“It is extremely disappointing to see this knee-jerk reintroduction of measures that have proven ineffective over the past three years,” Walsh said. According to him, research into the spread of the omikron variant of the coronavirus shows that “building barriers” has made no difference to the number of infections.
Experts
The IATA CEO therefore believes that governments should heed the advice of experts, including the WHO. They advise against travel restrictions. “We have the tools to manage the coronavirus without resorting to ineffective measures,” Walsh said.
KLM airline immediately introduced extra security measures on flights from China on Wednesday. For example, staff will have access to FFP2 masks and a bathroom can only be used by employees. KLM staff expressed concern earlier this week about the high number of corona infections in China.