New Delhi: Border controls are not effective in managing a pandemic and politicians should balance the economic and social benefits of air connectivity against the need for health-related travel restrictions, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement on Monday.
The industry body, which represents around 290 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, called for governments to apply the lessons learned from the dismantling of global connectivity in response to Covid-19 to ensure that future global health threats can be effectively managed without closing borders.
The World Health Organization (WHO) long advised that border closures are not an effective means of managing a global pandemic and evidence observed during the pandemic proved the point, IATA said. “Most governments ignored this advice, acted in isolation from the industry and other governments, and put in place measures to restrict travel.
This collapsed global air connectivity with massive negative economic and human consequences," the industry body said. The restart of global connectivity has been made more challenging because governments continue to favour local solutions over global standards, IATA said, adding that constant policy changes by governments left most of the industry little time to prepare for the ramp-up. “It’s vital to restore public confidence in government handling of health crises and border restrictions.