COVID-19, Vaccination and Tourism

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. Similar to adults, children with obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or immunosuppression can also be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The most commonly used and effective COVID-19 vaccines so far are Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson.

To limit the spread of the coronavirus, many countries started to put a different kind of restriction within the country while travelers from the EU have been asked to provide various documents, such as medical certificates, test results or declarations. To adapt to the situation, the European Commission proposed on March 17, 2021 to create a green digital certificate to facilitate free movement within the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The green digital certificate will be proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result, or has recovered from COVID-19. It will be available free of charge in digital or paper format. The digital green certificate will be valid in all EU member states and will be open to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The United States also expects to produce a digital version of the coronavirus vaccine certificates. France plans to reopen to vaccinated Americans this summer. Americans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus may be authorized to travel to France as early as May. Fully vaccinated people do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, but all travelers still need a negative COVID-19 test to catch a flight to the United States .

The Maldives was one of the first countries to fully open to tourists; its tourism authorities have set a target of 1.5 million tourist arrivals this year. So far, in 2021, nearly 350,000 people have traveled there. When the full country is vaccinated, it will switch to "3V" tourism. The “3V” strategy, which encourages tourists to “visit, vaccinate and take vacations”.

Alaska is also offering free vaccines to tourists this summer. Beginning June 1, tourists entering Alaska will be able to get vaccinated at one of the state's major airports. The vaccine will be available outside the security zone at four airports: in Juneau, Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Anchorage. Airport vaccination centers will offer the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. If visitors choose to stay longer, they can receive the second dose at any site in the state. They believe that will be another good reason to come to the state of Alaska this summer.

Once a person or group is vaccinated there is a great sense of relief that they are protected and immediately want to get back to normal, but it should be understood that other people are still vulnerable. Even if we are protected, while traveling we could still be a vector for the spread of the virus. We need to protect each other and stand together. For those who decide to travel, health officials recommend waiting at least two weeks after being fully immunized and diligently following COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks, social distancing , hand washing and crowd avoidance.