay - anyone who tests positive will be subject to mandatory quarantine in other facilities.

Lufthansa has announced that it has now resumed the operation of flights to six airports in the UK and Ireland, following the reinstatement of additional UK routes; this includes links from the airline's hub in Frankfurt to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, to which flights are available six and five times per week respectively. A daily service from Munich to the UK's Birmingham airport is also now operational - from Munich, Lufthansa offers onward connections to destinations including Turkey and the Greek island of Rhodes.

The local government of the Australian state of Queensland (QLD) has announced that its borders with New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will close from 01.00 (local time) on 8 August. All visitors will be denied entry with few exceptions, and returning Queensland residents will incur the cost of a 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine.

The government of Greece has announced that from 18 August it will extend mandatory requirements for the wearing of face masks to passengers travelling on the decks of ferries between its islands; last week the country had already made mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public spaces, and also in outdoor spaces where proper social distancing cannot be observed.

U.S. based line Crystal Cruises have taken the decision to cancel the remainder of their 2020 sailings, citing the uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic; this includes all ocean cruises on the Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Esprit. The operator recently launched health and safety protocols and procedures, Crystal Clean+ 2.0, for when services eventually resume.

The country's government has announced that it has stopped all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking in Norwegian ports for 14 days effective yesterday, 3 August; this follows a recent outbreak of COVID-19 on board a ship operated by Norwegian company Hurtigruten. Any ships that have not yet departed will not be able to dock at Norwegian ports while the restriction is in effect.

The brand, who own and operate luxury resorts across predominantly Mexico and the Caribbean, have published update and adjusted re-opening dates for a number of their resorts. If guests with advance bookings have been affected by extended closure, they are to be granted additional flexibility for re-booking and a complimentary extra night.

British Airways has resumed flying to a number of popular holiday destinations, among a number of other route resumptions announced as part of an update to their August-September schedule. Flights to Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Kefalonia, Malta, Paphos and Pula have resumed; while in long-haul, Antigua, Nairobi and Islamabad are now operating. Also notable is that from September, the service from London Heathrow to New York JFK will double in frequency and become daily.

The government of Rwanda have announced that from 3 August, a movement clearance pass will be required by passengers who need to travel to or from Kigali International Airport between the hours of 21.00 and 05.00 (local time), when a public curfew is otherwise in place. Applicants are required to request the clearance pass either via an online government platform or via a quick code (*127#) and provide their name, telephone number, car license plate number, time of movement and flight number.

The country re-imposed a lockdown on the greater Gaberone COVID-19 zone from midnight on 30 July for a minimum period of two weeks. Everyone in the applicable area must stay at home except for essential purposes, and travel permits are require to make a journey to buy supplies; 'interzonal' travel in and out of the zone will not be permitted, and only certain categories of key workers are exempt from these rules.

Germany's health minister has said that mandatory testing of passengers returning to the country from nations with a high risk of COVID-19 infection will take effect 'later this week'; final preparations are reportedly in progress in order to coordinate the testing solution across both airports and international train stations across all states of Germany.