Certainly not the first choice of activities.
And yet here we are 7 months into the *sneeze that reshaped the world* and we’re really not gaining a lot of ground.
The past few weeks have produced a flurry of announcements from airlines, tour operators and cruise lines with respect to their plans and offerings for Fall/Winter 2021.
A variety of packages into the Caribbean as well as January and onward cruise itineraries are being dangled front row center to fed up with homebound Canucks.
“Book Now For The Unbelievably Low Price Of ………….. “
And as eager as the airlines/tour operators, cruise lines, and let’s not forget ………… the great unwashed wannabe travellers are, there’s a hitch.
Ya pays yer money- gets yer ticket to ride …… but wait-there’s more!
A week or so prior to departure, your destination has “concerns” over a surge in Covid cases here at home and implement a strict 4 days prior to arrival negative Covid test requirement for all arriving passengers.
Which currently takes 3 days or so to get after you’ve managed to secure the appointment.
Assuming the best, you arrive on the shores of Paradise at the 4 day mark.
To be sure, immigration officials opt to administer their own “quick test”.
Provided they didn’t procure their test gear on Kijiji’s bargain basement clear out sale – you’re good to continue and plunk your keister on their sandy shores for the next 14 days.
Oh and did I mention – upon your return home – you’re mandated to a 14 day quarantine.
If however the needle goes south on you – not only are you inadmissible to the Shores of Paradise Resort – you’re also barred from hopping the flight back home until you produce evidence of a negative test.
Never let it be said that in times of need the travel industry’s incapable of massive creativity.
We’re starting to see operators, carriers, cruise lines step up to the plate with items such as:
- Flexible advance bookings
- Refundable advance bookings
- Covid insurance
What we need now is for governments to focus on the establishment of safe pairings or “bubbles” as a phrase we’re beginning to hear more and more of.
If Canada falls within “safe” parameters and the Kingdom of Paradise falls within the same accepted by both countries’ “safe” parameters – do away with the mandated 4 day prior to arrival positive test results as well as the 14 day quarantine upon return .
Nothing in life including travel has ever been nor will ever be 100% safe.
From the highway leading up to the airport to the roadside food carts tourists flock to like skeeters to virgin flesh.
It comes down to establishing safe parameters of risk management.
Certainly more so post Covid – but at the end of the day global economies and the mental health of huge segments of the world’s population depend significantly on the mutually derived benefits of tourism.
We need to get some good old common sense back into play.
And while it’ll be quite some time before I’m comfortable recommending a 3 day getaway to an overcrowded destination whose case counts rival stock increases during the dot com phase a number of years back, there are options that offer about the same level of safety as does shopping locally during senior’s hours.
And those are the ones that after a year of lockdown – our mental health cries out for.
Dave
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