IATA asks governments to take data driven decision for reopening borders
Premium- Data can and should drive policies on restarting global travel that manage COVID-19 risks to protect populations, revive livelihoods and boost economies, IATA said
New Delhi: Global airline lobby group The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to take data-driven decisions while reopening borders and to do away with quarantine measures to enable restarting of international travel.
“Data can and should drive policies on restarting global travel that manage COVID-19 risks to protect populations, revive livelihoods and boost economies," IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh said in a statement.
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"We call on the G7 governments meeting later this month to agree on the use of data to safely plan and coordinate the return of the freedom to travel which is so important to people, livelihoods and businesses," he added.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organization consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 47th G7 summit is scheduled to be held between 11 and 13 June. Attendees are expected to include leaders of the G7 member states, representatives of the European Union, and leaders of other countries like India, South Korea and Australia.
Evidence continues to show that vaccination protects travelers from serious illness and death, and carries a low risk of introducing the virus into destination countries, Iata said in a statement.
“Many governments continue to require universal quarantine—either hotel-managed or self managed. This impedes freedom of movement, discourages international travel and destroys employment in the travel and tourism sector," Walsh said.
"We now have more than a year of global data that can help governments make more targeted decisions on international travel. This can keep the risk of importing COVID-19 cases low— including variants of concern—while restarting international travel with minimal infringement on the ability to live normal work and social lives," he added.
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