‘All clear’ passports aim to let air travellers bypass quarantines
THE world’s first Covid-19 passport is launched today to enable people to travel without having to quarantine.
Passengers using United Airlines and Cathay Pacific and travelling through Heathrow will be the first to trial the technology, which is backed by the US.
Volunteering passengers will upload their Covid test results from a validated laboratory on to a digital health passport up to 72 hours before departure.
The airlines and border officials will be able to scan the digital data on the pass to see if they are free of the disease.
If the trials are successful, it will allow passengers to reduce their time in quarantine in line with the self-isolation regulations and health requirements in whichever country they arrive. The aim is to create a standardised global testing system where governments and airlines can trust passengers’ results because they are from reputable laboratories and on a recognised health passport.
It comes as the Government is due tomorrow or Friday to unveil its plans for testing to enable UK arrivals to reduce their 14-day quarantine by up to six days. Ministers are expected to announce a task force to develop the plans, which are likely to provoke anger in the aviation industry over potential delays to the roll out of airport testing.
The Covid passport is being launched by the Commons Project, a non-profit trust, and the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with government representatives from 37 countries. The first passengers will use it today on Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Singapore.
Commons Project officials aim to extend the trials to more countries in the next three months in a bid to persuade governments to integrate passport into quarantine schemes.
“Without the ability to trust Covid-19 tests – and eventually vaccine records – across borders, many countries will feel compelled to retain full travel bans and mandatory quarantines for as long as the pandemic persists,” said officials.