Whether it’s in Europe or the US, many are already looking forward to traveling internationally. Though airline executives believe that international travel is still not going to normalize this year, some countries will accept visitors from different countries. However, if you are going to ask World Health Organization’s Europe director Hans Kluge, he warned that it is still too early to do so.
The WHO official said that we are still faced with “continued threat and new uncertainty”. Kluge suggests “we need to continue to exercise caution, and rethink or avoid international travel”. One of the biggest concerns for the WHO is the variant that originated from India. This variant is easier to transmit. It is now present in at least 26 of the 53 countries within the WHO Europe region.
WHO Approved Vaccines
However, Kluge also mentioned that the authorized vaccines are effective when used against new strains. He said that “All COVID19 virus variants that have emerged so far do respond to the available, approved vaccines”. In Europe, only 23% of the population received a vaccine dose. On top of that, only 11% received the complete doses of the vaccines. Because of this, Kluge wants the public to still exercise caution.
He thinks that “Vaccines may be a light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot be blinded by that light”.
EU’s Move to Open Tourism
EU countries are looking to restart international travel. EU countries are opening their borders for more countries that meet their updated criteria. Countries that have 75 out of 100,000 new cases can now enter the EU for summer. This offer is also available for vaccinated Americans. In North America, US domestic travel is picking up with millions of air travelers recorded daily by the TSA. Airlines are hiring new employees and recalling their furloughed staff just to meet the surge in travel demand. But when it comes to international travel, the US wants to take a more conservative approach.