It’s not uncommon for public health issues and travel policy to intersect. For years, the U.S. State Department has kept data on which countries are safe — including political issues and whether the tap water is OK to drink.
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, this type of information from our government is vital. As the virus works its way around the world, flights are being canceled, borders are being closed and people are dying.
Let’s jump right in.
Last week, the State Department published a “Level 4” Global Health Advisory. The advisory states, “The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses a different rating system. Its “Level 3 Travel Health Notice” highlights countries that have widespread transmission, as well as entry restrictions to the U.S. Regions like Europe and countries like China and Iran are on the list.
The State Department and the CDC can’t prohibit you from traveling, yet. But they could mandate that you remain in quarantine on your return. Further, you could get to the airline counter to check in, only to discover your destination has closed its borders. That’s what’s happening right now in New Zealand and Australia.
Here in Alaska, public health officials are working hard to shut down potential hot spots for the virus to spread: schools, theaters, restaurants, churches and museums. U.S. and Canadian officials have agreed to close the border to non-essential travel. It appears that Gov. Dunleavy was able to keep Alaska’s border crossings open for Haines, Skagway, Tok, Dawson CIty and the twin towns of Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia. Details on the prospective border closure still are sketchy, but it’s coming.
In the short run, the border closure between Bellingham, Washington, and Vancouver, B.C., has resulted in Allegiant Air pushing back its initial nonstop flights to Anchorage to June 14. In fact, Allegiant is stopping all Bellingham flights starting March 24. Up to now, many of Allegiant’s customers in Bellingham drove south from Vancouver, B.C., to catch the flights. If the border stays closed for vacationers, the airline may not return to Anchorage at all this summer.
Another airline that’s dropping flights is American Airlines up in Fairbanks. The Texas-based carrier planned two nonstops from Fairbanks: one to Dallas and one to Chicago. But American, like Delta, United and Alaska, has announced plans to slash flights because of low demand — and Fairbanks didn’t make the cut.
The cruise industry, which brings the majority of travelers to the state each summer, is looking at a bleak season for a couple of reasons. First, the Canadian government has prohibited ships with more than 500 people from using its ports between now and July 1. That covers almost all of the big ships operated by Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. Second, consumers don’t want to book a cruise when the CDC emphatically stresses not to do it. Several ships have been quarantined lately, while others have been turned away from ports over COVID-19 fears. Several cruise lines have just stopped sailing for a month or two.
Of course, Alaska in general and Anchorage in particular is not alone in the fight to control the spread of COVID-19. Countries around the world are taking various approaches to safeguard their citizens and “flatten the curve” so the virus doesn’t overwhelm the local hospitals.
Mohamed Mostafa works at a hotel in Cairo. We met when he was an exchange student in Anchorage 10 years ago.
“For now, flights have been postponed for two weeks,” he writes.
“Our hotel has been taking extra steps — cleaning more often and checking the temperature and general health of our employees. We serve mostly foreigners and we are down to 30 percent occupancy — and dropping.”
Like Anchorage, schools in Cairo were closed for an extra two weeks. “A lot of businesses are reducing manpower and people are encouraged to stay home. However, just like in Europe, people are using the free time to go out and have fun. Messages in the media stress not to do like Europe — where infections skyrocketed after schools were postponed.”
Tina Baugher runs Mermaid Imports on Dimond Boulevard across from Costco. Each year she travels in South Asia to find goodies for her store. “I just canceled my Bali trip,” she writes. “There’s a lockdown in Indonesia right now. Bangkok is very few tourists (there’s since been a partial lockdown). Kathmandu was almost at a standstill (they’ve since banned arrivals from many countries) and India closed its borders. I am healthy and will make it home eventually,” she writes.
Lare Sisay lives in Gambia, a small African country on the continent’s west coast. “Our country is simply beautiful and on the cheap side when compared to the Seychelles, Mauritius and Mombassa,” he writes. Lare lived in Anchorage in the 1980s while attending school at Alaska Pacific University. “Our Ministry of Health just announced the first case of the coronavirus. A woman arrived from England on March 15.” After studying in the U.S., Sisay went on to work for the United Nations Development Program and was stationed in many countries including Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland. “This virus poses the single most existential threat to humankind,” he writes.
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Tracy Harris-Inman grew up in Anchorage, but has lived in Spain for several years just northeast of Barcelona, in Girona. She and her husband, Charles, have three kids. Together, they own a company that works with foreign exchange students, as well as a tour company in Barcelona.
“We are on total lockdown here in Catalunya. By law, nobody is allowed to leave their house except for specific necessities. We can go to the grocery store, pharmacy, an urgent dental or doctor’s appointment. Or, to walk the dog. No bike rides or running with the dog — just out to do their business — and back,” she writes. “We are so lucky to have our dog!” she adds.
Cases are on the increase in the Barcelona area, she said, but not as fast as in Madrid.
“We have a much better testing process and availability than in the U.S.,” she writes. “There is so much solidarity coming from this, too. Every night at 8 p.m., everyone goes outside on their balconies or terraces, or opens their windows, and cheers for all the health care workers for a solid minute or two,” she writes.
“Nobody here is panicking....some shelves are a little bare, but the government has done a good job of assuring everyone that the deliveries to supermarkets will keep coming and not to panic-buy. Seems to be working.”
Christina Farrell is another Anchorage native, who now teaches English at the SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) NATO base 45 minutes south of Brussels, Belgium.
“All schools are closed. We’re an American school on an international base,” she writes. “As of right now, it looks as though it’s five weeks without students.”
“Social distancing is stressed here,” Christina writes. “Only grocery stores are open on weekends. All the restaurants are closed. Some feel it’s over-reacting. But after seeing what happened in Italy …it’s close and it’s real,” she writes. “We are told to stay home and only go out for essential items as needed.”
As Tracy is discovering in Catalunya, there is a solidarity that develops in the midst of this worldwide crisis. Many of us on different continents are facing some of the same problems to avoid this virus. Sometimes you can travel far and wide to see and experience the common human thread that binds us all together. At other times, Facebook Messenger will have to do. This is one of those times.