Washington Magazine

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has again reiterated that travel restrictions should be relaxed for global economy to recover. The statement is coming after the United Kingdom announced that it would remove all travel restrictions from February 11, 2022, with all testing requirements lifted for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals. In a related development, children between the ages of 12 and 15 can prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection via a digital NHS COVID Pass from 3 February for outbound travel with travel changes coming in ahead of February half term.

IATA is urging governments across the globe to hasten the relaxation of travel restrictions even as COVID-19 continues to evolve from the pandemic to endemic stage. The global body has consequently called for removal of all travel barriers, including quarantine and testing, for fully-vaccinated travelers.

“With the experience of the Omicron variant, there is mounting scientific evidence and opinion opposing the targeting of travelers with restrictions and country bans to control the spread of COVID-19. The measures have not worked. Today Omicron is present in all parts of the world. That’s why travel, with very few exceptions, does not increase the risk to general populations. The billions spent testing travelers would be far more effective if allocated to vaccine distribution or strengthening health care systems,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh.

IATA has referenced a recent study by Oxera and Edge Health, which demonstrated the extremely limited impact of travel restrictions on controlling the spread of Omicron. The study revealed that the peak of the Omicron wave would only have been delayed by five days and reduced the number of cases by 3% if the UK’s extra measures with respect to Omicron were in place from the beginning of November.

“While the study is specific to the UK, it is clear that travel restrictions in any part of the world have had little impact on the spread of COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. The UK, France and Switzerland have recognized this and are among the first to begin removing travel measures. More governments need to follow their lead. Accelerating the removal of travel restrictions will be a major step towards living with the virus,” said Walsh.

“All indications point to COVID-19 becoming an endemic condition—one that humankind now has the tools (including vaccination and therapeutics) to live and travel with, bolstered by growing population immunity. This aligns with the advice from public health experts to shift the policy focus from an individual’s health status towards policies focusing on population-wide protection. It is important that governments and the travel industry are well prepared for the transition and ready to remove the burden of measures that disrupt travel.”

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