Are Vaccine Passports
the Answer?
V
accinations against the dreaded COVID-19 virus have caused hope for a world returning to a sense of “normal” and for the revival of economies that have been brought to their knees by this pandemic. In Namibia, especially the tourism industry is holding its breath and keeping fingers and toes crossed that travel will start to recover from the middle of the year. Many countries, including Namibia, require a negative test result for entry, but this could change to allow entry exclusively to vaccinated individuals. To simplify this process, vaccine passports are widely advocated and such passes could be essential to kickstarting the tourism industry rather sooner than later. What are vaccine passports? A vaccination pass (or passport) is a document which proves that an individual has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and shows test results. The biggest advantage would be for easing international travel. The document takes the form of a free mobile app that allows immigration officials to check a passenger’s status at a glance. The reason for going digital instead of issuing paper certificates is to prevent fraud. Covid vaccination certificates and even the vaccinations themselves are already for sale on the darkweb. Another reason why vaccine passports are being advocated
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is that they would allow entry into public spaces where close proximity to others cannot be avoided, e.g. restaurants and gyms, or attending concerts and sporting events. There is even talk that schools could require vaccine passports for learners and that employers should make them mandatory for their employees in order to reenter the office. Advocates are hopeful that vaccine passports will in some way return the state of the world to a time before Corona and, more importantly, fully reopen economies. Various governments including those of the US and EU member countries are busy researching the implementation and usage of these passports. Denmark is heading the rollout plans and intends to introduce digital passes in the next three to four months. The world leader in vaccination rates, Israel, has already launched its own “green passport” that allows holders access to certain places, like hotels, theatres and synagogues. Airlines, hit extremely hard by the pandemic, have also seen their potential to make air travel easier and recover the industry. Vaccine passports are expected to make travelling safer and give passengers a restful mind knowing that everyone on board has been vaccinated and/or tested negative. Currently existing apps IATA, the International Air Transport Association, has developed an app that Etihad Airways and Emirates are said
