Viewpoint

Getting used to it

Andrew EdePalma28/05/2020 18:15

In the aftermath of 9/11, additional security measures were adopted for air travel. There were to be further measures, especially in response to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot - liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks that were going to be taken on board. With all these measures, one was inclined to wonder if it was all worth it. Flying had once been straightforward. Now there was all the security; rules for this, rules for that. But of course it was worth it. Travellers adapted to the altered circumstances. They accepted them for what they were - which was to ensure safety.

In the Covid environment, the traveller now faces having to contend with yet more and very new measures. Like other countries, Spain is adopting its Covid arrivals procedures. Restrictions on mobility will be lifted at the end of next month at the latest, but the checks certainly won’t be: taking temperature on arrival, filling out a questionnaire, the monitoring of people entering the country.

With all this, there will be those who once more wonder if it’s all worth it. There will of course be people who decide not to travel because of safety anxieties, just as there were after 9/11. But plenty will decide to travel and they, as was the case with the additional security measures, will accept the altered circumstances. The safety requirement may have changed, but it is still safety. It will be the new normal.