Qatar- Your travel questions, answered

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) This week I decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions by readers, with a specific focus on a reoccurring topic: Flying & the Covid-19 vaccines.   Will we see a future where only passengers who have taken the Covid-19 vaccine will be permitted to fly? 'No vaccine, no fly is a hot topic in the aviation world right now, not least because of the variation in views on such a policy. If the vaccine does help stop the spread of coronavirus, it seems likely some countries will ultimately make it mandatory for entry, but not all. As for individual airlines, so far, the only major airline to announce their intentions to adopt a ‘no vaccine, no fly' policy is the Australian flag carrier, Qantas. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce kicked off an international debate when he referred to vaccinations as a 'necessity and added that only international passengers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be permitted to fly on his airline. He's quite suite he will not be alone in taking such a decision on vaccine policy, adding 'talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe, I think it's going to be a common theme across the board he said. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told America's ‘Today' breakfast show that he thinks Covid-19 vaccinations for international travel will eventually become a 'requirement. Elsewhere, British Airways personally reached out to me this week to confirm their position on the mandatory vaccine debate. The airline said it 'would like to see travel for those who are vaccinated, and testing to allow travel for those who are not stepping away from its oneworld alliance partner and widening its market to include those who may have not yet been able to obtain a vaccine, or perhaps can't, such as children, who remain ineligible to receive any Covid-19 vaccine. Does this mean airlines such as Qantas will simply not allow children to fly because they haven't been vaccinated? Of course not. We're expecting airlines in this position to offer alternatives, such as through testing.   Will passengers need to prove they have been vaccinated or recently tested negative with some kind of health passport? For the aviation sector, it's widely accepted that the digital health passport for travel is on its way — it's inevitable. Currently, the only disease that requires an official international certificate of vaccination is yellow fever. This is called the 'yellow card, or International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, and is managed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). But with the coronavirus, the proposed digital health applications based upon the concept of a vaccination certificate would attest one of three things: That the holder has been vaccinated, has tested negative for the virus or perhaps has recently recovered from it. Their use could allow governments to lift some pandemic-induced restrictions, allowing people to travel. In Qatar, the population use health-tracing app ‘Ehteraz' it's these kinds of digital applications that are currently being trialled around the world to help unlock international travel.   Spain has become the latest country to hint that it will welcome vaccinated travellers without restriction to the country this summer. Spain's tourism minister Reyes Maroto said on Wednesday that the country could start using the vaccine passport in May, when the international tourism fair FITUR is due to take place in Madrid. 'We could be in a position to start implementing the digital passport (when FITUR starts on May 19), she told Antena 3 TV station. Greece joined Cyprus which announced a similar proposal for tourists last week, and the country is considering opening its borders to tourists who have received a coronavirus vaccine as early as May, it has been reported. Travellers who can prove that they have had a Covid-19 vaccine may be allowed into Greece early this summer without any restriction.   Will vaccinated passengers continue to have to test negative/quarantine abroad if the country has such a policy, such as the UK? Yes at least, for now. Given we know little about transmission following Covid-19 vaccines, the overwhelming majority of countries are continuing to refuse to allow any exemptions for people fully vaccinated. However, this is starting to change as more data becomes available to governments, and we expect many countries to open up without restriction to vaccinated travellers by the summer period. The United States is one of the few nations where vaccinated travellers are now able to discard quarantine and instead walk in without restriction. (But of course, masks and distancing are still the rules in place for all, even the vaccinated).   When will the current travel restrictions the United States has placed on the UK, Europe, Brazil and other countries be lifted? The White House could relax the current restriction on travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Europe by June, according to a variety sources in DC but as with everything pandemic related, we'll just have to wait and see.   The author is an aviation analyst.  MENAFN31032021000067011011ID1101840740