Credit: The Commons Project
Your pre-trip checklist may soon become longer as airlines and companies want to implement the “vaccine passport” requirements.
The Common Trust Network, a partnership between airlines, the World Economic Forum and the nonprofit The Commons Project, recently launched the CommonPass app. With the app, users can upload medical data such as COVID-19 test results or proof of vaccination. The information is then sent through a QR code that will protect sensitive information.
Users can also use the app to shop or go to movies, depending on the requirements for different businesses and venues.
UK travel restricted due to new coronavirus strain
Belgium, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands imposed restrictions on travel to and from the UK from 20 December, causing chaos at transit hubs a few days before the Christmas holidays.
“Without the ability to trust COVID-19 tests – and ultimately vaccine records – across international borders, many countries will feel compelled to maintain full travel bans and mandatory quarantines as long as the pandemic continues,” he said. Bradley Perkins told The Commons Project. said in a statement. “With reliable individual health data, countries can implement more nuanced health screening requirements for admission.”
The technical company IBM also recently launched its Digital Health Pass. The program enables businesses and organizations to create their own requirements, including test results, proof of vaccination or temperature controls.
RELATED: The Cardmaster’s Post-Pandemic Plans Include Checking the Vaccination Status of Concertgoers
Ticketmaster draws up plans to get people back to music venues safely. Concertgoers may have digital tickets that can show if they had a COVID-19 vaccine or were tested negative for the virus before the day of the event. The information is stored by a third party healthcare provider in accordance with the HIPPA laws.
The ticket sales and distribution company said it would strictly adhere to the venues to determine and enforce a policy.
The economy is in a new slump as an emerging virus exacerbates the hardships for businesses. Consumers have cut back on shopping, traveling, dining out and attending sports and entertainment events. The key measures of the economy – retail sales, applications for unemployment benefits, travel spending – have weakened.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in November. It was the biggest drop in seven months, and a stronger drop than Wall Street analysts had expected.
Meanwhile, several new variants of the coronavirus sound alarm bells in several countries as vaccines roll out to health workers and the most vulnerable.
A coronavirus variant in the UK has sounded the alarm due to the possibility that it could spread more easily. But even if this turns out to be true, experts say the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out are likely to continue to work on the variant.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading US expert in infectious diseases, said that the information coming from Britain indicated that the vaccines would still block the virus. But the US will also be sure to do tests.
Fauci said the U.S. is in a critical phase of the pandemic, with the worst likely yet to come. He predicted that the general population would be widely vaccinated by the end of March or early April – beyond the front-line workers, the elderly and certain other sections of the public who were pre-empting the vaccines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.