“The main questions are: Will [the vaccine] will be available and accepted as part of the new normal in global travel? ”Said Mark Cameron, an immunologist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. “I don’t think it’s hard to imagine. If, hypothetically, France becomes a country that requires you to have proof of vaccination to board a plane, I think it is a step that people would be willing to take.
Last fall, not long after the news that testing of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was successful, Qantas announced that the vaccines would eventually be needed for travel. Alan Joyce, CEO of the Australian airline, said the move would be “a necessity” when vaccines are widely available.
“I think it will be a common thing to talk to my colleagues on other airlines around the world,” he told Australia’s Nine Network last November. The interview immediately made international headlines. “We are going to ask people to get vaccinated before getting on the plane. . . for international visitors leaving and people leaving the country, we think it is a necessity. “
South Korea’s largest airline is taking a similar, though slightly more conservative, stance on vaccines. Jill Chung, a spokesman for Korean Air, said there was a real possibility that airlines would require passengers to be vaccinated. But she said it is because governments are likely to require vaccines as a condition of lifting quarantine requirements for newcomers.
United States-based carriers have not been so open in their policies, and many experts believe that proof of vaccination is unlikely to be required for residents of the United States. Earlier this month, executives from several U.S. airlines have spoken out strongly against the CDC that requires coronavirus testing to board domestic flights. Since then, the CDC has abandoned the idea.
Even the idea of requiring vaccinations for airline employees had mixed reactions. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby asked other airlines to join him to demand that airline employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but both Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines said that while encouraging employees to get vaccinated, will not force it. However, these employees may have no choice if they are working on international flights to countries that require vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci gave his opinion on the idea of passports for vaccines, telling Newsweek that he thinks it is “perfectly possible”.
“Everything will be up for discussion,” said Fauci.
The concept of requiring vaccines to visit specific countries is not a new one. Several African countries require visitors to be vaccinated against yellow fever. After being vaccinated, they receive what is commonly known as a yellow card, which allows entry.
Unfortunately, proof of the COVID-19 vaccination will not be as simple as a card. Currently, four major players claim to have the answer to the puzzle and hope that their digital health passports will become the international standard. IBM, Clear, International Air Transport Association and Commons Project Foundation are in various stages of testing or launching their digital passports. While all applications have multiple features, the common denominator is to allow authorized labs and test centers to securely share test and vaccination information, which would allow travelers to show proof of vaccination.
“This is something we were working on before COVID arrived,” said Perry Flint, an IATA spokesman. The organization’s Travel Pass app was launched this week. “The genesis goes back to trying to modernize processes. You go to an airport when you travel internationally and take your passport three, four, five times. What if you could take that paper passport and basically put it on your mobile device, iPhone or Android, anything? And you would only show it once and it would be linked to you biometrically and basically all systems would recognize you. “
Since the beginning of the pandemic, health has gained prominence in the IATA app, with the aim of allowing it to connect to an authorized laboratory to share a passenger’s negative COVID-19 test or vaccination record. Emirates has announced that it will use the IATA Travel Pass app.
The global airline industry, which faces $ 157 billion in losses next year due to the historic collapse in demand, sees a digital health pass to make sure passengers don’t have COVID as the key to resuming international travel.
So far, the most popular choice among airlines is CommonPass, currently offered on flights selected by United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and JetBlue. He uses a digital certificate downloaded to a cell phone to show that a passenger has tested negative for COVID-19. Users can then offer the certificate as proof of a negative test if the country requires it.
But not everyone is convinced that a standardized electronic vaccine passport will be so easy to obtain in such a short time.
“In some countries where you have nationalized medicine, you can easily track tests and vaccinations,” said Ida Bergstrom, a Washington DC-based doctor who specializes in immunization, vaccination and travel medicine. “But for the United States, this is not the case. What will be synchronized with the airlines or what will be synchronized with those governments, and how will this work? I can see a disaster building. They have been talking about COVID passports since day one and I’m not sure how practical it is. “
There are other issues at stake. A vaccination passport would restrict people from economically disadvantaged countries who do not have access to the vaccine. Making the process completely digital can also be difficult for travelers who don’t use mobile devices.
“It will take a significant amount of time to vaccinate the global population, especially those in less advanced countries, or at different age groups, so we must not discriminate against those who wish to travel but have not been vaccinated,” said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the World Council Travel and Tourism.
Health officials also continue to emphasize that although an individual has been vaccinated, it does not mean that he is safe from the spread of the virus.
“We don’t know what kind of immunity the vaccine actually confers,” said Bergstrom. “Since I was vaccinated, it is very unlikely that I will have a serious illness, but my lifestyle has not changed much because my husband and children have not yet been vaccinated. So, if I flee to, say, Cancún, I can come back with COVID. Even if I didn’t necessarily take a big risk, I could give it to my family and then something could happen to them. “
Whether airlines and cruise ships require a COVID passport or not may not matter if countries begin to require it. Both Australia and New Zealand were quick to block and stop international arrivals when coronavirus cases arise. It is not difficult to imagine these countries requiring a COVID passport. Israel is issuing “green passports” to its vaccinated residents, allowing them to attend gyms, hotels and sporting events. It will also allow them to travel abroad when the country resumes flights. It seems a fact that arriving travelers will face the same rules.
Despite all the uncertainty surrounding health passports, a beleaguered travel industry is pinning its hopes on the vaccine and hoping that it, along with a continuous multi-layered approach to mask use and social distance, can help it to recover. Expect to see more cruise lines, an industry that has been destroyed by the pandemic, requiring passengers to be vaccinated in order to sail.
After a year of very limited travel, John Lovell, president of the Travel Leaders Group, is saying the words that few of us with dreams of exploring the world again want to hear.
“I see that vaccination is being demanded by many airlines, cruises and even hotels at the end of the fourth quarter of this year. . . and beyond.”
Christopher Muther can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther.