As more people become fully vaccinated and start traveling again, different groups are looking to enhance travel safety and reduce the potential coronavirus spread. One concept that’s gaining traction across the world is the travel vaccine passport. Here are some key points to better understand what might be involved.
What Is A Vaccine Passport And Will We Need One?
As more people become fully vaccinated and start traveling again, different groups are looking to enhance travel safety and reduce the potential coronavirus spread. One concept that’s gaining traction across the world is the travel vaccine passport. Here are some key points to better understand what might be involved.
BRAZIL – 2021/04/05: In this photo illustration a symbolic COVID-19 health passport seen displayed . [+] on a smartphone screen in front of the United States of America (USA) flag. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
How Vaccine Passports Work
Here is a quick step-by-step look at how vaccine passports function:
- Download passport app to your mobile phone
- Create an account with biometric data (thumbprint or face id)
- Upload negative test results and vaccination dates
- Scan passport QR code at travel checkpoints or public venues
Until a person receives their vaccine, it’s possible to upload negative COVID-19 test results. These results can be used to waive the mandatory quarantines when entering another state or country, for instance.
Are Vaccine Passports New?
Vaccine passports are not a new invention, but countries and businesses are restarting the idea because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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United States officials required proof of vaccination for smallpox in the early 1900s. According to a Time Magazine article, proof could be one of three methods:
- A paper document after receiving a smallpox vaccine
- A properly scarred arm from the vaccine injection site
- Pitted face (i.e., recovered from smallpox)
This proof was necessary to enter the United States at an international border crossing or one of the immigration processing facilities.
Over the 20th century and 21st century, international travelers may have needed to present proof of vaccination to enter certain countries. For instance, Yellow Fever is a common travel vaccine that some countries require.
The COVID-19 vaccine may be another mandatory travel vaccine.
What makes the coronavirus vaccine passport different from previous versions is that it will be digital. For other shots, travelers may only have to show a paper record that can be relatively easy to forget or forge.
International travelers may need to carry their existing travel passports and a vaccine passport. To travel, the final COVID-19 vaccine dose must be administered at least 14 days before departure.
Do Covid Vaccine Passports Exist?
There are currently several versions of a vaccine passport to record receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The passport is compatible with mobile phones, but the app may only work for a specific country.
People will need to bring their paper proof of vaccination form in places where there isn’t a nationwide digital passport available.
Is A Vaccine Passport Mandatory?
Yes and no. Some countries already have digital passports to record when people receive their coronavirus vaccines. Citizens must use the passport to travel or access certain public places. In other instances, private business groups are collaborating with biometrics companies like CLEAR to upload diagnostic test results and digital vaccination proof.
Here’s a look at the current stance of the United States plus a few other destinations.
United States
There currently isn’t a national vaccine passport for the United States. The Biden Administration has repeatedly stated they will not require Americans to carry proof of vaccination or keep a national vaccination database. However, the White House has said they will let the private sector and regional governments like states and cities enact stricter policies.
Employers might require vaccination as a condition of employment. Stores, theme parks and travel providers may require customers to be adequately vaccinated to enter.
There is also contention between states whether vaccine passports should be mandatory. The Florida, Texas and Idaho governors have passed executive orders discouraging state agencies and private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination to gain entry.
Other states are receptive to vaccination passports, including New York, Hawaii and Illinois.
New York Excelsior Pass
New York is one of the first states to roll out a statewide vaccine passport. The Excelsior Pass can produce stores negative COVID-19 test results and digital proof of vaccination. Government and private vendors can scan the QR code on the pass holder’s phone or a printed paper receipt to retrieve their vaccination details.
Using this pass is voluntary at the moment. But a growing number of New York State public venues are requiring proof of vaccination or a negative diagnostic test to gain entry. The Excelsior Pass can expedite the entry process.
Some places currently accepting the pass include:
- Barclays Center
- Madison Square Garden
- Yankee Stadium
- Citi Field
- Arts and entertainment venues
Sports events, concerts and broadway shows can eventually require the passport to gain entry.
Wedding receptions exceeding the social distancing guidelines in New York already require proof of a negative COVID-19 test for guests to enter. This pass can be used as well to obey the law.
Travel Pass
A joint international effort among domestic airlines and international airlines is working together to produce a universal passport app. Approximately 23 airlines are testing the Travel Pass to upload vital health credentials necessary for travel between two countries.
