It seems timely to do an update on the Covid-19 Situation. It was a year since the original first post from August 10, 2020: When will we be able to travel (freely) again with Covid-19? There was no open clear answer or open clear guidance from some governments of when we could travel again freely. The question I posed was; What are the governments’ requirements for opening up travel and lifting restrictions on inbound and outbound travel? This still seems to be a question mark on the countries within my geographic region, South East Asia (SEA).
We had periods of very low cases (close to zero) in some countries and there were still travel restrictions, and then we are now going through a third wave (the “delta variant”) with more travel restrictions. Most of SEA has kept quarantines for the majority of visitors, where as some countries in Europe, the Americas and Africa have been less restrictive on quarantines and some have opted for none. It is interesting to see the contrast in each country’s approach to the situation, I have associates who are traveling around relatively “freely” in Europe, the Americas and Africa.
Singapore is calling it a road to an “endemic” and it looks like they are pushing to “open” up their borders. There is an article on the Straits Times with more information on their plans link here. Singapore is being proactive and currently is the only country in SEA who is actually opening up it’s borders gradually (especially to non-citizens).
It’s been about a year and a half since Covid-19. There is new information, research and data coming out which relates to the questions posed in Collateral Damage? of the requirements & rules that have been in place my governments. One part to watch will be how the different approach and rules taken by governments have on the general population and economic outlook for the country.
For comparison and data provided by the Hannah Pearson Report. A good report to check out for those interested in the travel industry in SEA. You can interpret the data and calculate the percentages and stats as you see fit.
August 2021:
August 2020:
Current Vaccine Roll Out Data in SEA:
On a personal level I have not traveled since January 2020, and have not seen close family for a 1 year 6 months and counting. For someone who 1, is very close to his family 2, is used to travelling every month, it’s a very surreal experience.
For now, stay well, stay healthy and stay calm.
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