WILL VACCINATION PASSPORTS GET US TRAVELLING SAFELY AGAIN?

THE WTO HAS CALLED FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION PASSPORTS TO BECOME STANDARD ESSENTIAL TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. WILL THIS SIGNAL A RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISM? WORDS: SARAH BARRELL

In the same week that the UK closed all travel corridors and upped its quarantine ante for arrivals, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) called for the implementation of harmonised testing protocols and vaccine passports. The proposal could see the creation of an international standardised digital certification system for Covid-19 vaccinations. Speaking at the Global Tourism Crisis Committee in Madrid on 18 January, secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili said, “The rollout of vaccines is a step in the right direction, but the restart of tourism can’t wait. Vaccines must be part of a wider, coordinated approach that includes certificates and passes for safe cross-border travel.”

UK concerns

The UK government is still considering vaccine passports, citing concerns over the varying levels of protection against the virus offered by different vaccines, noting the question still remains on how long immunity lasts after immunisation, and whether vaccinated people can still spread the virus. Various newspapers, however, have reported that the government has in fact invested in the development of several vaccine passport schemes in recent months. For now, UK arrivals are subject to the government’s testto-release policy and quarantine rules.

All for one, and one for all

For countries that rely on travel and tourism as a major economic contributor and source of employment, vaccination passports are a potential fast track to recovery. However, global herd immunity relies on the vaccination of some 90% of the world’s population.

In short: no one is safe until everyone is safe. Speaking to nationalgeographic.com, Dr Jewel Mullen, of the University of Texas, said: “Being overly or prematurely confident about the vaccines’ effectiveness can put people in other countries at risk. Travel gives us a chance to contribute to their economies. But contributing to the spread of the disease undermines that.”

Test & vaccinate

With only a small percentage of the world population vaccinated so far, should travel be permitted for those who have proof of a negative Covid-19 test? “A blanket vaccination requirement would simply discriminate against non-vulnerable groups, such as generations X and Z and millennials, who should be able to travel with proof of a negative Covid-19 test,” says WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara. Opponents to vaccination passports have flagged the human rights and data protection issues related to making the disclosure of personal medical information mandatory. Yet with the yellow fever vaccination an established entry requirement in several countries, a precedent has been set.

European support

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed a common vaccination certificate in the EU, to be issued by Member States to everyone who gets vaccinated against Covid-19. In Iceland and Hungary, an ‘immunity passport’ is already a requirement of entry.

Consumer impact

Travel insurance firms say that if the EU makes Covid-19 vaccination a mandatory entry requirement, they’ll update their policies accordingly. Some travel companies have already made vaccines compulsory, including Saga, which requires its cruise passengers to have had both doses of the vaccine at least 14 days before departure. Qantas also now requires passengers to be vaccinated before flying. Tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants could well follow suit.