Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Do restrictions on travel work against Covid?

Do restrictions on travel work against Covid?

The UK government has confirmed passengers arriving in England from China will have to provide a negative Covid test before they board a flight.

Several countries - including the US, Japan, Italy and Malaysia - are now enforcing testing on visitors from China following the effective ending of Beijing's zero-Covid policy,

But do such restrictions work?

What happened earlier in the pandemic?

Australia imposed some of the strictest travel restrictions. From 2020, it closed its borders to non-residents and banned Australians from travelling abroad (with a few exceptions).

Countries such as the UK were more lenient. They required international arrivals to use quarantine hotels and take Covid tests.

After the pandemic began in 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated it didn't generally support travel bans, as they were "usually not effective".

It said: "Travel measures that significantly interfere with international traffic may only be justified at the beginning of an outbreak, as they may allow countries to gain time."

After the emergence of the Omicron variant it again warned against blanket travel bans, saying they would not stop the global spread.

"They can adversely impact global health efforts... by dis-incentivising countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data," it said.




What is the WHO saying now?

The WHO's director general said he was "very concerned over the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease".

He said that the WHO needed more detailed information to understand the risks created by the situation on the ground in China.

And on Twitter he added: "In the absence of comprehensive information from China, it is understandable that countries around the world are acting in ways that they believe may protect their populations."

Would restrictions work?


Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group told BBC News: "Trying to ban a virus by adjusting what we do with travel has already been shown not to work very well.

"We've seen that with the bans on travel from various countries during the pandemic, that hasn't stopped those viruses travelling around the world eventually."

The word "eventually" is important here, because studies suggest that travel restrictions tend only to delay the spread of the virus spreading in a country, but cannot keep it out completely.

A report in the British Medical Journal found that international border restrictions could delay the spread by two months.

One of its authors, Dr Karen Grepin from Hong Kong University, told Reality Check: "We have learned during the pandemic that universal measures, applying to all travellers not just those from certain countries, are more effective than targeted measures, for example against Chinese travellers.

"The only type of travel restrictions that have been shown to be effective during the pandemic are those that involve lengthy quarantine periods and I don't think there is a lot of appetite for such measures at this point."

What other research was there?


Research published in the journal Nature, in December 2020, said restrictions worked well as Covid first began to spread around the world, but became less effective the later they were introduced.

A study by the WZB Berlin Social Science Center in Germany looking at travel restrictions and death rates in more than 180 countries reached similar conclusions and added:

* the biggest impact was when countries banned travel before recording 10 or more deaths

* quarantine for all travellers was more effective than entry bans (which in some cases exempted returning nationals).

Another scientist advising the UK government, Prof Mark Woolhouse, told Reality Check that restricting arrivals from China to the UK would not do much to limit the number of Covid cases in this country.

"We have far too many Covid-19 cases here in the UK at present for imported cases to make a significant contribution," he said.


What about new variants?


It has also been suggested that restrictions would prevent potential new variants of Covid reaching the UK.

However, if there is such a variant, said Prof Woolhouse, travel restrictions would be too late.

"It will almost certainly have got here already," he said,

"Measures could only work if the variant happens to emerge during the period the measures are in place and even then they will only delay, not prevent, the arrival of the variant."

Besides, a new variant is not more likely to come in from China than from anywhere else in the world.

"Though China is clearly experiencing a substantial wave there is no reason to suspect that wave will be a crucible for the emergence of new variants," said Prof Woolhouse.

"The next variant is at least as likely to emerge from somewhere entirely different - there are currently around four million reported cases per week worldwide (and surely far larger numbers are unreported). So why concentrate only on China?"

However, the WHO has said it is concerned that China is not sharing information about its latest Covid surge, possibly including the emergence of any new variants.

"Targeted border measures against China may be more of a political statement in response to lack of information-sharing than a sincere attempt to promote public health," said Catherine Worsnop from the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
×