Will the tourist who come after the airport opens be COVID free?
As the industry recovers, the foremost priority for airports and airlines is the health and safety of passengers and staff. But, not only must they accept tourists and guarantee their safety. They must also guarantee the local populations’ safety.
When Sri Lanka’s airports open sometime in late August 2020, every arriving tourist is expected to stay a minimum five nights, and unlike in certain countries, there is no need to go into quarantine -considered a major barrier to travel and recovery of demand. However, travelers will need to show proof of a COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours prior to landing in Sri Lanka.
After disembarking, they will be required to undergo a further test before being allowed to leave the airport. Thereafter, around the 4th or 5th day of stay, another test will be conducted, while those who stay beyond 10 days will need to take that test again. Bottom-line: every tourist will be subject to a minimum three COVID tests or more when in Sri Lanka.
If that’s not doing enough…what is enough?
While, airports like those in Sri Lanka are taking every precaution there are several destinations that don’t do health screening before departure to prevent symptomatic people from traveling.
On 23rd June, an Emirates flight from Dubai, arriving in HK carried 26 passengers who had connected from Pakistan – all of whom tested positive for COVID-19. Following this incident, Emirates suspended passenger services from Pakistan the next day.
This type of incident can make a hole in the safety blanket, particularly when people, traveling from various airports adopting different ‘protocols’, converge at a hub airport like Dubai, to travel together to their ultimate destination. So airlines and airports need to be extra vigilant with passengers who ‘transit’ between flights.
What I also found perplexing is that Emirates allowed those 26 transiting passengers from Pakistan to sit spread between rows 18 to 44 on that flight to HK, rather than closer together. So, there is something here too for airlines to consider as well - as it is no secret that passengers despite willing to travel will have concerns about the risk of transmission onboard.
The airline boarding process has also shifted with many carriers taking temperature checks to determine whether passengers are healthy enough to be allowed on the plane. Some experts though question the efficacy of temperature screening as it would not catch individuals who are asymptomatic (between 25 -50%) and those who show no fever despite being infected (about 20%).
The government would also need to ascertain the validity, accuracy and the authenticity of the source that releases COVID-19 test results – especially those of travelers from ‘high risk’ countries.
No environment is risk-free, but I reckon few environments are as controlled as at airports – which are key to reconnecting with the world.
Hospitality Sri Lanka
The above article is from our video series “19-Hospitality Related Questions on Covid-19", which can be viewed on our Youtube channel here Why not take a moment to share your experience with us, or if you have a question you'd like answered, get in touch through reachus@hospitalitysrilanka.com We hope to hear from you, and in the meantime, check out our social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka
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