First Airline Announces New Plan For Mandatory Vaccination Before Flying
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Nov 25, 2020
Speaking on Australian television on Monday morning, Alan Joyce confirmed that once the eagerly anticipated vaccine becomes available, his airline will require each passenger to present proof of immunisation before boarding their flight.
He said they were looking at ways to electronically verify that people have the necessary vaccine for their intended destination, a hard task.
Joyce then hinted that other airlines could follow suit with requiring the vaccination for passengers traveling overseas.
"I think that's going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe", he added. Prices range from $90 for 36-hour turnaround to $165 for 24-hour results.
"But certainly for worldwide visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that's a necessity".
Hours after the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Moderna said it would charge governments between $25 and $37 per dose for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Russian drugmaker Sputnik V claimed that its vaccine would be cheaper than those of Pfizer and Moderna.
"I mean, we can't hold someone down and make them take it".
Encouraging news about vaccine development has given airlines and nations hope they may soon be able to revive suspended flight routes and dust off lucrative tourism plans. The airline body is planning to conduct a cross-border pilot test run later this year, with the aim of launching in the first quarter of 2021.
But he warned the resumption of worldwide travel in early 2021 would be "challenging". The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveller identities in compliance with border control requirements.
'We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation, ' IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.
Papua New Guinea recently made ankle bracelets mandatory for worldwide workers arriving into the country on designated charter flights, which must be worn while they're in two weeks quarantine.
So far, Australia has secured four coronavirus vaccine candidates.
Earlier this month, pharma firm Modern announced its experimental vaccine against Covid-19 was shown to be 94.5% effective according to early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants.
