The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to lift travel bans imposed by the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Since the Omicron variant began to spread to other countries, governments have reintroduced precautionary measures, such as travel bans, to stop the spread of the Omicron strain. However, such measures are criticized by many organizations and authorities for not influencing transmission and infection rates.
Recently, the World Health Organization called on governments to find alternative ways to fight coronavirus and its new strains, instead of imposing bans and other travel restrictions.
"General travel bans will not prevent international spread and are a heavy burden on society. In addition, they can have a negative impact on global health efforts during a pandemic, discouraging countries from reporting and sharing epidemiological and sequencing data. " shows in the statement published by the World Health Organization.
In addition, WHO stressed that all countries should ensure that measures are kept up to date, taking into account the epidemiological situation in other territories. IATA has called on world governments to follow WHO's call and lift travel bans.
"After almost two years with the new coronavirus, we know a lot about the virus and the inability of travel restrictions to control the spread. But the discovery of the Omicron variant has induced instant amnesia on governments that have implemented restrictions on their knees, completely in violation of WHO advice, "he said. IATA Director-General Willie Walsh.
The association called on governments to reconsider all measures needed to stop the further spread of the virus. IATA stressed that it is unacceptable and the hasty decisions have caused fear and uncertainty among travelers.