Have vaccination, will travel

DESPITE all those perky surveys telling us the vast majority of people wish to travel internationally right now, do we really? And what caveats apply? One question we continue to pose to our global audience is whether international air travel should be limited to vaccinated passengers.

We continue to receive a mixed bag of responses with just a little over 60 per cent demanding full vaccinations for travellers ("Of course, are you stupid?" - from Canada) but a substantial 40 per cent resisting ("I am waiting for an enterprising aviation company to offer air services for those who cannot or will not get vaccinated" - from Hong Kong).

These two quotes sum up the extremes of thinking in the two camps. Those voting against vaccinations come from regions as diverse as Indonesia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Sri Lanka and Australia, while those in favour tend to be from India, Thailand, China and the US. The "no" vote underlines both the inability to access vaccines (or vaccines of choice, in some cases) as well as a deep distrust of governments, often accused of conflating health with other mysterious agendas.