Every year, many people are anxiously waiting for the new year, hoping to turn the page. This applies this year more than most, and one of the ways people are hoping to turn the page is with a vaccine to the Coronavirus. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna have both developed and released vaccines during the final months of 2020, in hopes of setting the world back on course for the new year.
However, one of the questions that has arisen is: how the vaccine will impact travelers, and will it allow them to go to countries that previously prohibited visitors?
[post_page_title]Vaccine visas[/post_page_title]
One thing that many are hoping for is that a vaccine will allow them to travel wherever they wish, on a pre-pandemic level. This hope is too much, since the World Health Organization (WHO) said that any “immunity passport” would need to be worked out on a country by country level, if not at the international scale. Such cooperation would take several more months at least. In the meantime, the CDC and other American companies provide paperwork to individuals who get the vaccine, showing that they have taken it.
But one thing is for certain, and that is that the heightened safety precautions of sanitizer, masks, and social distancing are unlikely to change. In addition, there are logistical concerns about countries making it “mandatory” to have vaccines before being able to travel to another country.
[post_page_title]Safe travels[/post_page_title]
One thing that vaccines might help to do is reestablish the public’s comfort in using airplanes as a method of travel. Despite the indications that suggest the greatest risk of infection is at security or baggage check-in, many people are concerned about coming into contact with Coronavirus while on a plane. A vaccine would go a long way to helping with that. And, despite what is said above, some countries may allow those who are vaccinated to skip isolation periods or to even enter the country when it was previously shut off.
The vaccine certainly will provide more information and protection against the virus, and will help to kickstart 2021, but in all reality, 2021 will be a year where everyone needs to work together to make the world the way they want it to be. So for travelers, it is recommended to be patient, and to look at getting the vaccine when you can.
