COVID-19: Australia a danger zone for Europe – USA warns against travel to Australia

Well, we seem to be moving from our ‘lucky country’ status for managing the COVID-19 pandemic successfully, to one of a pariah state if you agree with the advice coming out of the USA Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and the European Union.

USA

The CDC has added Australia to a list of 22 countries that includes the likes of Albania, Argentina, Egypt, Israel and Uruguay that Americans should not visit because of the rising number of Omicron cases. Australia is now rated as ‘level 4: very high’. We are in good company, however, since Canada, France and even the United Kingdom share this category.

Practically, if you are an Australian, are vaccinated, and complete the USA entry requirement of documenting a negative test taken no more than 1 day prior to arrival, all other things being equal, you should be OK to enter.

European Union

This only affects unvaccinated Australians – who shouldn’t really be travelling anyway. The EU has now effectively banned unvaccinated Australians from entry. Again we are in good company in this COVID Danger Zone which also includes Argentina and Canada. There do seem to be some inconsistencies in the classification, given that Colombia has seen 5.5 million coronavirus cases with more than 131,000 deaths, and they are not on the list.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

I am avoiding all non-essential travel, although my definition is pretty broad and allows me limited trips to Adelaide, one to Fiji in February, and (fingers crossed) New Zealand mid-year. However, I am double vaxxed and boosted.

Interestingly, I think I am feeling more fearful of heading off the America, Europe and the UK that they are of heading downunder. Australia until December 2021 was handling this whole pandemic thing pretty well. And then, our political leaders seemed to forget what we have learned over the last 2 years, re-asserted their neo-liberal values, and ‘let it rip’. The R.I.P. part of that is particularly poignant.