London Heathrow Airport Trials Digital Screening System For COVID-19 Vaccine Certificates

JAKARTA - Heathrow Airport, London, England will speed up screening for some passengers who have received full COVID-19 vaccinations, as British authorities plan to allow quarantine-free travel.

This step was made possible by the airport authority's announcing a trial of the system for uploading COVID-19 vaccination certificates owned by passengers.

The trial is expected to reassure the government that quarantine arrangements for fully vaccinated passengers can be safely removed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be in favor of easing controls in yellowlist countries, alongside the removal of remaining lockdown restrictions on July 19.

In the trial, vaccinated passengers from certain flights will be directed to a special arrival lane to allow for document verification.

The system will temporarily be piloted by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic airlines to Heatrhow, London, where the vaccination status of passengers on both airlines can be checked without causing queues at airport immigration.

The trial will receive internationally recognized vaccination credentials including NHS applications, CDC cards, United States state-level digital certifications to European Union digital COVID-19 certificates.

Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said paper-based and digital vaccination certificates would be recognized under trials.

"That should give the government confidence to come forward and let us fly freely from July 19," he told LBC radio.

"We need to show we can make this work safely and we can do that very quickly. There's no reason why we can't make it happen from July 19."

He said the government's efforts with a free trade deal in the Pacific were at risk if travel remained severely restricted.

"It's not just about people going on holiday. Nearly 40 per cent of UK exports outside the EU are on passenger planes from Heathrow," he said.

"When the UK sets out on this new free trade deal, we need to fly those passenger planes to bring the goods to market. It's frustrating to see France and Germany quickly traveling again," Holland-Kaye said.

"This trial will allow us to demonstrate that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely at check-in, so that fully vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine starting July 19," he said.

Separately, Henry Smith, Conservative Member of Parliament for Crawley said the failure to remove travel restrictions for double-vaccinated travelers mocks the idea of a Global UK.

"We have fallen behind, with about 30 countries having lifted restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers, and the European Union launching its own digital certification system on July 1, on the principle that vaccinated travelers should be allowed to move freely," he wrote in the Conservative House.

"With the UK NHS App, we have the means to implement this policy right away, so why wait?" he asked.

The Heathrow scheme will initially apply to select flights from Athens, Los Angeles, Montego Bay, Jamaica and New York. Meanwhile, the most popular holiday destinations are currently on the yellow list, meaning people will have to self-isolate for up to 10 days upon returning to the UK.

Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Shai Weiss said the UK economy was suffering from quarantine rules.

"To reap the benefits of the UK's world-leading vaccine launch, the UK Government must act now to remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from yellow countries, and domestic reopening by 19 July at the latest."

"The UK is already lagging behind the US and EU, with an overly cautious approach to international travel will further impact the economic recovery and 500,000 UK jobs at stake," he said.

Meanwhile, British Airways Chief Executive Sean Doyle said he was confident the trials would be successful.

"We hope to provide data that proves, complete vaccination status can be verified and the Government fulfills its commitments to get this country moving again," said Doyle.

Please note, Heathrow Airport is likely to maintain a policy on the use of face masks, although PM Johnson said their use would be voluntary after reopening.