International travel should primarily concern humanitarian emergencies, essential personnel and repatriation, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Thursday, stressing that at-risk and vulnerable people should avoid travel.
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“The lifting of travel restrictions should be based on a thorough risk assessment, taking into account the epidemiological situation and the local context,” says the WHO in its updated recommendations.
“WHO recommends that priority be given to essential emergency travel,” the organization said in its recommendations.
“Sick travelers and people at risk, including the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, should postpone or avoid traveling to and from areas of transmission” of the virus, adds the organization.
“There is no zero risk with regard to the potential importation of cases (of Covid-19) in an international travel context”, underlines the WHO.
“When the country of departure and the country of arrival have the same rate of transmission of the virus, there is no substantial risk”, but “when the country of departure has a higher rate of transmission than that of arrival , the risk is higher, ”writes the WHO.
The institution stresses the importance for entry points (ports, airports, land borders) to have “appropriate health capacities to test, isolate cases, and quarantine their contacts”.
She recommends that travelers maintain physical distancing, hand washing and mask wearing depending on the situation, as well as control measures on departure and arrival.
Earlier this week, the WHO felt that keeping the borders closed was not a “viable” strategy to fight the coronavirus, while recognizing the difficulty of having a comprehensive strategy at the international level.
Many countries around the world are closing their borders to nationals coming from risk areas or imposing quarantines and tests, but without a concerted strategy.