WHO and UNWTO agree that blanket travel ban may be counterproductive

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NITN | @notintownlive | 29 Jan 2022, 12:59 am

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Image credit: Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

Madrid/NITN: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has supported the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) call for restrictions on travel to be lifted or eased.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “When it comes to stopping the spread of new virus variants, blanket travel restrictions are simply counterproductive. In fact, by cutting the lifeline of tourism, these restrictions do more harm than good, especially in destinations reliant on international tourists for jobs, economic wellbeing and sustainable change.”

Citing the varied global responses to the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, WHO has reiterated that restrictions on travel are not effective in suppressing the international spread.

In line with UNWTO’s recurring warning against the use of blanket restrictions, the 10th meeting of the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee (Committee) held in Geneva (January 19, 2022) expressed concern that such measures can cause economic and social harm.

The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects Report for 2022 (Report) – to which UNWTO provided the official travel related data - mentioned that in both developed and developing, recovery from the impacts of the pandemic is “uneven and fragile”. The report also noted the ‘substantial reversal in progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

After a global contraction of 3.4 per cent in 2020 and a rebound of 5.5 per cent in 2021, the Report said that the world economy is projected to grow by 4 per cent in 2022 and then 3.5 per cent in 2023. Given its importance as a major export category (prior to the pandemic tourism was the third largest in the world, after fuels and chemicals), and recognizing its role as a source of employment and economic development, tourism sector’s recovery is expected to drive growth in every world region.

In view of this grim situation, the Committee observed that restrictions on travel may “discourage transparent and rapid reporting of emerging Variants of Concern.”

The Committee also noted that measures applied to international travellers such as testing, isolation and quarantine, and vaccinations, should be based on ‘risk assessments and avoid placing the financial burden on international travellers in accordance with Article 40 of the IHR'

(Article 40 of International Health Regulations deals with charges for health measures regarding travellers).

According to Pololikashvili, “It is imperative we restart tourism and so kick start recovery and get back on track towards meeting the SDGs while responding to Climate Imperatives. UNWTO welcomes WHO’s new guidance, highlighting the ineffectiveness of blanket travel restrictions, and we also amplify their recommendations against using vaccination status as the sole condition for welcoming tourists back, especially when vaccination rates remain so uneven.”

Image credit: Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

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