IATA criticizes imposition of COVID restrictions for travelers from China
Travel Biz News –
IATA (International Air Transport Association) , which represents some 300 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, has criticized travel restrictions against travellers from China.
“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,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh in a statement issued on Wednesday (4 January).
“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.”
“That’s why governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the WHO, 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’,” Willie Walsh added in IATA statement on imposition of travel restrictions for travelers from China.
4 January 2023
Photo : Visitors wearing face masks tour a pedestrian shopping street at Qianmen walking street in Beijing, Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo)
