TRAVELLING IN A PANDEMIC by Dumkelechukwu Ajaja

No one saw it coming. Absolutely no one saw it coming. Not the World Health Organization, not the United Nations and even our self-acclaimed prophets in Nigeria did not see this pandemic coming.

Even with the presence of vaccines at the moment in some countries, Covid-19 has changed the travel industry drastically. Most of the changes in my opinion are very positive changes. Covid-19 has forced the travel industry to evolve and innovate. For instance, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is working on a digital Covid pass that it believes will lead to re-establishing international air travel more quickly. The digital pass will be an app to be downloaded on a smart phone and will be able to verify if a passenger has had either a negative Covid-19 test or has been vaccinated against the virus.

At the same time, a lot of airlines are now working on self-check-in systems to reduce human contact and queues at airports. The same applies to immigration systems in different countries. They are all beginning to see the need to create an innovative system to reduce human interaction at the airport.

While all these may take some time to be implemented, the world is gradually opening back up. Travelling activities are beginning to pick up. People are now more open to taking those business and vacation trips that have been pushed forward severally.

For our travellers, here are some tips on how to travel during a pandemic:

Ø Stay Masked Up Always: I know we have all heard this a million times but it wouldn’t hurt to reiterate this one more time. Stay on alert and mask up even after you have boarded. Do not wait for the Air Hostesses to enforce it. Even if everyone has to show a negative Covid-19 test result at least 48-96 hours for most airlines before boarding, don’t forget that some people may have come in contact with the virus after testing and the result at the time of boarding does not show it. It’s best to be on the safe side and stay masked up throughout.

Ø Sanitize Your Personal Space: I fondly remember the viral video of Naomi Campbell sanitizing her sitting area before take-off way before Covid-19 and we all made fun of her. Looking back now, she was unto something that we didn’t know about. When travelling now, don’t forget to go with a pack of sanitizing wipes. Ensure that you sanitize your sitting area before take-off. Airlines may insist that their planes have been thoroughly sanitized but there’s nothing wrong with a second surface wipe down just to be extra careful.

Ø Do Your Research: With the current times, your best bet is to be aware of the current Covid-19 regulation of the country you are visiting. Even with re-entry into Nigeria, you must familiarize yourself with Nigeria’s Covid-19 regulations so you don’t get turned back at the airport. For instance in Rwanda, you have to self-isolate for 7 days upon arrival. For Ghana, citizens of non-ECOWAS countries are mandated to pay $150 on arrival at the airport for another test and can only leave their hotels after their test results come out negative. For citizens of ECOWAS countries, the test costs $50. In the United Kingdom, travellers from countries on the ‘red list’ are required to isolate for 10 days in the government managed quarantine hotels and the cost of isolation will be borne by the traveller. The traveller will also need to fill a passenger locator form and pay for two Covid-19 tests before travelling. Entry into Nigeria requires that travellers provide a negative Covid-19 test result 48-120 hours before boarding. Travellers also need to fill the NCDC locator form online and pay for a second test on arrival. Travellers will be asked to self-isolate for 7 days after which they will be retested once the isolation is over. Failure to comply and you risk your passport being seized.

Ø Travel With Enough Spare Cash: During these unprecedented times, its best to travel with enough spare cash peradventure one tests positive while abroad. This will take care of logistics issues such as extended hotel stay, fight adjustments, multiple Covid-19 tests etcetera. Travelling with no spare cash these times are a recipe for disaster and you can end up being stranded away from home. Whatever your travel budget is at the moment, make accommodation for back up travel funds.

Ø Get Comprehensive Health Insurance: While this is not absolutely mandatory, I feel it’s necessary to get a good medical insurance before embarking on any trip right now. While some of us may be asymptomatic to Covid-19, the rest of us may have serious health complications as a result of Covid-19. The last thing a sick person should bother about is hospital bills. That’s the safety net a health insurance policy provides. Also, health care abroad can be very expensive and with the constant depreciation of naira, it’s even worse.

The impact Covid-19 has had on the travel industry is so massive that a lot of heavyweight travel companies will take years to recover (that is if they ever do). It is our prayer that the vaccines will lessen the impact so that travel can resume and people can move around freely again.

So if the vaccine is available for all in Nigeria today, will you take the vaccine? If no, why? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.