Covid vaccination to get essential for international travellers | Flash News
Covid vaccination to get essential for international travellers
Many countries around the world, and especially in the Asia-Pacific region, are determined to prevent their efforts to combat the virus from evaporating.
International air travel could resume next year, but with a new rule: Travelers to certain countries must be vaccinated against the Coronavirus before they can travel.
The encouraging news of vaccine development has given airlines and countries hope that they will soon be able to resume suspended flights and scrape off lucrative travel plans.
But countries in the Asia-Pacific region in particular are determined to prevent the hard-won gains in the fight against the virus from evaporating.
This view was mirrored in other countries as well.
Australia
In Australia, the head of Qantas, the country's largest airline, said that once a vaccine for the virus is widely available, your airline will likely ask passengers to use it before they travel abroad or land in Australia.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he had spoken with colleagues from other airlines around the world about the possibility of obtaining a "vaccination passport" for international travelers.
"We want to change our terms and conditions to inform foreign travelers that we will require people to be vaccinated before they board the plane," Joyce told Australia's Network Nine.
He said they were looking for ways to check electronically that people have the vaccine needed for the intended prescriptions - a tough job.
"But of course we believe that this is necessary for foreign guests who arrive and leave the country," he said.
South Korea
South Korea's largest airline has a similar connection. There is a real possibility that airlines will require passengers to be vaccinated, said Jill Chang, a spokeswoman for Korean Airlines. It said this is because governments are likely to require vaccines as a condition for raising quarantine requirements for new arrivals.
While Korean Air is studying various verification options, any changes from the company or other airlines will be the result of coordination with governments, Zhang said.
He said: "This is not something that the airlines can decide on their own."
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New Zealand
Air New Zealand backed Zhang's position.
"Ultimately, it is up to governments to determine when and how to safely open the borders, and we will continue to work closely with the authorities on this," Air New Zealand said in a statement.
Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have managed to reduce the spread of the virus. Internationally, they are seen as success stories, and much of the containment effort focuses on keeping people out of the way.
Australia has imposed some of the strictest border restrictions in the world since the start of the pandemic. It closed its borders to most foreign visitors and allowed its citizens to travel abroad only on special occasions. New Zealand also closed its borders, and South Korea imposed a two-week quarantine for all incoming passengers.
Australia, with a population of 26 million, has recorded nearly 900 deaths since the start of the pandemic, less than many countries by its size. South Korea, with a population of 51 million, has recorded just over 500 deaths. In New Zealand, home to 5 million people, only 25 deaths have been recorded.
Zhang said that many discussions are already underway across the industry to ensure safer travel during the pandemic. These include Common Pass, an app endorsed by the World Economic Forum, and aims to provide airlines with a standardized format to assess passengers' coronavirus test results to determine whether they should travel.
As the world approaches the Coronavirus vaccines and negative tests have also become a requirement to exclude travelers from quarantine in countries around the world, airlines feel the need for an effective screening system. Zhang said the passengers are looking for vaccines and tests.
Several companies have tested potential viral vaccines with encouraging early results. Many people expect vaccines to become widely available next year, paving the way for broader international air travel.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Tuesday that no decision has yet been made on border-crossing or re-entry regulations regarding potential vaccinations.
Source:- AP
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