Will India Have A COVID-19 Vaccine Passport & How Will It Help You Travel Without Quarantining

Since the COVD-19 pandemic took over the world, travelling as we knew it has changed, if not forever, at least for the near future.

Gone are the days when we could pack our bags and go whenever and wherever we want.

Now, before you travel, you have to check the COVID-19 situation in your destination and the rules of arrival there.

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Even within the country, some states have made a COVID-19 negative certificate and 14-day quarantine mandatory for those coming from highly-infected states.

But as India is going full steam ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination drive, things could change.

2.43 crore vaccines so far

More than 2.43 crore (2,43,67,906) COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered through 3,39,145 sessions across the States and Union Territories so far, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHWF) informed on Wednesday.

AFP

These include 71,30,098 HCWs (first dose), 38,90,257HCWs (second dose), 69,36,480 FLWs (first dose) and 4,73,422 FLWs (second dose), 8,33,526 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 51,04,123 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years (first dose), the health ministry said.

Vaccine certificate as 'vaccine passport'

Those getting vaccinated are given a certificate to prove that they have been immunized against the deadly virus.

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Though there is no such policy so far, in India the vaccine certificate can in fact become a 'vaccine passport', at least for domestic travel. The idea behind the 'vaccine passport' is to make travel or going out easier for those who have been given the jab.

What Israel did

One of the first countries to issue such a document was Israel, which by far is the country that has managed to vaccinate the highest percent of the population of any country. Israel has issued an app that shows the vaccination status of the individual.

The green pass holders get non-restricted access to gyms, hotels, theatres, and concerts. Indoor dining in restaurants and bars is due to be included in the green pass scheme soon.

AFP

This is something that India can easily replicate and those who have taken the two vaccine shots should be exempted from mandatory quarantine, even if they are traveling from a high-risk area.

Last year when the country was coming out of the lockdowns, the Aarogya Setu app had become an entry ticket of sorts for users. A domestic vaccine passport can do the same now.

Around the world

While it is easier for a vaccine passport to function properly within a country when it comes to international travel things are still a bit more complicated.

For that countries will have to come together to set SOPs for such documents.

The EU has been leading such an initiative, a vaccine 'green pass' which would allow people to gradually move safely in the European Union or abroad -- for work or tourism.

Reuters

Tourist-dependent countries, such as Greece, and airline lobby groups want the document to serve as a "vaccine passport", allowing immunised people to avoid tests or quarantine when travelling.

As the world tries to put COVID-19 behind them, it is only a matter of time before 'vaccine passport' becomes the new normal.

So far, the International Air Transport Association ¡ª the global trade body representing airlines ¡ª is developing an app called IATA Travel Pass that will provide airlines and other aviation industry stakeholders with a common platform to check for the proof of vaccination and its validity.

In February companies, including Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce, said it is developing a system to help individuals keep a record of their health status in digital format.

Another initiative, Commons Project is trying out an app called CommonPass, which contains a passenger¡¯s vaccination record.

Concerns

The idea of vaccine passport is not without its fair share of skepticism. Many have expressed concerns over the safety of the personal and health data stored on such e-documents can be breached and misused.