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COVID-19 has presented a unique opportunity to see how those in different income brackets stay safe, with some interesting trends emerging among the super-rich.

A global crisis exposes inequality in all its forms, from which countries are able to afford the vaccines necessary to generate herd immunity, to how individuals stay safe.

For many, staying safe means owning a mask or two, a bottle of sanitiser, and staying a few metres apart from others. In poorer communities, this is harder to do, with limited access to sanitation, or the funds needed to buy something as simple as a bottle of sanitiser, making it harder to follow those protocols.

The super-rich, on the other hand, have access to resources that most of us could never dream of.

If they want to travel, private jets are on hand. Large properties and yachts make physical distancing much easier, and some have even booked ‘vaccine vacations’ to access the jab if it isn’t available to them where they reside.

Finally, there is the option of dual citizenships bought through citizenship-by-investment programmes, which range in cost from $100 000 to more than $7 million.

This allows them to hop around the world, choosing their destinations based on which countries are safest.

The Telegraph looked into a recent report by London-based Henley & Partners showing that the way that various countries have managed the pandemic has a huge impact on who wants to live there, and it has little to do with economics.

“Our clients want to know they’ve got somewhere to go that’s safe,” says Paddy Blewer of Henley & Partners.

“They’re asking ‘Who’s got great healthcare?’, and ‘How can I live there?’ People actively want to know what the primary health care is like and even how many intensive care beds they have.”

The Henley Passport Index’s annual ranking of passports’ strength took all of this into account when compiling a list of the world’s most valuable passports in terms of Investment Migration.

The top five, per Business Insider, are as follows.

1. Canada

New Zealand may have contained the virus, but Canada has shamed anti-maskers, with most of the general population getting behind efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

2. New Zealand

New Zealand is possibly the safest place on the planet right now, with the highest rating of any country for quarantine efficiency.

3. Australia

Australia, like New Zealand, closed its borders early on and ranked second overall for quarantine efficiency. Leadership was also more effective in building trust with citizens, amounting to more cooperation in curbing the spread of the virus.

4. Switzerland

Switzerland has scored higher than any other country when it comes to healthcare readiness. It has that mandatory universal health insurance that we all covet and has used track and tracing technology effectively throughout the past year.

5. Austria

Austria came in second for government efficiency in risk management. Once again, they provide their citizens with mandatory universal health insurance, which means that everyone is guaranteed essential healthcare.

Head on over to Business Insider SA for a full list of the top 10.

Here’s Greg Lindsey, Director of Applied Research at NewCities, a global non-profit organisation, for a word on how Canada came out on top.

“True to form, Canada’s quiet competency, deference to authority and historic ‘garrison mentality’ – as seen in five provinces walling themselves off from the rest of the country with great success – culminated in the best overall score.”

Investment Migration takes three months or longer to secure, giving the relevant governments time to establish that you’re not a money launderer or other criminal.

You can read more, in more detail, here.

[source:telegraph&businessinsidersa]