05/23/2021 2:05 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 05/23/2021 2:05 PM
The European coronavirus certificate will take effect on July 1, although it could be brought forward to next Wednesday, to facilitate travel within the European Union (EU) despite the pandemic.
Vaccines, tests, immunity:
How will it work?
"The EU Digital COVID Certificate", the official name of the health passport,
will be recognized throughout the European block and is free.
There are three possibilities
: it certifies that the person is vaccinated against covid-19, that they tested negative for PCR or antigens, or that they are immune after suffering the disease.
The validity dates of
the tests are not harmonized, it depends on the Member States.
In Venice, Italy, some tourists arrive.
AFP photo
To show that they are immunized, a person can provide
a positive PCR test
revealing their infection.
The duration of immunity is a maximum of 180 days, but countries can reduce it.
Serological tests are
still not considered very reliable to certify immunity, but it is planned to evaluate it in the first four months of application of the regulation.
They accepted
the four vaccines approved by the EU
Pfizer / BionTech, Modern, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
It is not mandatory, but
people
with vaccines used in the EU (Sputnik V in Hungary) or approved by the WHO (Sinopharm) can be accepted.
It has a QR code
with an electronic signature that reveals its authenticity, legible in all EU countries.
It can be presented to the competent authorities in digital format on a 'smartphone' or printed on paper.
Member States decide whether to integrate this certificate into their national tracing application or to
use a different one.
The certificate will contain only "strictly necessary" personal data, in accordance with European regulations (RGPD).
This data will not be shared between countries
, except for the key that verifies its authenticity that must be transmitted.
The retention of said data
by the countries of transit or destination
will be prohibited
.
In principle, yes, but there will be exceptions,
if the situation in the traveler's place of origin deteriorates
, due to the appearance of a variant, for example.
30 countries
In this case, the country of destination must notify the other Member States and the European Commission 48 hours
before introducing new restrictions
, as well as their duration.
Travelers can consult the "Re-open EU" site
where the conditions
in different European countries are listed.
The regulation applies to free movement, but Member States can decide to
use it for other purposes
(concerts, festivals, etc.), according to their laws.
In general, children and adolescents will not be vaccinated by the summer (boreal), and
a negative test may be required.
It will be applied in 30 countries
(the 27 of the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein).
Technical tests
were carried
out successfully in 18 countries
, verifying that they can connect with the gateway configured by the EU.
The digital certificate will be effective on July 1 for a period of one year.
A transition period of six weeks is foreseen
for countries that are not prepared to issue certificates following the European model.
During this, the others must accept national documents that contain the data required at European level.
The EU is in talks
with several third countries
, such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, and also with international organizations such as the WHO and air transport associations for reciprocal recognition and interoperability.
Source: AFP
PB
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