Day after China and Airport Council International Europe criticised various Covid-19 related restrictions on travel, Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which brings together over 300 global airlines, representing about 83 pc of the global air traffic, has issued a stern statement criticising the restrictions, saying they had already proven to be ineffective over the course of past three years.
“Several countries are introducing Covid-19 testing and other measures for travellers from China, even though the virus is already circulating widely within their borders. It is extremely disappointing to see this knee-jerk reinstatement of measures that have proven ineffective over the last three years,’’ Walsh said in the statement.
Walsh adds that research undertaken around the arrival of the Omicron variant concluded that putting barriers in the way of travel made no difference to the peak spread of infections. ‘‘At most, restrictions delayed that peak by a few days. If a new variant emerges in any part of the world, the same situation would be expected,’’ Walsh added.
He called upon the governments to use the tools already available to deal with the pandemic, rather than go in for unscientific measures that seem to have been taken in a rush.
‘‘That’s why governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the World Health Organisation, that advise against travel restrictions. We have the tools to manage Covid-19 without resorting to ineffective measures that cut off international connectivity, damage economies and destroy jobs. Governments must base their decisions on ‘science facts’ rather than ‘science politics’,” Walsh lashed out.