The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling on governments around the world to follow World Health Organization (WHO) advice and immediately rescind travel bans introduced in response to the Omicron variant.
The airline organization notes that public health organizations, including the WHO, have advised against travel curbs to contain the spread of Omicron. WHO advice includes the following:
"Blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods. In addition, they can adversely impact global health efforts during a pandemic by disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data," the WHO states.
"All countries should ensure that the measures are regularly reviewed and updated when new evidence becomes available on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Omicron or any other variants of concern."
IATA's Director General Willie Walsh says governments are forgetting lessons already learned.
"After nearly two years with COVID-19 we know a lot about the virus and the inability of travel restrictions to control its spread. But the discovery of the Omicron variant induced instant amnesia on governments which implemented knee-jerk restrictions in complete contravention of advice from the WHO -- the global expert," Walsh said.
IATA is urging governments to reconsider all Omicron measures.
"The goal is to move away from the uncoordinated, evidence absent, risk-unassessed mess that travellers face. As governments agreed at ICAO and in line with the WHO advice, all measures should be time-bound and regularly reviewed. It is unacceptable that rushed decisions have created fear and uncertainty among travellers just as many are about to embark on year-end visits to family or hard-earned vacations," said Walsh.
The veteran airline CEO says that once governments put measures in place, it is challenging to get them to review them, let alone remove then, even when evidence points in that direction.
"That is why is it essential that governments commit to a review period when any new measure is introduced. If there is an over-reaction -- as we believe is the case with Omicron -- we must have a way to limit the damage and get back on the right track. Whatever measures are in place need to be constantly justified against the latest and most accurate scientific knowledge," said Walsh.
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