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International airline blueprint offers governments simplified model for COVID-19 border controls
November 24th 2021
Governments pondering the reopening of their borders have some “best practice’ examples to follow thanks to a new blueprint launched by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Read More » IATA has been consistently calling for simplified health protocols, digital health credentials and risk-based COVID-19 measures. The airline trade group’s new paper, From Restart to Recovery: A Blueprint for Simplified Travel, recommends the removal of all travel barriers, including quarantine and testing, for fully vaccinated travellers as well as quarantine-free travel for unvaccinated travellers holding negative pre-departure antigen tests. It suggests the European Digital Covid Certificate as a template for digital health credentials and says governments should set up a digital web or portal where passengers can present health certificates directly for verification. The paper points to Aruba’s web portal and Canada’s ArriveCAN app as good examples for other countries to consider. Governments also are advised to set up a web platform providing clear explanations of entry requirements. This should be tailored to the passenger’s resident and health status and travel their travel history. IATA cited the Swiss Office of Public health Travelcheck portal as example to investigate. “As governments are establishing processes to re-open borders, in line with what they agreed in the Ministerial Declaration of the ICAO High Level Conference of COVID-19, the blueprint will help them with good practices and practical considerations,” said IATA deputy director general, Conrad Clifford. “Over the next months we need to move from individual border openings to the restoration of a global air transport network that can reconnect communities and facilitate economic recovery.”
