Global land, sea and air transport lobbies are laying into world leaders for imposing travel bans in the wake of a new Covid-19 variant in what could boost Africa’s argument against restrictions.
The transporters who include shipping operators, air freighters and cross border hauliers say the “knee-jerk” reactions to the Omicron variant could risk killing an already ailing global supply chain.
In a joint statement on Friday, the International Air Transport Association which represents commercial airliners, ICS which is the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Road Transport Union, and ITF, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said they reject fresh travel restrictions including those that limit the flow of people and good because they “will do nothing to prevent this while inflicting serious harm to still recovering global supply chains and local economies.”
Representing about $20 trillion of world trade share, these groups caution travel bans are putting the jobs of workers in the logistics sector at risk, while also damaging local economies.
Since South Africa first announced a new variant of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, at least five dozens of countries across the world have imposed travel restrictions, including the controversial blanket ban on all of South Africa’s neighbours by the UK, US and Canada.
“Now is the time for heads of state to listen to industry leaders and workers, by taking decisive and coordinated action together to ease strain on the supply chain, and support an exhausted global transport workforce during the busy holiday season,” they said.
“Public health officials tell us that we should expect variants to emerge. And by the time they are detected, experience shows that they are already present around the globe,” added Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA, the association of commercial airlines including Kenya Airways and Ethiopian….