The spread of COVID 19 ushered in one of the worst levels of a global lockdown that brought the world to a grinding halt. While many companies learned to adapt and make use of work-from-home technologies, the shipping industry found itself literally stranded in high seas as many countries rushed to shut their borders.
The resulting pandemic forced travel shutdowns and closures in many sectors that lead to large-scale disruptions in the global supply chain network. In a revolutionary age of commerce where the international business has become commonplace, it was hard to imagine a scenario such as this.
Yet, despite the severity of the lockdown and trade impositions, the careful monitoring of essential services ensured the availability of food, medical, and other critical items even during what could be described as one of the worst-hit crises of our times.
Today when we think of global connectivity, COVID 19 has definitely been an eye-opener, teaching us about the vulnerabilities and risks involved if we do not have adequate safety parameters in place.
The shipping and logistics industry is the lifeline of global trade and the key components of the global supply chain network. As work continues in this industry, the international freight forwarding workers need to keep abreast of new developments related to COVID 19 in different countries. Some countries have been declared as COVID free whereas others are in the throes of second and third waves and hence will require additional safety measures.
Now almost a year from the dark days of lockdown, the world has moved on. There are newer regulations in place in many ports and terminals to curtail the entry and further spread of the virus. Mandatory testing for ship and airline crew, sanitation protocols for cargo are just a few of these new initiatives. Health certification, PCR test reports, vaccine certificates are now part of our everyday life as we traverse across continents in pursuit of our goals. Let us continue to be ever vigilant and do our bit to stop the spread of this virus.
