What is a vaccine passport?
The “new normal” is something the entire world has been talking about, and with every passing day, we see new medians and trends getting associated with this concept. When it comes to travel and tourism the new normal has been constantly evolving and adapting to new prospects, in a quest to prepare travel for a safe, quick, accessible, and unrestricted comeback. One such latest prospect to join the “new normal” bandwagon is the system of “vaccine passports”.
Ever since countries began shutting their borders during the early days of the pandemic, there have been discussions about vaccinations being the only hopeful and viable route back to unbridled travel. Now, with vaccinations picking up in most countries across the globe, governments and developers have begun discussing the potential use of vaccine passports as the “way forward” in making travel easier.
Vaccine Passport Meaning
A vaccine passport is essentially a digital travel pass that will hold all your COVID-19 vaccine details and medical records. This not only makes it easier for international travellers to prove they been vaccinated against COVID-19 in their country, but it will also make it simple for airlines and border authorities to screen their records along with their actual passport and other border-crossing documents.
How does a vaccine passport work?
Simply put, the vaccine passport app will work as an international travel pass, proving that the traveller has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and does not pose any threat whatsoever to the country he or she is traveling to. These passports will essentially be designed in the form of easy-to-use apps that can effortlessly merge into airline apps and other travel platforms.
Health passes or “yellow cards” have been used by people for decades, as proof of vaccination against diseases such as yellow fever and cholera. However, the COVID-19 will be the first digital alternative.
Besides international travel, vaccine passports are also set to change the way people move about in their own city – a hint that you might need one very soon! We're talking about the green pass in Israel. Last month, the State of Israel became the first country to roll out a certificate scheme, known as a “green pass”. While malls and museums have reopened for all, all green pass holders get exclusive entry into spaces like theatres, hotels, gyms, concerts, bars, and restaurants.
Israel has also reportedly struck a deal with Cyprus and Greece that allows vaccinated citizens to travel freely between the three countries! This could very well be the first possible step towards travel making a comeback, after a full-fledged vaccination drive!
Taking inspiration, the European Commission has also proposed to introduce a Digital Green Certificate with a goal to facilitate safe and free movement within the EU bloc. This new Green Pass proposal will be led by Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Union.
Which countries have plans for introducing the vaccine passport?
China
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Israel
Italy
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
What do these passports mean for travellers?
While there is still a lot of debate surrounding the challenges from vaccine passports, ultimately its success will highly depend on how effective the vaccines are. Nevertheless, the establishment of a vaccine passport system will not only encourage people to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 but will also make their lives easier while traveling – travellers can avoid carrying paper versions of vaccine certificates that need to be physically checked and validated. To make things simple, they can have their vaccination details secure and protected in a digital format instead. This makes it a breeze for the checking authorities as well.
We at Blind Experiences are excited about the Vaccine Passport apps. More than anything else, we are excited for the return of travel. We can’t wait to set our clients off exploring our beautiful planet once again. We will be on top of all these exciting new changes in the new normal including all the destinations that will require a vaccine passport.
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