The last year dealing with covid has put a strain on all of us. What made matters worse is that everytime it seemed like things were taking a turn for the better things seemed to get worse, case numbers rose, and promises of reopenings and travel bubbles were delayed or cancelled. With how quickly the covid situation changes these days, the only thing we can know for certain is that we don’t know anything. Medical experts and politicians keep us up to date as best they can but no one really knows what the next day is going to hold. 

With such a nebulous situation it’s that we know where to find and access the most up to date information on covid. Being the first agency to know when borders are going to reopen is going to be a huge advantage and let agencies seize the initiative for the travel boom that everyone knows is coming post covid. In this blog I’ll be sharing the best sites with accurate information on everything you need to know from covid, from case numbers, to travel advice, restrictions and health advisory. I will also be running through covid restrictions for the countries we operate camps in. All the information contained in that section will be accurate as of 6/15/21. As we know, things change rapidly and this information could be out of date as soon as I finish writing it, so be sure to check the links in this blog to ensure you have the most up to date information. 

For general information about covid-19 the best source for information that spans the globe is the World Health Organization. The W.H.O’s website is your one stop shop for all the information you need regarding covid-19, from up to the minute travel advice, health and safety, and the latest on case numbers and vaccination rates the data on the W.H.O is accurate and has a global perspective. For more information, you can also look at the Center for Disease Control in the United States. While the information on the CDC’s website may focus predominantly on the United States, the latest science and great advice for getting back to normal post-covid, there is great information to be found there. 

For individual countries, the best place to look is for the relevant ministries of health or similar bodies. In Australia your go to source is the Department of Health. On their website you can find data on cases, where they are, and what policies are currently in effect. At the time of this article it has had 30,280 cases of covid-19, but with vaccination rates up (5.77M shots administered) Australia may well be on its way to opening further travel bubbles with other safe countries. Don’t go packing your surf board yet though, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it will still be quite some time before people are entering or exiting the country. For the UK be sure to bookmark the government’s dedicated covid-19 website. Here you get up to the minute travel advice, clear statement of all rules and regulations in effect, as well as health advice generally. Lastly for accurate information about the covid-19 situation in Singapore, follow the government’s covid-19 page. There you can find all the data on current cases and their source, current restrictions, travel advice and health tips.

Dealing with covid-19 has been and is going to be a challenge for quite some time, especially for those of us involved in the travel industry. By staying informed and up to date on the latest information, we can all work to get back to normal sooner rather than later, and get back to what we do best giving our students international education opportunities. We might not know exactly what is in store in the future, but with BlueSky we will help you, and your students, be future ready.