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15 minutes It also answers more relevant questions about the certificate: will you have to pay for COVID-19 tests, what vaccines will be accepted, and if this means you will no longer have to be isolated in other countries, etc. Below are the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Officially, the “green passport” will be called the “EU digital COVID certificate”. The name has been slightly changed from the previous one: the “Digital Green Certificate”. However, its substance remains the same: it will provide information on the human vaccination status, the COVID-19 test (PCR) result, or the fact of recovery from coronavirus infection.
Rasa Juknevičienė MEP speaking with 15 minutes it welcomed the agreement reached and hoped that there would be no obstacles to its approval. The formal approval of the two institutions, the final vote in the EP and the approval of the Council of Europe will still be required. The certificate is expected to go into effect in early July.
“It just came to our attention then, but I don’t think it was a problem. Everyone, especially the southern states (and now the Portuguese presidency), really want a certificate for the summer season, ”said R. Junkevičienė.
According to her, the greatest tensions in the debate over the “green passport” were caused by the prices of COVID-19 tests. In some countries they are very expensive, not everyone can afford them.
“It just came to our attention then. The EP proposed that the tests be done free of charge and the Member States wanted to keep this within their remit,” he explained.
A compromise has finally been reached, with the EU allocating 100 million euros. EUR (and another 100 million if necessary) to compensate countries for testing. “These tests will be free or, if paid, so that there are no prices for space,” he said.
Although it was promised that the “green certificate” could take effect in early summer, the start date has been postponed to early July. R. Juknevičienė explained that it was simply not possible to speed up the process: the most urgent procedure had already been applied.
Trials are free or, if paid, to avoid the price of space.
R. Junkevičienė said that even before the previous reading, the email boxes of all MEPs were flooded with letters from critics of the “green passport” of power. This action was clearly coordinated.
“I couldn’t even find my normal lyrics because there were so many of them and they were all almost the same. And characters very similar to the one we had in the march: some kind of defenders of the family, organizations for the defense of children, etc. “They probably started the campaign, and their fans sent letters, writing that we were giving away something so that we would not discriminate against people,” said the interlocutor.
She was glad that no one seemed to be paying attention to such a campaign. According to her, no “anti-tax” speeches were heard throughout the PE, which is made up of 705 people.
What you need to know about the “EU digital COVID certificate”
What will the certificate look like?
Like the passport of opportunity, which will come into force in Lithuania from Monday, it will be a QR code on a smart device, it will also be possible to print it.
What does it take to get it?
One of three things: be vaccinated against COVID-19; get cured of the coronavirus; you have a negative COVID-19 test result.
Photo by Rokas Lukoševičius / 15min / Vilnius – half-hour race for the remaining 100 vaccines
Will non-immune COVID-19 tests be paid for?
There was a lot of discussion to release them. Finally, it is agreed that 100 million will be allocated. EUR of EU funds (and another 100 million if necessary) to make COVID-19 testing affordable.
Won’t you have to isolate yourself in another country or return to Lithuania with a certificate?
This has been the subject of much debate, as health protection is a matter for the Member States. Finally, a compromise was reached that countries should not impose additional travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic (such as quarantine, self-isolation or testing). However, a reservation is made, which can be made if necessary and proportionate to protect public health.
It is stated that in this case the research, epidemiological statistics of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) should be taken into account. In addition, the other countries and the EC must be informed of the additional control measures at least 48 hours in advance.
Lithuania will also have to change its order of arrival of people. Although vaccinated and sick individuals do not need to be isolated, even those with a negative COVID-19 test must self-isolate according to current practice.
Photo from 123RF.com
The Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation, Vincas Jurgutis, said on Wednesday that he had “visited the inter-institutional group on the review of isolation.” However, according to him, a general inter-ministerial consensus and an assessment of the epidemiological context are still needed.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Health, Živilė Simonaitytė, explained that not requiring self-isolation after a negative PCR test is the aspect of greatest epidemiological risk. “A person may not present any symptoms upon arrival, even the test may not be registered yet, and the arrival of a foreign language speaks of the introduction of mutations,” the deputy minister explained at a meeting of the Economic Committee.
According to her, with the spread of mutations that are less affected by vaccines, “we could have a much more ridiculous situation where the vaccine will no longer work and tourism will have to severely restrict the entire economy.”
Will it be possible to obtain a certificate for another vaccine not approved by the EU, such as Sputnik?
No. Only vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency are accepted. So far, there are four: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen.
The decision to allow people who have been vaccinated with another vaccine will be at the discretion of the parties.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Vaccination center at the Litexpo Palace
And if I only have one more dose of the vaccine, will I be able to get a certificate?
Yes. But again, only those vaccines that have been approved by the European Medicines Agency.
When will the certificate come into effect?
It is scheduled to start on July 1. By then it may have already started testing in some countries.
Will it only apply to EU countries?
Not only. The plan will also cover Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
And if I only have one more dose of the vaccine, will I be able to get a certificate? Yes!
Will there be such trips in the future, just with this passport?
This document is intended to be valid for 1 year.
Isn’t there a concern that freeing up trips will cause another wave? After all, doesn’t testing equate to immunity?
With the rapid vaccination process in the EU, the majority of travelers are likely to be immune, either vaccinated or infected with COVID-19.
R. Juknevičienė pointed out that it is very important to help vaccinate not only the EU countries.
“The biggest problem is vaccination in other developing countries. After all, we are among the richest in the world because we are in the EU. And in other places, only a small percentage are vaccinated. In them, the virus spreads and it can mutate. The biggest concern is that the virus will mutate as it spreads in other countries, and then the new forms could pose a threat. That’s why the rest of the world needs to be vaccinated. “
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