Since last spring, vaccine or immunity passports have been discussed as a way to restart international travel. It’s an idea that an immune or vaccinated person could travel freely without any quarantine measures in their destination country. Some countries were also flagging this as a way to restart the domestic economy so people could return to workplaces and socialise in places deemed risky for the spread of COVID-19. Until recently, it was an idea that was largely dismissed.
So what has changed?
International Air Transport Association TravelPass
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is an industry body that represents 290 airlines. Their travel pass will be in the form of an app that allows governments and airlines to digitally collect, access and share information on the status of the passengers’ COVID-19 test and vaccination status. The app is currently being tested by 30 airlines. Singapore Airlines, along with Air New Zealand, Emirates, Etihad and All Nippon Airways, are among the first to trial this travel pass.
EU Digital Green Pass
The European Commission is putting forth their own plans for a similar pass called the ‘Digital Green Pass’. They will be presenting their proposal for an EU-wide pass on St. Patrick’s Day. This pass is being proposed so that safe and free movement for both work and tourism can restart across Europe. The Digital Green Pass will include details such as whether the person has been vaccinated, previous COVID-19 test results and any relevant medical statements for those who have recovered from the virus.
If the draft law is approved and technical work runs smoothly, the Digital Green Pass could be operational by July. This would be a big step forward for restarting international travel amongst EU member states. It’s unclear at the moment how individual governments would use the pass and what guidelines or recommendations would be in place.
Ryanair COVID-19 Wallet
To entice holidaymakers back into the skies and minimise any hassle surrounding documents, Ryanair has launched its C-19 Wallet within its mobile app. This will allow you to upload vaccination certificates, COVID-19 test results, personal locator forms and other relevant documents. Ryanair hopes that, with the acceleration of vaccine rollouts, summer holidays will be back for the school holidays between June and September. They hope that their C-19 Wallet will “make EU air travel as seamless as possible for customers this summer”. Most European countries aim to vaccinate the majority of their adult population by summer.
Would you use a vaccine passport?
