The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently urged governments to adopt safety measures designed to efficiently re-open borders.
IATA officials said that the measures should include COVID-19 measures proportionate to risk levels with a continuous review process, simplified health protocols, and digital solutions to process health credentials.
IATA released a policy paper called From Restart to Recovery: A Blueprint for Simplifying Travel that it hopes will serve as a guide for the measures.
“As governments are establishing processes to re-open borders, in line with what they agreed in the Ministerial Declaration of the ICAO High Level Conference of COVID-19, the Blueprint will help them with good practices and practical considerations,” Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Deputy Director General, said. “Over the next months, we need to move from individual border openings to the restoration of a global air transport network that can reconnect communities and facilitate economic recovery.”
The recommendations included in the document include:
-Removing travel barriers for those fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine and allowing quarantine-free travel for nonvaccinated travelers with a negative predeparture antigen test.
-Handling travel health credentials digitally to enable travelers to complete the check-in process in advance.
-Conducting regular reviews and adjustments to COVID-19 measures to reflect growing knowledge, changing risk levels, and societal tolerance.