Travel rumors in our COVID-ravaged world continue to worry those who wish to return there. Do I need a COVID-19 test to get on a plane? What is a health passport? Can’t I just carry my vaccination card? If I don’t, does that mean I can’t travel? Should I sit in my basement?
We’ll answer the last question first: No, don’t try to sit in the basement, in part because most homes in California don’t have a basement.
Those who wish to travel to the United States or visit another country may need new documents and will have new responsibilities. Here are the answers to some common questions.
Do I need a negative COVID-19 test to board a domestic flight? Especially not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention briefly considered this idea last month, before rejecting it. But the agency recommends that you take the test three to five days after your trip and stay home for a week.
One kind of exception is Hawaii, which requires you to have a negative test before arrival or to plan to be quarantined for the first 10 days there. Your test must come from a list of designated test sites (bit.ly/hawaiitestsites)
Do I need a negative test to fly from a foreign destination to the USA?? yea. It doesn’t matter if you are a citizen; the CDC says that you must have a negative test within three days of your departure.
What if I got the vaccine? In some cases, it may not take you to a country.
You may, for example, have completed your photos, but you will not be allowed to enter Australia or Belgium. You can use the Canada Restrictions Wizard to see if your circumstances allow you to enter.
For example, I called that I was a foreigner, had no symptoms of COVID and came from the United States for a wedding. Answer: No, not allowed. There is a certain amount of room for maneuver in some categories. If you want to visit someone who is dying, you can enter, but the person you are visiting must be Canadian and you must apply for “compassionate entry”. If the person is not a resident of Canada, the answer is no.
Will proof of a vaccine or a negative test be the key to travel to some countries? Probably, which is why you’re starting to hear about “health passports”, apps that let you load proof of vaccination or a negative test on your smart device.
Who is creating this? Various organizations, including the World Economic Forum and the Commons Project Foundation (CommonPass); IBM (Digital Health Pass); and the International Air Transport Association. (Travel Pass, which will be integrated into some airline applications).
Some countries are developing their own, including Bahrain and Malaysia. Airlines are joining forces with companies like VeriFly to streamline security / identity issues essential to the travel experience.
Why are they not ready to use anymore? Because it is more complicated than it looks at first. The challenge is not just health-related travel considerations. Instead, it is to create a system that is safe, digital and comprehensive, said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of airports, passengers, cargo and security.
People are understandably nervous about the security of their information. “From our point of view as a data company,” said Rob Shavell, privacy expert and chief executive of Abine, “it is very difficult to protect information once it is out there.”
Some organizations say they will leave this data with you – that is, on your phone so that you have control over it. But, Shavell said, “It is much more secure for all data to remain on the phone…. [But] the applications themselves may have security vulnerabilities. “
As for digital, take a look at your documentation if you received the COVID-19 vaccination. You probably have a small white card. The name part of what I received was blank. I could have written it under any name. Besides, it was paper. If 60% of LA County residents get the vaccine, it will be 5.7 million records if you subtract children under 5, based on the July 2019 Census population.
The LA County Department of Public Health reported that these records are being digitized. “We are releasing digital electronic vaccination records with the date and type (Moderna / Pfizer / J & J) then [recipients] they can save it to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet and always access it from their phone, ”said a spokesman by email.
But, said Careen, the process of going digital will “require governments to think retroactively”.
Then there is the definition of this digital standard. Would these vaccination records, not just those in the US, have to be in compliance? Yes Yes. The standards are still being studied, although recommendations are expected in the coming weeks, perhaps earlier, he said.
Some people will be deprived of their rights because they have no computer skills or accessibility. Airlines should still have the ability to look at paper records. But, Careen said, “If we’re checking everyone’s piece of paper, you’ll never take an airplane off the ground, let alone solve an operational problem.”
Why would proof of the vaccine be accepted if those who have been vaccinated can still spread the virus? Not much is known about the spread of COVID-19 by people who have been vaccinated, but it appears that vaccination reduces the chance of infecting another person.
“Transmission happens when enough viral particles from an infected person enter the body of an uninfected person,” said microbiologist Deborah Fuller of the University of Washington School of Medicine in a conversation with the World Economic Forum, which is working to develop CommonPass.
“In theory, anyone infected with the coronavirus could potentially transmit it. But a vaccine will reduce the chance of this happening.
“In general, if vaccination does not completely prevent infection, it will significantly reduce the amount of virus that comes out of your nose and mouth – a process called elimination – and will shorten the time it takes to eliminate the virus. This is a big deal. A person who spreads less viruses is less likely to pass it on to someone else. “
Because it is not 100%, social detachment, vigilant hygiene and masking are still a good idea, she said.
Countries are also concerned about travelers receiving COVID-19 and having to be hospitalized, which is why many want proof of vaccination and health insurance. They do not want their health systems to be overburdened by foreigners absorbing valuable resources that need to be reserved for citizens.
Each country has its own entry conditions. For example, European Union countries have opened their borders to residents of Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China (but with retroactive conditions from China). Note which country is not on the list.
Maybe you can try Iceland or Italy. No. Iceland is not a member of the European Union, but it is following its guidelines, as is Italy, a member of the EU. So far, American citizens are prohibited from traveling nonessential to these and other countries.
The change is constant, so the website of the destination or your embassy will be useful. Also check the IATA open-closed map, which publishes rules and regulations for visits to various countries.
If this seems confusing, shapeless and a little out of control, it is because it is. Nobody planned this, but organizations are trying to get ahead, if that is possible.
Going forward, Careen says his job is to make it “less chaotic”.
“We owe it… to the industry. … We owe it to consumers ”.
Have a travel problem or question? Write to [email protected]. We regret that we are unable to answer all questions.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.