(CNN) – The door to summer is slowly cracking open in Europe, and for those who want to hike through it amidst constant Covid restrictions, the key may be available soon.
Although borders are likely to remain closed in the coming weeks, the European Union proposes to issue a digital green certificate or a vaccine passport allowing those with the required poor peoples approved pharmaceuticals against Covid. or antibodies that had the virus, to move freely. Negative tests can also be used to qualify.
It is a measure eagerly awaited by major tourism destinations in Europe, including Portugal, Spain and Greece, where an absence of visitors has left gaping holes in national bank balances over the past year.
But would that be fair?
While the beleagured tourism industry is delighted with the plan the EU is expected to vote on later in March, there are fears that irregular vaccination and supplies across Europe could mean some countries will enjoy more freedoms than others.
Similarly, with certain demographics focused on early vaccination against others, some may be forced to stay home and watch with jealousy as older citizens, many of whom received both blows before the end of spring, fly away for their time in the sun .
And although the EU’s executive body, the European Commission, is only proposing its new Green Certificate as a document that allows its citizens to cross European borders on an ongoing basis, there are concerns that it will also be necessary for access to restaurants, bars or other venues. and events.
While the new UK Brexited UK will not be part of the program, the success of its vaccination program could mean entering into special travel deals with some EU countries that will enable Britons to circumvent the need for certification.
The EU citizens who have not yet qualified for vaccination – or are unable to qualify – can be put off from returning to normalcy, and most of us are eager to embrace them unless they undergo regular testing. subject.
Generation unfairness
A harbinger of this can already be seen at sea. Some large cruise companies advertise summer flights that are only available to passengers who can prove they have had a full amount of vaccines.
Anger, some commentators say, is inevitable.
“Only those older than fifties will be vaccinated by this summer, so there could very well be protests from younger people,” said Kaye McIntosh, former editor of consumer magazine Health Who? and WI Life, CNN Travel reports. “It contributes to the sense of injustice perpetrated by generations created by austerity, house prices and student loans. I will not blame Gen Z for being angry.”
Norbert Hidi, a 24-year-old student from the Hungarian capital Budapest, is among those expecting to go nowhere.
“To put it bluntly, it’s not fair,” Hidi told CNN Travel. “Most of us will not be vaccinated by the summer. That means we can not travel or go to pubs or restaurants. The older generation first had the vaccines because they are at the greatest risk, but that should not mean “They therefore have more rights.”
Brian Young, managing director of G Adventures, headquartered in the UK, a travel company offering a range of options, including tours for 18 to 30 year olds, is confident that vaccine passports will revive tourism worldwide, though some will miss this year .
“As international travel has been completely grounded for a year now, it is imperative that governments work together to find a uniform solution for opening borders and allowing holidaymakers to start flying again,” Young told CNN Travel.
“The announcement of the vaccine saw an increase in confidence in the 1950s, and although proposals for vaccine passports would be a good solution as proof for those who received the vaccine, it leaves a large proportion of travelers behind, who do not they have yet to receive the exposed vaccine. ‘
Third golf
Denmark will become the first nation in the world to roll out a ‘coronavirus passport’ for foreign travel later this month. The idea of immunity passports has been under discussion since the onset of the pandemic among European countries. But critics warn that such passports could be discriminatory and could affect people’s right to keep their medical data private. CNN’s Nina Dos Santos reports.
Young says the EU’s decision to allow uninitiated individuals to be eligible for health passes with a negative test for antigens will help, but it could still be an obstacle for some to travel.
“The implementation of cheaper testing options is also essential if the cost is associated with sitting with the consumer,” he says. “The current cost of PCR tests will deter some travelers, especially if they have to take multiple tests while traveling.”
If approved as planned, the EU’s digital green certificate will be valid in all EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It will use a QR code with a digital signature to protect against counterfeiting. It will be issued by hospitals, testing centers or health authorities, but the data must be verifiable across the EU via a digital portal.
The EU says certificates will be issued for approved vaccines. People who are vaccinated before the certificate is available, or outside the EU, must still qualify. The hope is that the certificates will also be valid in countries outside the EU.
In Hungary, where the vaccination rate is higher than the EU average, officials believe the Commission’s time would be better spent on obtaining vaccines for the whole bloc.
“We regard the debate on the certificate as a false debate, because from Brussels no one expects certificates; from Brussels we expect vaccines,” Hungarian Prime Minister Gergely Gulyás said on Thursday. “It would be desirable if Brussels shifted the focus of its activity in this area.”
Transparent measures
The certificate plan will need the support of all 27 member states if passed next week and launched in June. Amid concerns from countries such as Belgium and Germany that it could lead to discrimination, EU leaders have tried to bolster confidence.
“We propose a common EU approach that will guide us towards our goal of reopening the EU in a safe, sustainable and predictable way,” Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said this week.
“The situation with the virus in Europe is still very challenging and confidence in decisions taken is crucial. It is only through a joint approach that we can safely return to full free movement in the EU, based on transparent measures and full mutual trust. “
The World Health Organization, which has also expressed serious concern about the risk that vaccination passports could create a two-tier society, this week proposed its own ‘smart digital certificate’ which insists it is not a travel license.
“This is something other than a passport,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said on Thursday. “At this stage we do not encourage a vaccination to be determined whether you can travel internationally or not. It should not be a requirement.”
He said there are ethical, practical and scientific reasons for this.
“There is a worldwide shortage of vaccines,” he said. “It will increase inequality, and if there is one thing we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that the vulnerable people have been affected disproportionately.”
He said that lack of clarity about how long immunity lasts means that vaccination of certificates is no guarantee of suitability for travel, and also uncertainty about whether the vaccinated can transmit the virus.
Such concerns have not prevented some countries from continuing with their own certification and passport schemes.
Winners and losers
Israel’s “green pass” digital vaccination certificate is being used to reopen venues and events.
ACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, some airlines are accepting a certification to ensure that passengers are virus-free. The Australian transport company Qantas has launched the CommonPass system, which is needed for overseas travel when the Australian border reopens.
Other airlines are signing up for a digital pass created by the International Air Transport Association, IATA, which allows passengers to upload a negative Covid test certification to allow smoother passage through airports.
In the midst of this confusing maze of digital paperwork, it is possible that the power of the European Union may help to provide some uniformity and clarity on how world borders can be opened up in the near future.
But as health expert McIntosh adds, there are likely to be winners and losers, and there are no guarantees, especially not in the long run.
“The right not to be exposed to a deadly disease outweighs the rights of the unvaccinated,” she says. ‘Maybe it will change if vaccination eventually means Covid-19 becomes something more common, like seasonal flu – though it still kills thousands of people every year.
“But no vaccine is 100% effective, so even people who have had the jerk are still at risk.”
CNN’s James Frater, Sarah Dean and Sharon Braithwaite contributed to this story