Sir, – I am thoroughly sick of all the discussion about where one can travel, who can travel and what we need to do when we come back. There is a solution which could be adopted by all countries world-wide and which would cut through all the waffle, and the model is there already.
I have done a lot of long-haul travel and for many countries where certain diseases are endemic I was required to have an up-to-date vaccine against those infections. These vaccines were recorded by an approved medic in a little yellow book which was checked with my passport on arrival at my destination. In the absence of such documentation, I would be denied entry. This book had to be updated regularly.
So could not a similar process be set up for Covid-19. Let everybody travel everywhere, but they turn up at passport control in the airport (face-covering on) with a negative Covid-19 test certified by an approved testing centre not more than two days ago, and entered in a little yellow book if necessary. On arrival at the destination the person is tested again, and allowed to continue on his/her way if the test is negative. If it is positive arrangements are made to take the person to a centre where they stay until two negative tests have been made. The traveller is tested again two days before the return flight and again on landing at the airport before they leave.
What I am suggesting would take time and money for the extra testing, but there would be more certainty around the incidence of Covid-19 and the economies that many business people are worrying about would be helped, as well as the travel industry. It would also require more and faster testing. There is a possibility that the airlines, which are the loudest complainers about the present restricted travel, could be prevailed upon to provide some of the money needed. – Yours, etc,
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TERESA GRAHAM,
Tramore,
Co Waterford.