Expressing strong displeasure over restrictions on travel and closure of borders by various countries, stating as a measure to check spread Covid 19 variant Omicron, the Airports Council International and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have urged European governments to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated and recovered individuals holding a valid Covid Certificate.
The restrictions set out by an EU Council recommendation adopted on January 25th, IATA says was based on the health status of travellers, rather than the epidemiological situation of their country or area of origin.
However, they argue that Independent research conducted in Finland and Italy provides insight into developing a Europe-wide policy for removing restrictions.
The research made public confirms the validity of the traveller-centric approach, highlighting the inefficiency of recent travel restrictions imposed by European countries in mitigating the risks to public health and society posed by Covid-19.
New analysis produced by Oxera and Edge Health reveals that pre-departure testing requirements are likely to be ineffective at stopping or even limiting the spread of the Omicron variant.
The analysis of testing restrictions imposed by Italy and Finland on December 16 and 28th respectively on all incoming travellers made no distinguishable difference to transmission of Omicron cases in those countries.
Conversely, the impact of these restrictions, and in particular the limitations to the free movement of people, resulted in significant and unnecessary economic hardship – not just for the travel and tourism sectors and their workforce, but for the whole European economy. Crucially, the report also shows
