Air crews, seafarers should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccines - WHO, ICAO, IMO

FILE PHOTO: A flight crew member wears a protective face mask while arriving from New Zealand at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on an unusually empty Memorial Day weekend during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 23, 2020. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon

Seafarers and air crew should be prioritised for vaccination as "essential workers", the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a joint statement on Friday with the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization.

"They are key workers required to travel across borders at all times, which may result in the need for them to present proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for entry in some countries," the statement said. "We reiterate our call upon countries that have not done so to designate seafarers and aircrew as key workers."

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Emma Farge)