ICYMI: Is Covid-19 still impacting global mobility or have we "moved on"??

According to this article from SHRM, employee relocations are on the rise as anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. Hesitations around health and safety have fallen behind traditional relocation worries, such as family issues, spouse or partner employment, and the rising cost of living. Mary Beth Johnson, vice president of corporate marketing at Atlas, explained that "Concerns about health and safety in relation to the virus have decreased as we've figured out processes to implement relocations safely and securely." Lynn Shotwell, SHRM-SCP, president and CEO of Worldwide ERC, added that "Relocation providers are really busy and, in many cases, surpassing 2019 levels. There's all the pent-up demand to account for; all the relocations that were put on hold during the pandemic are moving forward. And the tremendous competition for talent compels employers to look for talent wherever they can, including overseas or across the United States." 

So the question that pops to mind is whether Covid-19 then is impacting global mobility programs. The answer seems to be that it is not as much of a concern where people are refusing to move or deterred about the relocation process. In a very informal LinkedIn poll, when asked "What kind of impact is Covid-19 actually having on your global mobility program at this point?" respondents shared the following:

One in five felt like the pandemic is still in full swing, is having a big impact on global mobility, and recommend continued vigilance while 40% felt little to no impact. However, there are 40% that feel like there is still some concern and that we should continue to monitor things. So for the 60% that are still somewhat to very concerned, let's look around at some specific locations where changes have occurred.

1. United States: The government announced the end of the free testing program on Sep. 2nd, because of insufficient congressional funding and a desire to store up for the potential fall surge. Cases and hospitalizations have fallen over the last two weeks in most states across the country, with Kentucky being an outlier where new cases rose almost 16%. The CDC no longer requests overseas visitors to the U.S. to quarantine after arrival, as part of new COVID-19 travel guidance published this week by the agency.  Additionally, college campus re-openings in the US have led to local increases in cases, according to a study that highlights the importance of vaccination as fall classes approach. 
2. Canada: Per the Vancouver Sun, risk of infection in British Columbia is at an all-time high peak level and more than 3,400 Quebec health-care workers were sick this past week. There are also new guidelines in Ontario which exchange a recommended five-day quarantine for a recommended 24 hours after symptoms have subsided. Visitors to Canada who do not qualify as fully vaccinated still need to meet testing, ArriveCAN and quarantine requirements. Here is a checklist of what you need to do in this case. If you do qualify as "fully vaccinated", these would be your steps.
3. Denmark: Denmark is preparing to go through the coming winter without any coronavirus restrictions even with an expected rise in infections, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on Friday, Sept 2.
4. Taiwan: The Taiwan government said on Monday (Sep 5) that it will resume visa-free entry for some countries from Sep 12. 
5. China: More than 70 Chinese cities have been placed under full or partial lockdowns since late August. Maintaining a strict policy, a new lockdown affected about half of the 6 million residents of the port city of Dalian, along with an undisclosed number in Chengde and Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, both around three hours from the capital Beijing.  Beijing has been relatively unaffected thus far, although travel in and out of the capital has been discouraged and residents are subject to testing on an almost daily basis. Partial lockdowns have also been imposed on cities such as Chengdu in the southwest, Shenyang in the northeast and Jishui in the southeast. Authorities in China’s southern city of Shenzhen temporarily closed the world’s largest electronics market of Huaqiangbei and suspended service at 24 subway stations in a bid to curb an outbreak of COVID-19 on Monday, Sept 1. 
6. Hong Kong: Hong Kong on Aug 12 shortened the hotel quarantine period for all arrivals from seven days to three. After that, visitors need to self-monitor for a further four days, and are restricted during this time from high-risk areas such as restaurants and bars. Only fully vaccinated travelers can enter Hong Kong.
7. Singapore: From Aug 29, non-fully vaccinated short-term visitors aged 13 and above travelling to Singapore no longer need to apply for entry approval.  They are not required to undergo a seven-day stay-home notice upon arrival or take a PCR test at the end of the stay-home notice period. All travelers entering Singapore via air or sea must submit their electronic health declaration before they enter Singapore.
8. Malaysia: All travelers are allowed to enter Malaysia regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status and do not require a pre-departure or on-arrival COVID-19 test, from Aug 1. They no longer need to fill in the traveller's card in the MySejahtera mobile application. 
9. Japan: Currently, tourists (from 98 countries) could come to Japan on "guided package tours". All travelers must also take an approved test within 72 hours of departure and obtain proof of a negative result, alongside proof of insurance. However, Prime minister Fumio Kishida confirmed at the end of August that fully vaccinated arrivals – which counts as having received doses of the vaccine – will no longer need to provide a negative pre-arrival PCR test from September 7; and tourists will no longer need to be part of a strict guided tour from the same date. Additionally, Japan will raise the number of daily arrivals to 50,000; and pre-arrival PCR tests will be dropped if passengers have received three shots of an approved vaccine. 
10. South Korea: Visitors will no longer be required to present a negative coronavirus test as of September 3. Travelers will still need to take a PCR test within 24 hours of arriving in the country. Other Asian countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have lifted testing requirements in recent months as the region welcomes back travel after relying heavily on border restrictions earlier in the pandemic. 
11. Qatar: The country is implementing a number of changes as of Sunday, September 4th. It is cancelling the "red list" of countries. It also includes the abolition of quarantine requirements for all travelers coming from abroad, and travelers who are proven to be infected after their arrival in Qatar must undergo sanitary isolation procedures in accordance with the procedures followed in the State of Qatar. Visitors are required to bring a certificate of a Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (PCR) with a negative result valid for 48 hours, or a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) with a negative result valid for 24 hours, from the time of the scheduled flight to Qatar.
12. South Africa: An increase in Covid-19 virus fragments in South African wastewater samples may indicate an “impending wave” of infections. Authorities are watching carefully to consider whether any adjustments will be needed.

As we head into fall, is your mobility program suggesting that those coming through your global mobility program get vaccinated or get the newest booster that is a better match for the forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that are circulating now? For some, it is a definite "no". Others are debating when the best time to get the newest booster would be. And then others are moving forward without trying to forecast the future, and working on the premise that if it is available and authorized, the best things is to get it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending updated COVID boosters, for people ages 12 and older. Trying to decide? Read this.