“It’s part of the religion of global health: Travel and trade restrictions are bad,” said Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University who helped write the global rules known as the International Health Regulations. Before the pandemic, a few studies had demonstrated that travel restrictions delayed, but did not stop, the spread of SARS, pandemic flu and Ebola. The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the latest coronavirus is still not understood. For months, national leaders have invoked travel restrictions that vary in strictness and are often contradictory. Experts who had defended open borders at the start of the pandemic now say countries should use judicious travel measures.

Source: International New York Times September 30, 2020 14:26 UTC