SAGA Holidays insist on coronavirus vaccine for all travelers. SAGA, a group who offer holiday and cruise packages for older people, have announced they will insist all travelers are vaccinated before traveling with them.
These are certainly strange times, and I have to say that I never expected that I would write an article for Young Pioneer Tours that would reference SAGA. Strange times indeed.
To read about the SAGA policy click here.
Who are SAGA?
SAGA are a British based holiday company that specializes in package vacations and cruises for customers over 50 years old. Though the context is that a 50 year old would be considered young on a trip.
In fact, despite our name Young Pioneer Tours, we actually take a lot of over 50’s on our trips. You would not call that “our demographic”. The recent announcement by Saga will probably have deep ramifications throughout the tourist industry, with other companies likely to follow suit.
Have SAGA set a precedent?
Yes and no. It should be remembered that Saga’s main customer base are the very people at worst risk of death from Covid-19. With this in mind it makes complete sense that they would insist on vaccinations.
When it comes to Saga cruises they have indeed set a precedent that is likely to be copied and, or made mandatory by other cruise lines. Cruise ships are breading grounds for infection. It is likely that to go on any cruise, a negative Covid-19 test will be required once the cruise industry resumes.
Will this also set a wider precedent?
It is too early to say, but it is likely that some, if not most countries will start to insist on people proving they have been vaccinated before they can enter their countries.
There was a measles outbreak in the Pacific Islands in 2019 and a measles vaccine was made mandatory for a majority of countries in the region. I am certain this will be the case for Covid-19 in the Pacific Islands at least. As things stand–this is mere opinion– but it is more than likely that some countries will take this measure.
One such country being North Korea. North Korea have stated they will not open until there is a vaccine. Whether this means they–the North Koreans have been vaccinated, tourists or both is again currently very much unknown.
If I have the coronavirus vaccine will I be able to travel?
This is a question we get asked an awful lot right now. As things currently stand there is no real clear distinction between the vaccinated and non-vaccinated. For all intents and purposes the world remains closed.
In essence too few people have received the coronavirus vaccine for it to have made any affect on the policies of the governments of the world.
To read your coronavirus travel update click here.
The coronavirus vaccine also leaves antibodies in your system
As with any vaccine the coronavirus one gives you a bit of the virus so your immune system can beat the virus. This could mean getting vaccinated then testing positive for Covid-19 when you arrive at a destination. Essentially people are concentrating on prevention rather than cure right now. As things change and more people are vaccinated, this will hopefully change.
When will the world be open for travel then?
Sadly no one knows, including us. The reality is though that it will depend massively on just how quickly the world immunizes its nationals. Once the world starts moving from prevention to cure, then we hit the next stage.
What is the next stage?
Again no one knows, and this is just opinion, but traveling with proof of a negative Covid-19 status and immunization proof are likely to become the policy of a lot of countries.
As things currently stand there are a number of countries you can travel to either without a negative test, or being vaccinated. This list thoughts quite small and fluctuates with what is happening in the world.
How developing countries that are currently closed, such as Vietnam react is another unknown factor. Some countries may still insist on their nationals being vaccinated before allowing in foreigners. This is something that could take a long time.
Overall, there’s still a lot of unknowns, but also pointers to what travel might look like in 2021.
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