IATA Slams New Travel Restrictions, Says They're Proven Ineffective

IATA Director General Willie Walsh has come out swinging after several countries, including Canada and the U.S., imposed new travel restrictions on travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

"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," said Walsh. "It is extremely disappointing to see this knee-jerk reinstatement of measures that have proven ineffective over the last three years."

IATA says 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, the airline organization states.

"That's why governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the WHO, that advise against travel restrictions," said Walsh.

"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'."

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