‘Immunity Passports’ are Already Required by Some Airlines

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(Newswire.net — January 2, 2021) —

The western world has been battling the corona virus pandemic for ten months. In this time we have seen countries impose travel restrictions and ask for negative results on corona tests in order to grant entry through their borders.

In the past several months there has been talk of “immunity passports”. These documents could hold information on whether someone has already been through the corona virus, when and if they have been administered a PCR test and vaccination information. Although it has been brought up many times, there was no official talk on this topic for a few months. Now that vaccinations have started across the globe, the thought of immunity passports is gaining more traction again and has garnered the support of travel agencies and airlines. The idea was also floated by Chinese president Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in November 2020.

Australian Qantas Airways has already announced that they will require proof of vaccination for all international flights, and they are considering implementing the same requirement for domestic flights as well.

UK tech company  VST Enterprises stated that they have started shipment of their digital health passports to companies and governments in more than 15 countries.

German identity verification start-up IDnow is developing a digital tool to help employers track which of their workers are “safe” to return to the office.

Chile has announced that they will issue citizens with “release certificate” QR codes if they have gone 14 days without corona symptoms.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a vaccination card stating the date and type of vaccine a person has received.

Robert West, University College London professor of health, psychology and behavioral science, says that he fears this will lead to a “divisive society” and the development of a Covid-immunity elite. “If you could get hold of some sort of certification, it will open doors for you,” said professor West.