With the reopening of flights during the summer holiday season in Europe, many countries have started to see an increase in COVID-19 infections. A new IIASA-led study sheds light on how COVID-19 spreads regionally and between countries, as well as on how effective governmental measures to curb the spread of the pandemic have been to date.
"The results indicate that cross-country transmission processes, specifically via international flight connections, played a particularly important role in the early stages of the virus’ spread and that the shutdown of international airports and border closures were indeed important policies to prevent further spillovers across countries. It appears that governments, who took early action to reduce cross-border air passenger traffic, did in fact do the right thing to prevent the spread of infection. The research also supports anecdotal evidence that countries that delayed closing their borders to air traffic have higher infection rates."
Just a bit of proof, look at New Zealand. Also just heard that the Fiji Islands have had their first death from Covid-19, but not part of an outbreak. They have had very strict border watch. However one of their residents needed Heart Surgery that could only be provided out of country, he had to go to India for this, came back and went into strict quarantine, and unfortunately he had contracted the virus in India, and was too vulnerable to survive it. I imagine he and his family felt it was worth the risk, and the nation found a way of ensuring that he could not infect others.
Yes. This is the same country that, in January 2020, warned the WHO - and anyone else who cared to listen - that the infection could go from human to human. Taiwan's warning was wilfully ignored by the WHO at the behest of China and again, at the insistence of China, was not permitted to become an advisory member of said WHO.
I applaud Taiwan for it's approach and can only wish that the Western world had listened to the warnings and ignored the incompetent WHO. I could say a lot more about the WHO but I do not wish to be sued.
The level of international air passenger traffic had gone completely out of control. I can already hear the howls of protest at that comment. Cross border infection is not the only contribution to the pandemic arising from air passenger traffic. If you want to avoid the virus then avoid the confines of a passenger aircraft with its high percentage of recirculated air. Yes, I know cabin air systems have filtration but such reliance is to live in a bit of a 'fools paradise'.
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