Covid-19 and Travelling Habits

 Covid-19 a deadly disease has brought about tremendous changes in travelling habits and travelling services. Preventive measures are being taken including quarantine and isolation practices. It not only affected the international travellers but local travelling within a country has also been stopped and strictly restricted with standard operating procedures (SOPs). The objective is to stop the spread and transmission of this deadly disease. Since no effective treatment and remedy is currently available against the rapidly developing variants of the disease that is why we have to mostly rely on the conventional preventive strategies unless proper medicare comes to the market. WHO is performing its duty by launching awareness campaigns worldwide. 

To control the rapid spread and transmission of the infectious disease following measures have been introduced for international travellers;

1.  Introduction of travelling SOPs and strictly execution of the same.
2.  Masking of the face. 
3. Adoption of the quarantine strategies and procedures.
4. Maintaining social distances.                    

Out of all the above preventive measures, quarantine is the first-ever measure considered by all the health management authorities to avoid any upcoming health hazards among the living communities on this planet. The developing health advisories and changing guidelines in response to the covid-19 variants have altogether made travelling more difficult and complex in nature.

All though all other precautionary measures do slow down the rapid spread of the infectious disease, and quarantine is one of the oldest being taken to protect themselves against the said disease. Such measures were commonly advised and adopted to stop spreading plagues in the fourteen century and the same was applicable to international travellers.

In 2003 to control the spread of SARS quarantine management approaches were successfully and strictly maintained in various regions and countries of the world. Such approaches enormously reduced the spread of SARS among international travellers and transmission of the disease was successfully avoided. The quarantine approach is resource-intensive and requires the involvement of multiple sectors of society to formulate legislative laws and educate the masses on the subject. According to the concerned authorities, quarantine of travellers from a declared outbreak area can curb and delay the transmission of the disease.

During the current disease outbreak over 150 plus countries have adopted travellers quarantine policies and strategies. It is not sure that at what level this has been done whether at the government level or at the community level either on a group or individual basis. Somewhere it is done in various combinations utilising the intended resources for the entire benefit of the community. In spite of the best corona preventive measures adopted at all levels the death toll reached approximately 5.32 million-plus and yet it continues to haunt humanity. Serious efforts are on the way to design, formulate and frame legislations and draw rules to control the spread of infectious disease.