Lockdown restrictions around the world vary. From some destinations where restaurants are open at reduced capacity, to those where leaving home is not permitted outside of a medical emergency.
And restrictions are changing all the time as the virus is either accelerating or decreasing its reproduction rate in different parts of the world.
Staying on top of this to navigate how a journey can work for travelling crew is essential.
In one country there is a requirement to set up specific quarantine locations that allow travel to an airport without breaching any social distancing guidelines, even in some cases with medical escorts.
In another, hotels may not be allowed to open and sourcing relevant accommodation takes special set up. In some circumstances, an international airport might be operating at reduced capacity, but there are no food and drink concessions available. Feeding workers requires new catering arrangements, almost always in a manner that no one has done before, and that carries additional time and cost considerations.
As nations have different outbreak levels, border restrictions also vary. Someone who has travelled to a certain destination in the recent past may not be able to enter one country, and other nations have completely closed all international borders. Mining is a global sector, with some of the most diverse teams in the world. No one crew travelling together is the same nationality, and has the same recent travel history.
There is no one standard process operating across international airports and ports. Whilst temperature checks are becoming commonplace, they are not the only checks and measures in place that have to be factored in to a journey plan.
To support the travellers themselves, it is very difficult to prepare information to support them with what to expect.
This is just one aspect of duty of care that needs to be carefully considered in helping people to have the mental resilience to cope with lockdown logistics they will encounter.
