Advancing methods and analyses to support evidence-informed decision-making on the coordinated use of travel-related measures during public health emergencies of international concern: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

During public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs), effective global responses require coordinated action across jurisdictions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have used travel measures to an unprecedented degree and in an uncoordinated way. Our Pandemics and Borders Project is analysing a global dataset on travel measures; systematically reviewing evidence of their impacts; and conducting case studies of decision making in Canada, USA and Hong Kong. Our findings suggest limited scientific evidence and principles to guide complex decisions on using travel measures. Poorly coordinated border management contributes to underreporting of cases, increased disease transmission, and unnecessary economic and social impacts. The proposed project will build on these findings to support evidence-informed decision making on whether, when, what and how travel measures should be used. Our aims are to: 1) comparatively review and apply new methods to assess public health risks from travel during COVID-19; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of mitigating public health risks during COVID-19 of specific travel measures under different conditions; and 3) use findings to develop scenarios and pilot training exercises that simulate decision making on managing borders during PHEICs. We will use systematic reviews, various types of modelling, and viral genomic analyses to newly available datasets. We will focus on our three current case studies, with potential extension to other jurisdictions. Our interdisciplinary team, composed of 5 internationally recognized scholars and 6 outstanding trainees, will work collaboratively with knowledge users in senior national and international positions. We will produce open access datasets, methods and analyses to inform decision makers in government and key international organizations. The primary outcome will be strengthened capacity to make evidence-informed choices that enhance coordinated use of travel measures during PHEICs.