Rishi Maharaj,
executive director of EquiGov Institute
On July 1 the European Union officially launched its EU digital covid certificate. This vaccine passport (formally known as the EU digital green certificate) provides digital proof whether a person has been vaccinated against covid19, received a negative test result or recovered from the virus. It also aims to facilitate safe and free movement in Europe during the covid19 pandemic by exempting holders from travel restrictions such as needing to quarantine.
While this passport is EU based, many countries around the world are currently examining similar measures as a way to prevent the spread of the virus and more importantly to stimulate travel and tourism particularly in the Caribbean.
Indeed, international travel has been on the back burner for over a year now, and as more people receive the covid19 vaccine, nations around the world are itching to reopen their borders. In a bid to kick-start the tourism industry, one by one, countries are introducing covid19 vaccine passports. Although the name can be misleading, this documentation comes in all shapes and sizes - we're already seeing physical certificates, digital forms, and QR codes within national apps.
At the present time, it is the World Health Organization's (WHO) position that national authorities and conveyance operators should not introduce requirements of proof of covid19 vaccination for international travel as a condition for departure or entry, given that there are still critical unknowns regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission. In addition, considering that there is limited availability of vaccines, preferential vaccination of travellers could result in inadequate supplies of vaccines for priority populations considered at high risk of severe covid19 disease.
Recent polls have shown that a majority of British people support vaccine passports. But this enthusiasm isn't shared among young people, ethnic minorities, and those in poor areas-the same groups that have exhibited some of the lowest levels of vaccine confidence in the country.
Vaccination verification systems can collect and store the sensitive personal and health information of potentially millions of people. At minimum, a vaccine passport app will have to include personal information such as your name and contact information, as well as at least enough medical information to confirm that you have been vaccinated. To verify that information, a vaccine passport app is likely to have to interface with state vaccination registration databases or with medical records from health care providers.
Additionally, apart from international travel, many critics are of the view that passports may not only be used by travellers. The document could become a requirement for a range of other activities and facilities as well. From watching a movie, to eating a meal at a restaurant - citizens may be required to present their "vaccine passports" before they are pe
