Get ready for the jab! Speaking after the Qantas Group market update yesterday, Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce explained the airline’s stance on vaccines and air travel, as follows:
“Australia’s success at virtually eliminating Covid means we’ll need a vaccine for international travel to restart properly,” Joyce said.
Joyce continued: “As the Prime Minister said, it will become a binary choice for international travellers to either get the vaccine or quarantine for two weeks. And quarantine places are very limited.
“Our position on this is clear. We have a duty of care to our people and our passengers, and once a safe and effective vaccine becomes readily available, it will be a requirement for travel on our international services.
“There will be some exceptions for people who can’t – for medical reasons – take vaccines. And our flights to New Zealand will probably be exempt given their success at controlling Covid as well, just as domestic flights will be exempt.
“I acknowledge some people are opposed to vaccines in-principle. We respect that. But in return, we ask everyone who travels on Qantas and Jetstar to respect our safety protocols – which will include a Covid vaccine for international flights, at least until the pandemic is under control overseas.
“In the past week, we’ve asked some of our customers their thoughts on this:
- 87% said they would take a Covid vaccine if it was required to travel internationally.
- 85% thought it should be required for travel to at least some countries.
“We will always put safety ahead of popularity – but it seems the vast majority of our customers agree with us on this.”
Edited by Peter Needham
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hey remember just a few years ago ALL planes coming to Australia were sprayed by the attendants just before landing – no problem AND before that every traveller had to have a health ‘ passport ‘ – think it was yellow – in which all vaccinations were recorded , and certified to , for past years . These 2 things were a matter of course – everyone accepted that no drama
You are absolutely right, Bruce. I still have my yellow vaccination book, which bears the title: International Certificate of vaccination or Prophylaxis. And then, in French, Certificat International de Vaccination ou de Prophylaxie.
Many countries demanded proof of vaccination against a range of diseases, including smallpox, yellow fever and typhoid, to permit you to enter. It was considered perfectly normal and reasonable. Travellers either accepted the regulations or didn’t travel to the countries concerned.
When your plane landed in Australia, blokes from the health department boarded and sprayed the aircraft from end to end with a can of insecticide in each hand. It was the first taste of Australia for many people. A rite of passage!
Peter Needham
I think your sentence “Many countries demanded proof of vaccination” should be in the present tense, Peter, because there are still 17 countries in Africa that require a yellow fever vaccination in order to secure a visa (Central and South American countries have now dropped that requirement but most still highly recommend it). I still carry my yellow vaccination card with my passport and keep my yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations up to date so that I’m free to travel wherever I wish. I will add my Covid vaccinations to that list for the same reason. If you don’t want to be vaccinated, then you don’t travel. Nothing new!