TRAVEL WARNINGS IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL HEALTH PANDEMIC

Covid-19 pandemic which spread around the world has changed the face of global traffic of people and goods from very busy traffic into a rare situation. Almost all countries affected by the health pandemic have restricted or even blockaded access in and out of their territories. Citizens are restricted or prohibited to travel abroad. Likewise, permission for foreigners to visit the country was also limited.

The pandemic phase in each country is relatively different. Some countries have been able to go through a crucial pandemic phase for less than 3 months, while others faced an increasing number of infected cases over a longer period. In the early days of a pandemic detected, countries generally warned their citizens not to travel if there was no compelling urgency. At the height of the pandemic, the state can impose closure of all access (lockdown) for all types of travel. The problem arises in a country where pandemics indicate a downward and slowing trend, but in other countries, the cases of infected people are still quite significant. In this case, the government will consider whether to permit citizens to travel by suggesting certain health protocols or to issue other forms of policy.

International law does not set restrictions for countries to provide travel warnings for their respective citizens. This is seen as a reflection of the expression of sovereignty possessed by each country which is highly respected in international law. Sometimes political tension between countries often obscures the meaning of sovereignty into an interpretation which views that travel warning is a unilateral act of a state that can have political and economic implications to the other country.

The implementation of travel warning policies in the era of global health pandemic is not so much interpreted from a political perspective. This seems to occur because almost all countries view it as a global problem that requires international cooperation. For example, the joint statement of the two United Nations specialized agencies, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 expressed their support for governments in the world to work together to take the necessary steps in preventing transmission of COVID-19 by air travel.