Rabat – After the EU announced its “Digital Green Certificate”, many countries are following suit and plan to require some form of a vaccine passport for post-pandemic international travel.
The vaccine passport has been the source for global discussion as many weigh the ethics of requiring a new, medical travel document at border crossings.
Spain aims to be the first European country to require the vaccine passport to allow for easier travel within the EU. The Spanish vaccine passport program will launch in late June and allow European citizens to enter with ease.
Contrary to popular belief, the vaccine passport does not require proof of vaccination but rather serves to standardize the documentation of a COVID-19 negative person.
The passport will come in the form of a mobile app or QR code and will provide proof of vaccination, proof of being recently infected and therefore not contagious, or a recent negative PCR test.
Other countries like the US, the UK, and Canada are weighing up the use of a vaccine passport as they shift into a post-pandemic stage.
Canada’s health minister Patty Hadju declared that the country would develop a vaccine passport system. The minister spoke with CBS radio and commented on the usefulness of a vaccine passport for post-pandemic international travel.
“Canadians need to be able to have the right kind of certification for international travel because, as we know, Canadians will want to travel internationally, and they will want to make sure they have the right credentials to do that from a vaccination perspective.”
In a survey conducted by Ipsos, reportedly 72% of Canadians agree governments should require vaccine passports for travel. Additionally, 71% of Americans agree travelers who wish to enter the US should provide proof of vaccination.
The debate surrounding the use of the vaccine passport in the US has been highly politicized as many conservative Americans view the health document as an infringement of rights.
China announced that travelers that received Chinese vaccines may be allowed easier access at their borders. The Chinese government hopes this initiative will motivate travelers to choose the Sinopharm vaccine or Sinovac vaccine.
As the summer nears and global vaccination campaigns rage on, many travelers remain hopeful that the vaccine passport will be the golden ticket to normalcy in international travel.
