The WTTC reiterated that the organization opposes quarantines

The World Travel and Tourism Council assured that it is necessary to achieve a balance between economic and health priorities

Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), reiterated that the organization opposes quarantines, since while it is essential to protect people, it is necessary to strike a balance between economic and health priorities.

He explained that actions such as those of the United Kingdom government, in which a 10-day hotel quarantine is imposed on travelers, who enter their territory from so-called ‘high risk’ countries, will continue to cause enormous damage to the hotel sector. travels and tourism.

The representative of the WTTC, assured that travelers and tourists simply would not book business or pleasure trips knowing that they would have to pay to isolate themselves in a hotel, which would cause a drastic drop in income throughout the sector.

WTTC, which represents the global private travel and tourism sector, fears that the impact of new proposals being considered by governments such as the UK government will cause further damage to the sector.

“We strongly believe that departure and arrival testing for all travelers is the only way to prevent the spread of the virus, while allowing passengers with negative tests to travel safely and restore international mobility. We will continue to urge the United Reunio government to abandon ineffective and highly destructive quarantines, ”said Guevara Manzo.

In addition, he commented that the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and many other major international organizations have not recommended quarantines, as they are a measure without evidence of effectiveness for public health.

“Governments must be transparent about the metric used to label a country as ‘high risk.’ It is also vital that we have a clear exit strategy and more details on their test-on-arrival policy, which was presented last week, ”he added.

Despite the current adverse global context, the WTTC is confident that there is room for optimism and a brighter future for the sector. Business trips, family visits, and vacations can return with a combination of an internationally recognized testing regimen and the mandatory use of mouth covers.

Gloria Guevara indicated that these measures are simple but highly effective, if implemented correctly, and could help the reactivation of a sector that will be essential to boost the global economic recovery.