While a COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be approved locally the roll-out of a vaccine is expected to ease travel.
Three vaccines are undergoing large-scale efficacy and safety trials (those by Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University) and positive news emanating from these trials earlier this month boosted the share prices of airlines, cruise lines and major travel companies like Expedia and TripAdvisor. The Pfizer vaccine was, even more recently, approved by the UK.
Qantas ceo Alan Joyce was recently quoted saying the airline was looking at ways of changing its terms and conditions for international travellers. "We will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft... for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country we think that's a necessity," he told Australia's Nine Network.
Commenting on the requirement, he said: “What we are looking at is how you can have a vaccination passport … that certifies what the vaccine is; is it acceptable to the country you are travelling to.” He said, based on talks with airlines across the globe, he thinks it’s going to be a common theme across the board.
Asked whether other airlines would likely follow the line taken by Qantas, Zuks Ramasia, Barsa ceo said airlines would be likely to take their cue from their home state, advised by Icao.
Suggesting that a vaccine could be mandatory for Australia, a COVID-19 vaccine policy document published by the Australian government refers to people who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 being provided with “an Immunisation History Statement to prove their immunisation status for childcare, school, employment or travel purposes”.
Earlier this month, Iata also said it was in the final development phase of the Iata Travel Pass, which, it says, will verify testing and vaccine information between governments, airlines, laboratories and travellers.
Although the WHO cannot mandate vaccines for travel purposes, a spokesperson for the organisation told Travel News that the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) sets vaccination policy and recommendations that most countries follow. “It is up to the national authorities to set their national policies,” the spokesperson said.
At the time of publishing, the organisation had not commented on whether or not a review was under way about introducing a COVID-19 vaccine as a recommendation for travel purposes.
Chris Zweigenthal, Airlines Association of Southern Africa ceo, said he was opposed to the vaccine being mandatory because PCR testing was sufficient. He highlighted the lack of a definite timeline for the roll-out as a challenge and also noted that testing systems are improving.
Travel News contacted the Department of Health, asking if the SA government had entered into negotiations with any of the manufacturers that are currently trialling vaccines, but the department declined to comment, saying only that the Minister would brief the media at an “appropriate time”.
