Back in the good old days when travel was still a thing, forgetting one’s passport was a catastrophic nightmare. You could kiss your flight goodbye if you realise that you’ve forgotten to bring your passport along.
Now, imagine having to remember to bring not one, but two passports the next time you go for a vacation.
I can hear the scatterbrains (myself included) groaning in annoyance. However, this looks like it’s going to be our new reality once travel picks back up.
While our old passports are currently sitting in the back of our drawers collecting dust, we may have to clear space for a new one that will be necessary for future travel.
China has come up with an international vaccine health certificate and hopes that it will soon be recognised by other countries. This would make the process of global travel much smoother.
China is One of the First Countries in the World to Use Vaccine Passports
China is one of the first few countries in the world to roll out a vaccine passport showing details of a traveller’s COVID-19 vaccination, along with nucleic acid and antibody test results.
On Monday (8 Mar), a WeChat mini programme was launched, allowing Chinese citizens to register for a vaccine health certificate.
According to China’s foreign ministry, the passport, which will be available in both digital and hardcopy versions, will help to advance the recovery of the economy and assist in cross-border travel.
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “The pandemic is still with us, but the world economy needs to be restarted and people-to-people exchanges resumed with no more delays.”
He added that China is prepared to engage with other countries on creating mutually recognised systems for health codes.
The newly introduced vaccine health certificate includes an encrypted QR code which allows governments to access personal information.
However, it remains unclear how useful this health code is, or which countries are in discussions with China to recognise its vaccine certificate.
According to China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the country will reach herd immunity by the middle of 2022 after 80% of the population has been immunised.
It is aiming to vaccinate 560 million people by end June, and another 330 million people by the end of 2021.
Other Countries Developing Their Own Vaccine Passports
Other countries, including Denmark and Sweden, are working on coming up with their own vaccine passports.
However, over in Britain, over 200,000 people have signed a petition against rolling out a vaccine health certificate, on the basis that it may be “used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a COVID-19 vaccine”.
The International Air Travel Association (IATA) is rolling out a new travel app that will allow airlines and immigration authorities to obtain and share travellers’ information, including vaccination details and COVID-19 test results.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be the first airline to use this app on its flights from Singapore to London from 15 March. Up to 30 other airlines will put this app on trial in the following two months.
Feature Image: Alison Wen / Shutterstock.com
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