World Health Organisation Calls to Drop International Travel Bans |

World Health Organisation Calls to Drop International Travel Bans

Charlie Immigration updates 21 January 2022 | | 0

According to the latest recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO), International travel bans should be eased or lifted altogether.

Restrictions on travel “do not provide added value” and continue to contribute to “economic and social stress”.

The WHO has published a statement from the most recent Emergency Committee meeting this week discussing the efficacy of blanket travel bans and whether they should be scrapped.

Travel bans “are not effective in suppressing international spread (as clearly demonstrated by the Omicron experience)” it states.

As a result, the new advice is to “lift or ease international traffic bans as they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress” of some countries.

WHO Recommends Travel Measures

Instead of travel bans, it states there should be “travel measures” to control the spread of the virus.

“Measures such as masking, testing, isolation/quarantine and vaccination should be based on risk assessments and avoid placing the financial burden on international travellers,”
“The failure of travel restrictions introduced after the detection and reporting of Omicron variant to limit the international spread of Omicron demonstrates the ineffectiveness of such measures over time.
World Health Organisation

The organisation has advocated for a more measured approach throughout the pandemic – cautioning against travel bans on South Africa when the Omicron variant was first detected and calling for the “profound inequity” in global vaccine access to be addressed before richer countries race to boost their populations.

Proof of Vaccination

Showing your vaccination status or proof of a negative test at the border has been the norm for the past months as the world try to revive the travel industry.

But now the WHO is claiming that this requirement may no longer be “the only pathway” towards international travel.

It recommends a “risk-based approach” instead which would include “lifting or modifying measures, such as testing and/or quarantine requirements, when appropriate”.

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