03/11/2021 12:16
Clarín.com
Trips
Updated 03/11/2021 12:16 PM
¿
Pasaportes health
to boost
international travel
despite the coronavirus pandemic?
There are several countries that are betting on this idea, such as China, which launched one this week, and several companies are working on it.
The health passport is a
document that proves
that the person who possesses it is, in principle,
immunized against covid-19
, so they can travel from one country to another without risk of transmitting the virus across borders.
People often speak of a "vaccination" passport, since the fact of having received a vaccine is what points more clearly towards that immunity.
Public and private sectors work on documents that prove that the traveler is immunized against the coronavirus.
Photo: Shutterstock
Passports vs.
health passes
But the
different projects
that are being developed, and which generally consist of a mobile application, accept other criteria: for example, a
test that guarantees the presence of antibodies
in the traveler, if the person has already suffered from the disease.
In addition, we must distinguish between these passports and another concept, which some called
"health pass"
, which does not have the same purpose as
it would only be valid in the country of origin
.
This "pass" would be used to enter some establishments, such as restaurants, or events such as concerts.
Countries advance
Many countries are considering launching a health passport and some have already started using it.
China announced this week the launch of a digital "health certificate"
for Chinese who want to travel abroad.
A postcard from a holiday in Cyprus, which has signed agreements with Israel for its vaccinated inhabitants to travel without restrictions.
Photo: Shutterstock
In Europe, Greece and Cyprus have implemented such passports to travel to Israel, a country particularly advanced in its vaccination, according to their authorities.
Vaccinated citizens can
travel between those three countries without restrictions.
In isolation, other European countries such as Denmark or Sweden plan to establish health passports soon.
But implementing this type of initiative at the level of the European Union (EU) is something much more complicated, since countries like
France and Germany are very reluctant
.
However, the EU promised that it would present a
"green passport"
project in mid-March
to facilitate travel between member countries of the bloc.
Difficulties
No, no project would be equivalent to a true passport, that is, a mandatory document to travel from one country to another.
For example, the Chinese health passport is only one of several options that citizens of that country have.
Furthermore, as no agreements have been signed with other countries in this regard, their interest remains vague.
In short, more than an official document, it is an application designed to facilitate health controls at borders.
For this reason, the
private sector
is also studying this type of initiative, starting with the airlines, eager to resume activity, badly hit by the restrictions.
The International Air Transport Association works on digital passports.
Photo: Shutterstock
The
International Air Transport Association
(IATA), which groups together the main companies in the sector, has also been examining for months the possibility of establishing a digital passport so that travelers can prove their health status before boarding.
Some companies, like American Airlines, are already doing it.
However,
systematizing the use of health passports
and making them more mandatory raises
legal problems
.
First, making vaccination compulsory for certain trips would lead to
inequalities
between citizens, as
access to anticovid vaccines
remains very limited in most countries.
On the other hand, the access of these applications to users' health data also raises doubts about the extent to which the
private life
of citizens
is not being violated
.
AFP
Look also
Restrictions to travel abroad: "Measures are being analyzed, but there is still nothing defined," said the Director of Migration
Coronavirus: some countries open borders to vaccinated travelers