The pandemic has changed the landscape of traveling for everyone globally. There are various restrictions, and people are finding loopholes to get to their destination country when need be. For example, Indians are traveling to Serbia as a pit stop for two-week quarantine before entering America.
That is just one example as people are using such loopholes to enter countries of their choice. Here is everything you need to know about if we should be canceling travel bans for better travel.
The Case For Easing Travel Restrictions
Here are the top reasons why travel restrictions and bans should be eased:
1. Discriminatory Impact
Implementing such travel bands and restrictions only increases inequalities and discrimination between people of different classes. International travel has always been a sign of wealth, and the pandemic has increased the divide even further. Only wealthy people can afford to spend on pit stops for two-week quarantines before reaching their actual destination.
Because of this, even the World Health Organization (WHO) has loathed travel bans. They have a discriminatory impact, and diseases continue to spread underground, if not in plain sight.
2. Travel Bans Have Lost Their Effectiveness Over Time
In the initial stages of the pandemic, travel bans were effective as people were reluctant to go someplace else. However, the pandemic has been going on for more than a year, and the simple case is that people don’t care anymore. They are finding loopholes and traveling regardless, which is why the travel bans have lost their effectiveness.
These bans seem futile now because people are still traveling and continuing life normally despite the pandemic. People now spend time in a “safe country” first and then travel to their destination without regard for the virus or their safety. So, travel bans are not effective anymore.
3. Difficult To Keep Up With The Changing Travel Rules
While countries are trying hard to make their place safe, the travel rules are constantly changing every week. It is becoming more difficult than ever to keep up with these changes and follow them. Research done by U.K Office for National Statistics revealed that 50% of British arrivals in the U.K found it challenging to understand foreign travel rules.
These changing rules and regulations hinder traveling and are futile because people can’t keep up with them. Changing the rules every week or two is an unnecessary practice that does more harm than good in the long run.
Final Verdict: Are Travel Bans Worth It?
Travel bans are not worth it anymore because everyone is already living with the pandemic. It doesn’t make sense to impose these rules because it creates further inequality, and only people with money and resources are traveling quickly. If this keeps on happening, the global divide will reach a tipping point sooner or later.
If travel bans are to exist, they should be universal and should not favor political friends. So, maybe it is time for countries to rethink their travel ban policies.