According to the World Travel and Tourism Council ( WTTC ), the closure of borders in the face of the new omicron variant of Covid-19 does not work, and that added to the lag in vaccination plans in some countries, hinder the recovery of the travel sector and tourism, while delaying the global economic recovery.
Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the WTTC, reiterated that the closure of borders does not work since “the virus does not respect divisions between countries and travelers are tired of the restrictions that continue to change erratically. Let’s base risk around an individual’s health status rather than quentire quarantineountries.”
In addition, she considered it essential to accelerate vaccination plans around the world. “We can’t wait five years for 4 billion people to get their first dose,” she said.
It understands that the risk of the spread of the new “Omicron” strain should be measured around an individual’s health status rather than quarantining entire countries.
“Let’s reinforce the basic biosafety measures. The virus does not respect borders and it is an unprecedented moment for the public and private sectors to walk hand in hand,” said Simpson.
It should be noted that the WTTC offers digital solutions to governments to facilitate the complete reactivation of international travel. The council proposes a unique digital Covid-19 certificate recognized worldwide through a platform where tourists can register it.
For this, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTTC request governments to accept the four most used digital covid vaccination certificates: the European Union’s digital Covid certificate, the ICAO’s visible digital seal, DIVOC, and ID cards. SMART health, as proof of Covid-19 status.