New measures proposed to alleviate travel concerns
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to avoid quarantine measures when re-opening their economies. During the lockdown period, countries imposing quarantine saw arrivals decrease by more than 90 percent, an outcome similar to countries that banned foreign arrivals. In addition, research has shown 83 percent of travellers would not even consider travelling if quarantine measures were imposed at their destination.
“Safely restarting the economy is a priority. That includes travel and tourism. Quarantine measures may play a role in keeping people safe, but they will also keep many unemployed,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Series of measures
Instead, the IATA is promoting a series of measures to reduce the risk of importing COVID-19 via air travel and to diminish possibility of transmission when people travel while being unknowingly infected. These include health screening using non-intrusive temperature checks, tests undertaken prior to arrival at the departure airport with documentation to prove a negative result, COVID-19 testing for travellers from countries perceived to be “higher-risk,” introducing standardised contactless electronic declarations and contact tracing should someone be infected after arrival.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), travel and tourism is estimated to account for 10.3 percent of global GDP and 300 million jobs globally. “A layered approach to safety has made flying the safest way to travel while still enabling the system to function efficiently. Quarantine is a lop-sided solution that protects one and absolutely fails at the other. We need government leadership to deliver a balanced protection,” added de Juniac.