JAKARTA - Several holiday destination countries, such as the Seychelles, Cyprus and Romania, have lifted quarantine requirements for visitors who can prove they have been vaccinated. Other countries, such as Iceland and Hungary, have also opened up to people who have recovered from COVID-19.
This raises the prospect of proof that vaccination can be a golden ticket to restarting travel and is good news for people looking to take a summer vacation. The vaccination evidence or document is now known as the "vaccine passport."
Quoting CNN, Monday, January 25, 2021, holiday destination countries can also open restaurants, bars, cinemas, recreational facilities and other entertainment that have been closed for the past year. They have hope after hobbling or even have become victims of financial ruin due to the key policy.
Technology companies such as IBM are also trying to participate in the action. They are developing smartphone applications or digital wallets through which individuals can upload COVID-19 test and vaccination details. It is getting support from various travel industries.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, called for the global adoption of vaccine passports as part of broader steps he thinks are essential to moving the world once again.
"The vaccine launch is a step in the right direction, but restarting tourism cannot wait," he said at a meeting of the UNWTO Global Tourism Crisis Committee in Madrid.
"Vaccines must be part of a broader and coordinated approach that includes certificates and admission tickets for safe cross-border travel."
But the concept of a vaccine passport is still under debate. While there is a strong argument that globally recognized vaccination documentation can help reconnect the world, concerns remain about what protection people actually get, how vaccines end up being misused and what it means for those still being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions are also about whether vaccines will become mandatory for any journey and how personal data will be shared safely. Calls from several European countries for internationally recognized vaccination certificates this week prompted the European Union to debate the move, even as a wave of deadly COVID-19 continues to sweep the continent.
Prime Minister (PM) of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave a message to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in early January. He stressed that the need for such universal vaccination documentation is a "fundamental priority for all of us."
"Although we do not require vaccinations or a prerequisite for travel, people who have been vaccinated should be free to travel," said Mitsotakis. "This will provide positive incentives to ensure citizens are encouraged to undergo vaccinations, which is the only way to ensure return to normality."
During late summer 2020, several borders were opened within the European Union, allowing tourists to seek sunshine and countries dependent on tourism to compensate for some of the losses. There are concerns that without free movement in 2021 the economic impact could be catastrophic.
The EU member responded with caution to the request. They agreed on the need for cross-border cooperation on vaccine certification. But there are concerns that the vaccine passport could allow unvaccinated people to be treated as second-class citizens.
Concerns about balancing the need to reopen borders with justice allowing those who are vaccinated to travel while others remain under restrictions were raised earlier this month by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Another issue of concern regarding vaccine passports is that there is an unknown vaccine-related problem, such as whether people who have been vaccinated can carry and transmit the corona virus and how long the protection lasts.
"And then the political question," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "How do you ensure that you respect the rights of those who don't have access to vaccines, and what alternatives do you offer those who have valid reasons not to get vaccines?" added von der Leyen.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said last week he was skeptical about the passport-splitting effects of vaccines.
"There are two urgent issues that require special attention, and for that we seek your advice today," Ghebreyesus told a WHO emergency committee meeting.
"The first is the emergence of a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; and the second is the potential use of vaccinations and certificates for international travel. One theme binds the two problems together: solidarity. We cannot prioritize or punish certain groups or countries," he concluded.
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