Quantas Airlines and Korea Air Recommend Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Passport’ for International Flights

In Australia, Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce said that, once a virus vaccine becomes widely available, his carrier likely will require passengers to have received it before they can leave or enter Australia, and he has been discussing a “vaccination passport” for international travelers. A spokesperson for Korean Air said there’s a real possibility that airlines will require passengers to be vaccinated, because governments are likely to require vaccinations as a condition for lifting quarantine requirements for new arrivals. Air New Zealand echoed these sentiments. “Common Pass,” is an app endorsed by the World Economic Forum that aims to provide a standardized format for airlines to evaluate the Covid-19 test results of passengers to determine whether they should travel. -GEG

International air travel could come booming back next year but with a new rule: Travelers to certain countries must be vaccinated against the coronavirus before they can fly.

Encouraging news about vaccine development has given airlines and nations hope they may soon be able to revive suspended flight routes and dust off lucrative tourism plans. But countries in Asia and the Pacific, in particular, are determined not to let their hard-won gains against the virus evaporate.

In Australia, the boss of Qantas, the country’s largest airline, said that once a virus vaccine becomes widely available, his carrier will likely require passengers use it before they can travel abroad or land in Australia.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said he’s been talking to his counterparts at other airlines around the world about the possibility of a “vaccination passport” for international travelers.

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” Joyce told Australia’s Network Nine television.

 

He said they were looking at ways to electronically verify that people have the necessary vaccine for their intended destination, a difficult task.

“But certainly for international visitors coming out, and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity,” he said.

South Korea’s largest airline has a similar message. Jill Chung, a spokesperson for Korean Air, said Tuesday there’s a real possibility that airlines will require that passengers be vaccinated. She said that’s because governments are likely to require vaccinations as a condition for lifting quarantine requirements for new arrivals.

While Korean Air is reviewing several possibilities for screening, any change by the company or other airlines would be the result of coordination with governments, Chung said.

“This is not something for airlines to independently decide,” she said.

Air New Zealand echoed Chung’s position.

“Ultimately, it’s up to governments to determine when and how it is safe to reopen borders and we continue to work closely with authorities on this,” Air New Zealand said in a statement.

Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have all managed to minimize the spread of the virus. They are seen internationally as success stories, and a big part of their containment effort has focused on keeping infectious people out.

Australia has imposed some of the most severe border restrictions in the world since the pandemic began. It has closed its borders to most international visitors and allowed its own citizens to travel internationally only under special circumstances. New Zealand has also closed its borders, while South Korea has imposed a two-week quarantine on all arriving passengers.

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Over 160 Business Giants, Including Some Who Backed Trump, Pressured Him to Transfer Power to Biden

As we reported earlier this month, the captains of industry reportedly have united against Trump in support of a Biden, and now more than 160 of the nation’s top executives have urged Trump to begin the transition process. A report by the New York Times says a number of Democrat attorneys general hatched a plan to have New York state Attorney General Letitia James organize a conference call with top business leaders in which the idea was discussed of withholding donations to the two Republican US Senate candidates in the Georgia runoff elections until Trump concedes.

Some of the biggest names in business and industry, including Blackstone, Mastercard, VIsa, Goldman Sachs, MetLife, ViacomCBS Inc, and Condé Nast signed a letter asking General Services Administration Emily Murphy of the Trump administration to transfer power to Biden. The top executives in all of these companies are committed to globalism, which means the end to American as a sovereign, independent nation. -GEG

More than 160 of the nation’s top business executives, including several who have been major donors to the Republican Party, urged the Trump administration to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election and begin the transition process.

A letter published Monday afternoon by a New York group representing more than 300 businesses said that President Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his loss to Democrat Joe Biden on Nov. 3 — citing baseless claims of voter fraud in several key states — and his administration’s delay in allowing the official changeover to begin are putting the country at risk.

Monday evening, Trump tweeted that the transition would be allowed to begin, “in the best interest of our Country.” He did not concede, however, saying the fight would continue.

The letter was one of several signs showing corporate America is preparing for a Biden White House. General Motors announced Monday it was withdrawing from a lawsuit backing the Trump administration’s effort to block California from imposing stricter tailpipe emissions on cars and SUVs. In a letter penned by CEO Mary Barra, the automaker pledged to work with nearly a dozen environmental leaders and the incoming Biden administration. She said the company’s “ambitious electrification goals” are aligned with those of California and the president-elect.

The letter from the Partnership for New York City represents some of the biggest names in business and industry. Among the 164 signatories are Mastercard chief executive Ajay Banga, Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO David M. Solomon and Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch.

“Every day that an orderly presidential transition process is delayed, our democracy grows weaker in the eyes of our own citizens and the nation’s stature on the global stage is diminished,” the letter reads. “Our national interest and respect for the integrity of our democratic process requires that the administrator of the federal General Services Administration immediately ascertain that Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris are the president-elect and vice president-elect so that a proper transition can begin.

“Withholding resources and vital information from an incoming administration puts the public and economic health and security of America at risk.”

Kathryn Wylde, the partnership’s president and CEO, told The Post that New York Attorney General Letitia James had asked her to join a call Friday with New York business leaders to weigh in on the presidential transition. The group decided the “business community has a responsibility” to make the case for the transition to proceed.

The signatories included many who count themselves as Republican or independent, Wylde said. The Partnership for New York City is a nonprofit made up of business leaders from more than 300 companies that seek to bridge gaps between global industries and government.

“This isn’t about partisan politics, but about protecting our democracy,” James said in an emailed statement. “Without the rule of law and an orderly transfer of power, everything from commerce to health care delivery to national security is in peril, and our business leaders can see that as clearly as the rest of us.”

During Friday’s conference call, some executives discussed the possibility of withholding campaign contributions from Georgia’s two Republican Senate candidates to motivate the party to push for the transition, according to a person familiar with the deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. Incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue face runoff elections in early January that will determine which party holds the majority in the chamber.

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Additional sources:

Report: New York’s Democrat Attorney General Puts Pressure on Business Leaders to Coerce Trump to Concede; Talk of Withholding Donations to GOP Georgia Senate Races https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/report-new-yorks-democrat-attorney-general-puts-pressure-business-leaders-coerce-trump-concede-talk-withholding-donations-gop-georgia-senate-races/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/us/trump-economy-ny.html

Two Dozen Heads of Major US Corporations Held Secret Meeting on How to Oust Trump:  https://needtoknow.news/2020/11/two-dozen-heads-of-major-us-corporations-held-secret-meeting-on-how-to-oust-trump/

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/monday-letter-from-160-business-leaders-pressed-gsa-administrator-murphy-to-ascertain-biden-win-over-trump-01606225318