The pandemic so far
It has now been six months since the start of the of coronavirus pandemic. While the increase in number of cases have slowed down after confinements in many countries, the numbers seem to come back almost as soon as the restrictions are relaxed. Several countries including Australia and Switzerland implemented new measures in light of a potential second wave.
Travel has changed dramatically over the last few months. In Europe, only essential travels were allowed in many countries until mid-June, when the EU commission relaxed border restrictions. However, it is at the country’s discretion on whether and how they want to control their borders. Each country has their own definition of “essential” and a list of acceptable reasons to travel.
I happened to have to travel from Sweden to Belgium for work this month. Compared to the freedom of movement that we were accustomed to in Europe, this trip has been less than straightforward and I wanted to share my experience of this unusual trip.
Restrictions
After closing its borders for months, Belgium decided to allow travels within the Schengen Area (EU+) again since mid-June. Belgium implemented a traffic light system to categorise countries for different levels of travel restriction. Sweden is likely the one country in Europe that is known for not closing its border to other EU+ countries during the pandemic. It’s been moving between different zones on Belgium’s list. After being initially in the green zone, Sweden was updated to the red zone just a few days before my flight, meaning that there was a travel ban except essential travels. People going into Belgium from the this zone had to be quarantined and tested. Sweden was in the red zone until the day before my flight. However, when I checked the latest update after my arrival, Sweden was in the less restrictive orange zone, most likely it had been updated during my travel. The constant updates and uncertainty made planning anything difficult.
Booking
I found out that my original flight from SAS had been cancelled about 10 days before the trip. There was no rebooking option I could choose, but only a voucher or refund. The refund option was actively discouraged by the system with a message stating that it might take longer than usual to process a refund under the current circumstances. I ended up choosing the voucher, which had taken about a week to come through. At the same time, since they have no flights that would suit my travel plan from SAS in the foreseeable future, I don’t know when I will get to use it. When I searched for another flight, there was no longer any direct flight to Belgium. I ended up booking a flight with Finnair for which I had to change at Helsinki before flying to Brussels. It took longer and was almost four times more expensive than my original flight.
Border control
There was much confusion about border control due to the frequent updates of travel advice from different countries. While the government recommended against all non-essential travels, Sweden never officially closed its borders to other EU+ countries. There was no issues leaving Sweden. While I was expecting a more stringent check at the Belgium border, it turned out to be a different story. To my surprise, I had to go through passport control and explained my travel to Finland, even though it was only for transit. Then, apart from a temperature sensor, there was border check at Brussels airport. I had specifically prepared some documents just in case I would be questioned at the Belgian border. None of them ended up being needed as I walked straight from the airport to the train.
Outlook
My landlord works at the airport in operation. In his words, the impact of the pandemic on flights has been catastrophic. Compared to the same time last year, only about 20-30% of flights are in operation over the last few months. They are hoping to bring it back up to about 50% in the coming months but project that it might take 2-3 years for things to get back to normal.
The pandemic has made travelling both difficult and confusing. The frequent changes of the situation and constant updates of policies and advice from authorities in each country have brought about unprecedented uncertainty. Almost six months into the pandemic, it remains difficult to tell at this stage when things will get back to normal. Or perhaps we are still finding what will become our new norm in the post-COVID world.
Did you have to travel during the pandemic? What was your experience?
CAREX 
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