Britain announced Tuesday that travelers from abroad could face a shorter isolation period with a negative COVID-19 test days after their arrival.

Current rules require 14 days of quarantine. Starting December 15, travelers will have the option to pay for a test after five days, and if the test comes back negative, they will be free to end their self-isolation.

In Germany, officials in 16 states are looking toward next months Christmas holiday and ways to make it safer for families to gather.

The states have agreed among themselves on a proposal to tighten restrictions in the weeks ahead of the holiday in order to hold down the spread of the coronavirus, and then relax the rules to allow small gatherings.

Officials are due to discuss the plan with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

Here's How the Three COVID-19 Vaccines Compare Main differences seem to be in cost, storage and number of early doses available, but information is limited

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte expressed his own concerns about Christmas, saying Tuesday people should not plan to go on ski trips.

Conte said it would not be possible "to allow holidays on the snow. We cannot afford it."

Italy was one of the hardest-hit nations in the early stages of the pandemic and on Monday became the sixth country in the world to surpass 50,000 deaths.

Spain, another early hotspot, has seen a sharp decline in tourism like in many areas. It's national statistics office reported Tuesday the number of hotel nights booked in October was down 83% from the same time last year.

There are concerns in the United States this week as the country celebrates its Thanksgiving holiday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people not to travel and hold large family gatherings amid a surge in COVID-19 infections across the country.

More than 59 million people around the world have been infected with the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.

The United States continues to lead the world in infections with more than 12.4 million cases, followed by India with more than 9.1 million infections and Brazil with 6 million.

The virus has killed about 1.4 million people. More than 257,000 of those deaths were in the United States.