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People traveling home from abroad for Christmas should not automatically be considered high risk of spreading infections, under the new European guidelines for air travel.
They should be treated in the same way as members of the local population who have not had any direct contact with a person infected with Covid-19.
The surprise tip was jointly published by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), from which the Irish government seeks guidance, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) at the request of the European Commission.
The National Public Health Emergency Team here (Nphet) has asked people not to travel home for Christmas from abroad because they could bring the virus with them.
But European experts said inbound travelers are likely to contribute “little to the ongoing spread of the virus.”
The new guidelines for Covid-19 testing and air traveler quarantine state that: Travelers should not be considered a high-risk population or treated as Covid-19 case contacts, unless they have been in known contact with a confirmed positive. case.
“Travelers should be treated in the same way as local residents and subject to the same regulations or recommendations that apply to the local population.”
Based on the most recent information and scientific evidence, the conclusions of the document reflect the fact that the prevalence of the new coronavirus among travelers is estimated to be lower than in the general population. In addition, the measures implemented in aviation minimize the possibility of transmission during the air transport process.
Patrick Ky, EASA CEO, said: “Your findings can be important in making many family gatherings possible over Christmas. It builds on the measures we have already put into practice with the Aviation Health Security Protocol and reinforces the view that there is no inherent risk in air travel; in fact, air travelers are considered a relatively “ Covid safe ” population. We encourage national decision makers to take the recommendations given here into account when formulating their policies. ”
But the fact that the virus is now well established in all areas of the European Union and the European economy and the United Kingdom, as well as in most other geographical areas of the world, is an important underlying consideration for their conclusions.
In such a scenario, testing and quarantine have only a limited impact on reducing the risk of spread, particularly with regard to travel between areas of similar risk or when moving from lower risk “green” areas to “orange” areas. or “red” with higher prevalence of the disease In fact, it says that routine tests of passengers in such cases could have a negative impact: divert resources from more urgent needs such as contact tracing and testing of those who had contact direct with infected cases.
“The scientific evidence included in the appendix to the ECDC – EASA Aviation Health Security Protocol concludes that the member States should not focus on screening travelers, ”said Andrea Ammon, ECDC Director. “Testing of inbound travelers would be an effective measure if countries achieved sustained control of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. At this time, imported cases are likely to contribute little to the ongoing spread of the virus. We therefore recommend that Member States focus instead on developing strong testing capabilities for suspected cases, along with isolating individuals who test positive, as well as contact tracing and quarantine of contacts in the community “.
EASA and ECDC strongly recommend providing travelers with information on COVID-19, the epidemiological situation in destination countries, and measures in place at airports and on board aircraft to prevent transmission. A simplified procedure for obtaining contact information through the passenger location forms, preferably in digital format, and sharing it among authorities as necessary is also considered imperative.
Meanwhile, the member states of the European Union must always admit their own citizens, as well as other citizens of the Union and their family members residing in the country, and facilitate rapid passage through their territories for those in transit, the guidelines said.
Online editors
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