International COVID-19 Travel Policies

BY CONSTANCE LEGRAND ‘21

As we have all witnessed, COVID-19 has greatly impacted almost all aspects of our lives. So engulfed by our own worries, many of us have not had the chance to step back and recognize how other people are furthering these impacts. I identify travel—from a local to an international scale—as one of the biggest threats to controlling the pandemic because it’s difficult to control the actions of others; thus, it is each government’s responsibility to set the necessary health and safety travel policies. So, how are different governments addressing the issue of travel? Which approach is most effective?

With schools and colleges opening and inviting students and faculty from all over the world, it’s no surprise that the number of daily cases in the United States has begun to increase again. With a total of 6.75 million COVID-19 cases, according to the New York Times, the U.S. now contributes to 22% of total cases worldwide and 21% of total deaths worldwide despite only constituting 4.25% of the world population. We should, therefore, expect a country responsible for more than a fifth of worldwide COVID-19 cases to have strict state and international travel policies. However, while President Trump has banned through several presidential proclamations the entry of all foreign nationals that during the past 14 days have been in China, Iran, the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Brazil, he’s exercised a reserved response to national travel guidelines. Recommendations and requirements after travel are mainly determined by state governments. For example, Massachusetts  requires all entering and returning residents to complete the Massachusetts Travel Form, unless coming from a lower-risk state, and either quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered up to 72 hours before arrival. However, Jana Amin, a senior from Milton, recalls being asked only for the form and not for a test result. She was interested in observing how different countries and states are regulating travel, but she expressed concern for the rise in cases in the U.S., stating that the enforcement of policies that keep people safe is imperative “as schools open and travel from different countries and high-risk states increases.” Amin added that “the possibility for a second wave is growing and is higher in the U.S. than everywhere else,” further frightening her of what the near future holds. 

Other countries display a range of strictness for their travel policies. The Hungarian and Icelandic governments state that all who enter their country, depending on the country’s border regulations, must either quarantine for 14 days or produce two negative COVID-19 test results. However, even though the number of new cases in Hungary and Iceland remained steady and low for the majority of the summer, the daily change has increased 213% and 243% respectively in the last two weeks. These statistics make us ponder the efficiency of certain travel policies and the factors that contribute to a rise in cases—in this instance, the ending of summer and beginning of school and work are major factors. Amin also shared her grandmother’s travel experience flying from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Her grandmother had to provide a negative COVID-19 test result that had been administered up to 72 hours before the flight, and she also had to have her temperature checked and take another test upon arrival. Furthermore, because someone on her flight contracted the virus, Amin’s grandmother was instructed to home quarantine for 14 days while wearing a location-tracking watch and receiving weekly testing. This strict travel policy for flying locally reflects the United Arab Emirates’ recognition of the severity of the pandemic, a bare minimum that every government should appreciate.

Interestingly, China, where the first COVID-19 outbreak occurred, has maintained a low and stable number of new cases; CNN says it would take 11 years for the number of known cases in Mainland China to double, while the case number would double every four moths in the U.S. and every month in France and Spain. China’s successful control of the virus is largely attributed to both the Chinese government’s strict and authoritarian policies and the Chinese people’s acceptance of restrictive measures to eradicate the virus from their country and return to normalcy. Having just returned home to Shanghai, I experienced firsthand China’s travel policy. Before boarding the plane, I had to produce a negative test result and a QR code created by completing a health form on my phone. The more exhausting and time-consuming process came after I landed in Shanghai, China. To not overcrowd the airport, the flight crew very slowly let passengers off the plane—I waited an hour before I was allowed to enter the airport. The airport was quiet and deserted, with only workers wearing white hazmat suits and holding infrared temperature guns. I had to present my QR code and sign a paper stating that I accepted to do the mandatory 14-day quarantine. I later gave this paper to a worker who gave me a sealed test tube filled with a curious pink liquid. I hastily headed down some stairs to get tested and soon after came back up to go to the immigration counter, which consisted of only one line for both citizens and foreign nationals. After going through immigration, I picked up my luggage and filled out another QR code-producing form about where I would be staying in Shanghai. Following all types of signage, I reached the designated area for the district of my residence. While waiting for all the passengers to reach areas for their districts, which took almost two hours, I filled out yet another travel form and applied to do only half the quarantine in the hotel and the other half at home. After much waiting and summer-reading, I followed more hazmat suits to the airport exit and got on the chlorine-reeking bus for my district. It took an hour to reach the hotel, where I paid for my stay and, once again, filled out more forms. In totality, it took six hours after landing to finally reach my hotel room. Moreover, after seven days of isolation, I was accompanied home to finish my other seven days of quarantine, and a worker came to install a device that monitored the opening of our front door, forcing me to message a correspondent every time we needed to grab a package from in front of the door or place our trash outside. Since my mom stayed at home with me, she was also forced to quarantine. For both seven day periods, I also had to produce a negative test result the day before I was let out as well as send a correspondent my temperature twice a day. The relief I felt when I went out for the first time was overwhelming; I still could not grasp that I had been in my hometown for two weeks but had barely stepped foot outside. Though the travel policies were exceedingly strict, I recognize that these policies ensure the safety of the Chinese people.

With almost every country bringing a unique approach to travel policies, I have barely explored the effectiveness of each response and guideline. However, I have concluded that it is necessary to have the same guidelines nationally, as this approach would not only ensure that everyone in a country is held to the same regulations, but also unify a people towards a shared goal. Governments do not have to be authoritarian, just responsible and informed; people do not have to be always self-sacrificing, just responsible and informed.