Vijay Verghese

Opinion | Pandemic’s persistence means carefree holidays abroad won’t be returning any time soon

We are being slowly but surely shoehorned into a highly restrictive travel regime that will become institutionalised, just like after the September 11 attacks

The rediscovery of home has its own rewards as those who go abroad will face increasingly tedious procedures, higher costs and long quarantines

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People dine at a restaurant following social distancing measures on September 13 as Langkawi prepared to open to domestic tourists in Malaysia from September 16. Photo: Reuters

Vijay Verghese

Published: 2:30pm, 17 Sep 2021

Much has been written on travel bubbles, rapid antigen tests and vaccine passports. The English language has been greatly enriched by terms such as PCR and PPE, both among the latest acronyms now resolutely lodged in our vocabulary.

These acronyms spoon-feed science to us in bite-sized morsels. They make travellers sound like they know what they are talking about, hence the hasty adoption into living room conversation. PCR sounds so much better than polymerase chain reaction test.

Few understand these alien terms, and some circumvent the process entirely with false test and vaccination certificates, putting fellow travellers at risk. Hong Kong has balked at recognising certifications from India, for example.

Acronyms are here to stay along with Sars-Cov-2, Covid-19, N95, RNA, mRNA. There are worrying variants like Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Mu – all badges of shame in the egregious mishandling of this pandemic.

Hotels and national tourism offices have been predicting the speedy return of travel ever since the Wuhan outbreak. Things will be normal soon and travel will rebound, they say. Bubbles will save us. Every bubble – from Hong Kong-Singapore and trans-Tasman to football and cricket – has burst with unfailing regularity.

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