COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Required for International Travelers
2020-11-28
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1Airline companies say COVID-19 vaccines may become a requirement for international travelers.
2The requirement could help air carriers increase international travel after worldwide slowdowns caused by the coronavirus crisis.
3Promising news about vaccine development has given airlines and nations hope that they may soon be able to restart suspended flights.
4But some countries, especially in Asia and the Pacific, do not want their hard-fought gains against the virus to disappear.
5Alan Joyce is head of Australia's largest airline, Qantas.
6He said that once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available, his carrier will likely require passengers to use it before they leave or land in Australia.
7Joyce said he has been talking to officials at other airlines around the world about the possibility of creating a "vaccination passport" for international travelers.
8"We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft," Joyce told Australia's Network Nine television.
9He said they were looking at ways to electronically confirm that people have the necessary vaccine for their planned destination.
10South Korea's largest airline has a similar message.
11Korean Air spokeswoman Jill Chung says there is a real possibility that airlines will require that passengers be vaccinated.
12She said that is because governments are likely to require vaccinations as a condition for lifting quarantine rules for new arrivals.
13While Korean Air is reviewing several possibilities, Chung said any change by the company or other airlines should be a cooperative effort with governments.
14"This is not something for airlines to independently decide," she said.
15A statement from Air New Zealand agreed it is up to governments to decide "when and how it is safe to reopen borders."
16The airline said it was continuing to work closely with government officials on the issue.
17Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have all been able to successfully limit the spread of the virus.
18A big part of their containment efforts have centered on keeping infected people out.
19Australia has enforced some of the most severe border restrictions in the world since the pandemic began.
20It has closed its borders to most international visitors and permitted its own citizens to travel internationally only in special cases.
21New Zealand has also closed its borders, while South Korea has required a two-week quarantine on all arriving passengers.
22Australia, with 26 million people, has reported about 900 deaths since the pandemic began, fewer than many nations its size.
23South Korea, with 51 million people, has reported a little over 500 deaths.
24And New Zealand, a nation of 5 million people, has reported just 25 deaths.
25I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Airline companies say COVID-19 vaccines may become a requirement for international travelers. 2The requirement could help air carriers increase international travel after worldwide slowdowns caused by the coronavirus crisis. 3Promising news about vaccine development has given airlines and nations hope that they may soon be able to restart suspended flights. But some countries, especially in Asia and the Pacific, do not want their hard-fought gains against the virus to disappear. 4Alan Joyce is head of Australia's largest airline, Qantas. He said that once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available, his carrier will likely require passengers to use it before they leave or land in Australia. 5Joyce said he has been talking to officials at other airlines around the world about the possibility of creating a "vaccination passport" for international travelers. 6"We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft," Joyce told Australia's Network Nine television. 7He said they were looking at ways to electronically confirm that people have the necessary vaccine for their planned destination. 8South Korea's largest airline has a similar message. 9Korean Air spokeswoman Jill Chung says there is a real possibility that airlines will require that passengers be vaccinated. She said that is because governments are likely to require vaccinations as a condition for lifting quarantine rules for new arrivals. 10While Korean Air is reviewing several possibilities, Chung said any change by the company or other airlines should be a cooperative effort with governments. "This is not something for airlines to independently decide," she said. 11A statement from Air New Zealand agreed it is up to governments to decide "when and how it is safe to reopen borders." The airline said it was continuing to work closely with government officials on the issue. 12Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have all been able to successfully limit the spread of the virus. A big part of their containment efforts have centered on keeping infected people out. 13Australia has enforced some of the most severe border restrictions in the world since the pandemic began. It has closed its borders to most international visitors and permitted its own citizens to travel internationally only in special cases. New Zealand has also closed its borders, while South Korea has required a two-week quarantine on all arriving passengers. 14Australia, with 26 million people, has reported about 900 deaths since the pandemic began, fewer than many nations its size. South Korea, with 51 million people, has reported a little over 500 deaths. And New Zealand, a nation of 5 million people, has reported just 25 deaths. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20destination - n. a place where someone plans to go 21quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading