Sponsors: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore,
Signatories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, India, , Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Uganda, USA, Vietnam
Global Recommendations for Travel Policies
The general assembly,
Appreciating the interconnectedness of the economics of the global community and the importance of international trade and travel in maintaining strong national economies,
Further appreciating the risk of international travel in the spreading of disease,
Emphasizing the importance of effective international surveillance systems in the development of effective and efficient travel policies,
1. Calls upon all countries to institute a travel advisory for all citizens, symptomatic or asymptomatic, recommending strongly against non-substantiative travel to affected countries in a manner that is in keeping with the spirit of the IHR
1.1. Emphasizes that business relations be maintained through means which decrease non-essential travel
1.2 Recommends that each country implement its own national refugee policy to address the challenges of large migrant populations
1.3 Proposes that the level of response be in accordance with infection prevalence, mortality, treatability, regional localization, and transmissibility,
2. Further recommends that travel within national borders be limited as much as possible, with allowances made for health workers, essential services, and commercial purposes.
3. Recommend that in the case of a Phase 3 Pandemic, the importation of animals suspected of possibly transmitting the disease be restricted,
4. Urges that each nation ensure that staff at air ports, sea ports and land borders be trained in appropriate screening measures, symptom identification, and risk factor recognition. Standards for screening programs should be set by the WHO and monitored for effectiveness by the national ministry of health.
5. Strongly urges that affected countries immediately implement exit screening strategies, including:
5.1 Health Declaration Form, requiring information on
5.1.1 origin and destination of travel, including contact information
5.1.2 presence of respiratory and flu-like symptoms
5.1.3 recent contact with people with symptoms
5.2 Further measures to be determined by the capacity of the individual country;
5.3 Travellers screening positive should not be permitted to leave the country.
6. Recognizes that entrance screening has a role to play but lacks evidence of effectiveness in past pandemics,
7. Strongly recommends that Health Alert notices be distributed along with Health Declaration Forms to all travellers entering the country;
7.1. This should be accompanied by a public health campaign, prominent in airports and targeting travellers, encouraging travellers to self-identify with symptoms,
8. Requests that, in addition to screening, the following actions be taken by host countries:
8.1 Travellers from any country screening positive should be quarantined and admitted to designated hospital sites until a diagnosis is confirmed. In the event that a country’s quarantine capacity is exceeded, positive-screening travellers will be deported back to their country of citizenship,
8.2 Travellers from affected regions not exhibiting symptoms should be required to wear a face mask for two weeks and be followed up upon periodically by local health authorities,
8.3 Physical and human resources be established to implement the measures identified in 8.2 and 8.3, funded by national governments and supplemented if necessary by the international funding body (established in clause 11) and non-governmental organizations to ensure international compliance,
9. Strongly encourages signatories to engage in multilateral agreements to share contact tracing information,
9.1 This information shall be acquired from the health declaration forms and integrated with information from national health bodies,
10. Recommends that mandatory personal protective measures, including availability of masks & hand sanitizer, should be in effect in airports, in accordance with national pandemic preparedness policy.
a) Personal protective supplies will be provided by national governments, and cooperation between governments is encouraged to ensure supplies are adequate
11. Emphasizes the challenges faced by developing countries and therefore acknowledges the need for a world body and a world body fund to ensure all nations have the information and supplies necessary to take action on the above recommendations
11.1 This body should be administered in cooperation between the WHO and IATA (International Air Transport Association) and other transportation organizations recognized by the U.N.
11.2 Signatories to this resolution commit to funding for this body, and encourage other nations with the means to do the same.
11.3 This body should be centralized in Geneva
11. Reaffirms that travel policies should be implemented simultaneously with national vaccination and treatment protocols.
