The general manager of an Australian airline said he believes “governments will insist” on vaccines for international travelers “as a condition of entry”.
Alan Joyce, of Qantas Airways Limited, told the BBC that he believes that “once everyone is vaccinated”, governments will require international travelers to be vaccinated if they want to enter a country. He said they would no longer be allowed to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days as a way to enter.
Even if some countries decide against this policy, Joyce said he believes airlines should enforce their own guidelines, outside of their “duty of care.”
“We have a duty to take care of our passengers and our crew, to say that everyone on this plane has to be safe,” Joyce said.
Joyce believes passengers would be in favor of this change. He said 90% of people surveyed think it’s a “great idea”.
“The vast majority of our customers think this is a great idea: 90% of the people we surveyed think it should be a requirement for people to be vaccinated to travel internationally,” Joyce said.
However, the World Health Organization does not participate with this proposal. Bernardo Mariano, the organisation’s director of health and digital innovation, rejected the initiative and told the BBC: “We do not approve of the fact that a vaccination passport should be a condition for travel.”
He added that regardless of the public sector’s favor, such a change would require a “unified approach by governments,” the BBC wrote.
The Hill has contacted the Centers for Disease Control to comment.
The airline industry was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, the Airports Council International – North America released a report finding that US airports need $ 115.4 billion in infrastructure investment over the next five years to meet crucial needs, including improving experience of air passengers, increased comfort, improved safety, expanded competition and reduced prices for travelers.
The industry, however, has experienced a partial rebound in recent weeks. On Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration reported that more than 1.4 million people traveled through U.S. airports on Wednesday, marking the eighth consecutive day that the volume of trips exceeded one million.
The last time airport activity was so high was the week of March 15, 2020, when more than 1.5 million people passed through TSA checkpoints before the closures and closures began. recommendations against air travel.