Travel restrictions imposed in countries due to the new Omicron strain of coronavirus are ineffective. This was announced on Tuesday, January 25 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) United Nations.
The UNWTO is calling for the relaxation or removal of these restrictions. They argued that soon such measures could cause economic and social damage to countries.
The organization noted that testing, quarantine and vaccination should be based on a “risk assessment” and should not burden travelers with involuntary financial expenses in accordance with article 40 of the international health regulations.
“When it comes to stopping the spread of new variants of the virus, general travel restrictions are simply counterproductive. In fact, by restricting tourism, these restrictions do more harm than good,” said UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili.
The same opinion was expressed on January 19 by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO). They noted that the situation with the Omicron strain showed that variants of the coronavirus are spreading, even despite restrictions.
On January 24, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the coronavirus pandemic could end in 2022 if comprehensive measures are taken. He noted that in order to stop the spread of coronavirus, 70% of the population in each country must be vaccinated.
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