Coronavirus: The Need For A Global Approach

IT looks like the world has grown tired of waiting. After almost two years, more countries are resigned to living with coronavirus as they prepare to open up. New Zealand which has one of the strictest lockdown policies for one will no longer pursue the goal of zero Covid-19 cases but will transition gradually to relying more on vaccination rather than harsh restrictions to contain the spread of the infection.

Courtesy Reuters

Air New Zealand will require all passengers to be fully vaccinated. That, said chief executive officer Greg Foran, is “the new reality”. This will take effect from Feb 1 next year when New Zealand opens its borders to international travel. However, this does not apply to domestic flights.

Neighbouring Australia’s flag carrier Qantas has also earlier announced that it will require all international travellers to be vaccinated. “Because we think that’s going to be one of the requirements to show that you’re flying safe,” said the Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce. The airline is expected to resume international flights to the United States, UK and Japan by the end of the year.

Across the Pacific in Canada, Air Canada welcomes the country’s mandate that requires all passengers to be vaccinated by the end of October.

In Europe, travellers on domestic flights except to Corsica and Overseas France require a health pass as proof that they have been vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered from Covid-19.

While it looks like vaccination is the passport to travelling abroad though not necessarily for domestic travel, what seems lacking is a global policy even as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) supports moves to ease restrictions for international travel. Not many airlines have stepped up to commit to such a policy that makes vaccination mandatory. It may seem redundant, since border entry is guided by the restrictions imposed by the individual country. And if that mandates proof of vaccination, then it follows that the travellers will need to comply.

But it is not quite the same. The airlines themselves must commit to keeping flying safe whether the destination requires proof of vaccination or not. In the US, while some airlines now require their crew to be vaccinated, the same requirement for passengers is a contentious issue. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in August he did not see this happening, calling it a “logistical dilemma”.

IATA warned that confusion over travel restrictions were hampering the airline industry’s recovery. Director-General Willie Walsh said: “People want to fly. We’ve seen strong evidence… They can’t fly because we have restrictions that are impeding international travel.”

Unless the world pulls together, the fight against coronavirus will continue to be uncertain. Recognizably, the pandemic is not making it any easier with political, social and economic issues to contend with. The different parties will have to help each other to help themselves.