The world came to a standstill in the past year like never seen before. Most of the national travel in almost every country was banned. All international travel was banned. The world economy faced huge losses like never seen before. This all was due to one tiny virus which cannot be seen from the naked eye.
The covid pandemic had halted all the day to day activities of people all around the world. Travel was stopped, outings were stopped, going out was stopped and meeting people physically was stopped. The covid pandemic has disrupted the whole world order in a way never thought before.
The only possible way out of this pandemic is through the use of a vaccine. Since the covid vaccine has been launched by various companies around the world, governments are trying hard to get their citizens inoculated. But the pandemic is not over yet. Many countries are seeing new waves of covid during these times.
Most of the world has started to slowly come back to normal. With the rollout of vaccines a way back to normal is starting to become visible. But we still cannot be carefree. We still need to follow the SOPs and guidelines. The use of masks and other ppes needs to be continued till the pandemic is over. For this we constantly require the services of protective clothing manufacturers.
So let us look closely at what it means for travel and work, now that the vaccine rollout has been completed to a certain extent in many countries of the world.
SOPs are A Must for Travel
The tourism industry has faced historic losses because of the covid pandemic. The aviation industry, the rail industry, the hotels and other industries have still not recovered from the losses. The travel industry, which majorly includes the aviation industry, was a multi-billion dollar industry prior to the pandemic. It has now been almost totally forgotten by a large number of people because of the covid pandemic.
The travel industry, specifically the aviation industry, has now started to recover from the devastating historic losses. But it is not the same. Aviation industry is mostly associated with international travel, which is the major tool for the fast spread of the pandemic. For this reason, travel needs to be continued with extreme care.
Many international airlines have now had whole of their crews vaccinated. They are also following strict SOPs during flights. All this care has enabled them to commence operations once again. They still face new restrictions every day because of the emergence of new variants. There are still countries who have banned travelers into their country. With all this, let us see what more can be done and what can be expected to improve.
Stricter Screening and Quarantine Measures
Although the crew of airlines are following strict SOPs, but the travelers are still the major source of spreading infection. Many countries have installed strict quarantine and screening measures. The use of rapid covid tests is also in use. The authorities should put stricter measures like mandatory tests at arrival, and detailed screening and quarantine before being let into any country.
Some counties have started the use of specially trained dogs to detect covid carriers. This has shown to be effective in detecting covid and enables authorities to effectively quarantine the carriers. More countries should use trained dogs to detect covid carriers. Furthermore, countries where covid cases are still high, should not allow their people to go abroad.
Limiting Numbers at Travel Destinations
In addition to all the above mentioned measures, there is a need to limit the number of people at travel destinations in tourist countries. Tourist hotspots are bound to be filled once restrictions are eased. This calls for stricter measures at those destinations. Authorities should be aware of all the threats that tourists bring with them.
The number of people that are allowed to be present at a particular tourist destination should be limited and kept under safe limits. Crowds should not be allowed to gather, even if the majority of them are vaccinated. Only then will we be able to get safely out of this pandemic and continue our activities once again.
How Can Work Be Resumed
A majority of the jobs that exist around the world went online in the past year. Many companies have now decided to continue this approach because it saves time and resources of both the employers and employees. There still remain some employers who do not want their employees to work from home. This brings its own challenges to ensure safety. Let us have a look at a couple of measures that employers can take to make workplaces safe.
Vaccinations Should Be a Must for Work
All employers should ensure that the people who work for them are fully vaccinated. Vaccination rollouts in many countries have been made available to the public free of cost. However, they are not completely accessible to people of all age groups. In such cases it is the duty of the employers to ensure that their employees are vaccinated.
Vaccination is a fact which cannot be neglected at any costs. In order for us all to return to normal, we must all take measures and do whatever we can to support vaccinations. Employers play a major role in convincing their employees for vaccinations and providing them with the vaccinations if they are not accessible to them.
SOPs Should Be Followed to Make Workplaces Safe
Along with the vaccines, it is necessary to still follow SOPs at workplaces to ensure the safety of yourself and others. Employers must ensure that all of their employees follow SOPs. They must also provide their employees with the necessary ppes, i.e. masks and sanitizers and ensure that everyone uses them.
In addition to this, attendance at work should be kept minimum to ensure least contact of employees amongst themselves. The employees who can work from home should be facilitated. Cleanliness and sanitary conditions should be maintained at the workplace.
We are all in this together and we can only emerge from this safely if we ensure each others’ safety.