European Union
The European Union may launch a “green pass” to resume travel within the Schengen Zone. Before the pandemic, travelers could journey restriction-free between nations without going through customs or getting a passport stamp.
There are also reports that adjacent nations, like Sweden and Denmark, collaborating to permit leisure travel between countries.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom will be testing a pilot vaccine passport program at these events in the spring months:
- World Snooker Championship (Sheffield)
- FA Cup (London)
- Luna Cinema (Liverpool)
- Hot Water Comedy Club (Liverpool)
Britons and international tourists may eventually expect to need a digital or paper passport to enter soccer, theater and other sports matches.
China
China is the largest nation to launch a vaccine passport. It can be downloaded in WeChat. A paper version is available, but the passport isn’t mandatory yet.
Several tout this initiative as “the world’s first vaccine passport.” It’s possible this passport may be used for multiple nations in the Asian region. So far, the app is only available to Chinese citizens.
Bahrain
Bahrain is also one of the first nations to launch a passport. The BeAware app shows a green shield next to the person’s personal information to prove they are fully vaccinated.
Israel
Israel has perhaps made the most progress in rolling out a vaccine passport for its citizens. The Green Pass is necessary for Israelis to travel, enter select public places like theaters and gyms and dine inside restaurants.
Summary
A nationwide vaccine passport currently isn’t available in the United States but might be in the coming months. For now, several small nations are implementing their programs that can serve as a model for what Americans can expect once the vaccine becomes widely available, along with a rebound of public events and international travel.
Related Articles:
- Travel Is Increasing As People Become Fully Vaccinated. Here’s What To Look Out For
- New CDC Guidelines For Fully Vaccinated Travelers
- Is The Covid-19 Vaccine Mandatory For Travel?
What Is A Vaccine Passport
A vaccine passport is a physical or digital health credential to confirm a person has been vaccinated for a particular contagious disease to enable travel.
What are vaccine passports and digital health passes?
Let’s start with vaccine passports – also called digital health passports or green certificates. Many travelers are familiar with the yellow card, or Carte Jaune, which is an official vaccination record created by the World Health Organization. This document, named for the yellow paper it’s traditionally printed on, is a public health tool that has been used for international travel since the 1930s and is typically carried with a passport. It shows customs authorities that a traveler has been vaccinated against certain diseases, such as yellow fever, typhoid or cholera.
Although vaccination cards like yellow cards are still being used and remain a popular way to document immunizations, many governments are considering creating modern, digital vaccine passports that are harder to forge. With the public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple countries are exploring whether vaccine passports and health passes could serve as proof of COVID-19 vaccination to restore confidence in international travel and help people resume their normal activities.
Israel was the first country to issue a modern vaccine passport with the launch of Green Pass in February 2021. As of May 2021, Israel, China, Bahrain and Japan are the only countries that have issued vaccine passports to vaccinated people for international travel and other uses. Australia and multiple countries in the European Union, such as Denmark and Greece, have committed to developing programs, while other countries are still weighing their options. In the United States, the Biden administration and leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated the federal government will not support or issue vaccine passports for Americans.
Vaccine passports are taking advantage of the increasing prevalence of new, secure digital credentialing technology. Beyond vaccine passports for international travel, it’s also being applied in other settings. For example, organizations that gather people in groups are looking for digital alternatives to both paper vaccination cards and test results. In some cases, this means identifying whether individuals have been tested or vaccinated in a voluntary and privacy-preserving manner.
Digital health passes – not to be confused with vaccine passports – are a voluntary, convenient option for individuals to share their health status, such as if they have been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19. Rather than having to remember to carry around multiple documents, people with digital health passes can share a scannable QR code on their smartphone or print a paper copy of their credential that confirms their status, while personal information remains securely encrypted in a digital wallet on the individual’s phone.
With COVID-19 vaccine rollouts underway around the world, digital health passes are one of many tools governments, private companies, nonprofits and industry groups are considering to help people return to their favorite activities. For example, in March 2021, New York State launched Excelsior Pass, a free, secure and voluntary digital health pass to support the safe reopening of New York.
Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, digital credentialing technology will remain a useful tool for individuals to show they have received any necessary vaccinations or other aspects of their health status. Digital credentials could also become a useful way for schools to manage student vaccination records or for employers to oversee any medical clearances or vaccinations required for job sites.
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