One of the conditions for trouble-free travel during the covid-19 pandemic could be a “vaccine covid passport” in the future. Many carriers, as well as countries around the world, have repeatedly called for its introduction. Agreement on its final version was now beginning to take shape. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will launch it in March in the form of the Travel Pass application.
He informed about it British BBC server. The Travel Pass will verify that the passenger has been vaccinated against coronavirus or have a negative covid-19 test. The Travel Pass application will be available for free on iOS and Android platforms.
“The key issue is trust. Passengers must be sure that the tests they have passed are accurate and will allow them to enter the country,” said Vinoop Goel, IATA’s Regional Director for Airports and External Relations. “At the same time, governments must have confidence that these tests meet their own conditions.”
The application has been tested by Singapore Airlines since December, and now carriers from the Gulf of Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways or New Zealand’s Air New Zealand are also joining it. IATA said it was negotiating to accept the application with most airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We are currently working with a number of airlines around the world. The plan is to start operations in March,” said Goel.
Paper versus applications
However, some countries will continue to require traditional paper vaccination cards. “An example is Korea, which currently requires confirmation in paper form. We are negotiating with the local government to ensure the acceptance of digital certificates,” Goel said.
For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been using a paper vaccination card for years. The International Vaccination Card or Prophylaxis (ICVP) – also known as the Yellow Card – is used to prove that passengers have been vaccinated against yellow fever.
However, IATA said the risk of paper document fraud was too great. It refers to cases where Europol recently detained fraudsters who sold counterfeit negative test results in France and the United Kingdom. Similar cases have been reported by Malaysia.
Pass to normal
It is until the introduction of digital vaccination passes that carriers have high hopes and promise a subsequent rapid renewal of airlines. Covid is a disaster for the aviation industry, according to IATA data, demand fell by almost 70 percent last year compared to 2019.
Aviation believes in a recovery in 2021, but ongoing vaccinations will not solve the problem so quickly. “It will take too long, at least 12 to 24 months. And it’s also highly dependent on the worldwide availability of vaccines,” Conrad Clifford, IATA’s regional vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, told the BBC.
As Aktuálně.cz informed at the beginning of January, the Czechia is also considering a special system that would make it possible to verify whether someone is vaccinated against covid-19. The application would be used primarily for control in restaurants or at cultural events.
“Individual countries come up with the idea that only people with a negative test will be allowed to take part in an event. This is a path that I think will not miss us in any bridging period during which we will be gradually vaccinated,” the minister said at the time. industry Karel Havlíček (YES).
However, the proposal, which was received by the Aktuálně.cz editorial office in January, also points out that the introduction of such a system is far from certain. In addition, this should not happen before the vaccine is widely available to all.
The vaccination passport system entitling to access to certain services is currently being introduced by Israel, which is the furthest in the world in order to vaccinate the population against covid. Almost half of the Israeli population has already been vaccinated with at least one dose.
With the so-called green passport, vaccinated and cured from covid-19 will be able to go to gyms, hotels, theaters or sports matches. According to Health Minister Juli Edelstein, this affects more than 3.2 million people.
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