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- The International Air Transport Association is in the final stages of developing a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport for travelers.
- Most airlines have yet to announce whether they will require passengers to show proof of having received the vaccine.
- Travelers should expect to continue wearing masks and social distancing on flights, even after getting vaccinated.
After nearly coming to a halt during the pandemic, the trips are poised to make a huge comeback in 2021, once the COVID-19 vaccine is widely distributed.
Governments and airlines can start requiring travelers to get vaccinated and test it with a new form of digital documentation called a vaccine passport.
Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming vaccine passport, along with some expert insights on what to expect when you travel next year.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association representing 290 airlines around the world, announced on November 23 that it was in the final stages of developing a digital vaccine passport for travelers.
Dubbed the IATA Travel Pass, the digital health document will provide travelers with a way to get certified on things like their vaccination status and COVID-19 test results from medical facilities and share that information with airlines and companies. border authorities.
Travelers would bring their COVID-19 certified health information through a new IATA contactless app.
Alan Joyce, chief executive of Australian airline Qantas, has told reporters that he believes getting vaccinated against COVID-19 (and likely proving they had the vaccine) will be a must before taking a flight.
Other airlines are still silent on possible requirements on their flights, but experts say travelers should expect to show proof of immunization once the vaccine is available to most people in the United States, likely next spring.
“Airlines do not want to be accused of serving as vectors of the virus in passengers on board,” said Dr. Robert Quigley, senior vice president and global medical director of International SOS, a health and safety services company, and MedAire, which offers training, medical equipment and other services for flight crew and passengers.
“It’s about protecting against the transmission of the disease and not taking it to areas that are not infected,” he added.
So far, experts like Quigley believe that the vaccine passport will apply primarily to international travel, rather than domestic travel, but travelers should keep an eye out for announcements from airlines in the coming months to ensure they have the documentation. suitable for the next flights.
Travelers should also stay up-to-date on vaccination requirements and other measures that destinations can implement for foreign visitors next year.
While the proposed vaccination passport has been making headlines in recent weeks, showing proof of vaccination at certain borders is nothing new.
The yellow fever vaccine is sometimes required for travelers to or from countries where there is a risk of yellow fever, such as Uganda and Brazil.
Travelers often show proof of their yellow fever vaccination at borders using the World Health Organization’s “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis,” a yellow brochure filled out by a doctor.
“The yellow brochure for yellow fever vaccination is kind of an outdated solution from a time when everything was written on paper,” said Dr. Martin Krsak, infectious disease specialist at the Travel / Infectious Disease Clinic (TEAM). ) of the UCHealth in the University. from the Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
What’s new about the upcoming vaccination passport is the digitization of health information, which would offer a more streamlined way for border agents and airlines to vet the growing number of travelers who will likely soon be asked to show proof of immunizations in many more places. the world.
Just because you get the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t mean you won’t have to follow other precautions that have become common when traveling during the pandemic.
“There will be continued efforts by airlines, airports and the travel industry as a whole to focus on best hygiene practices,” Quigley said. “That’s a good thing, it’s been long overdue, and I think it will persist maybe even forever.”
Travelers should expect to continue using masks and social distancing on their travels for the next year, Krsak said.
However, they may be exempt from other requirements, such as quarantine at destination, once they have proof of vaccination.
“Basically, the main improvement that the vaccination passport offers would be greater freedom of mobility,” he said. “Some particularly strict locks would no longer apply to holders of such passports.”
For now, travelers should continue to monitor what is happening in the industry regarding vaccine passports and other requirements.
“It’s still very fluid and we don’t know what’s going to happen with these passports,” Quigley said. “They are highly recommended in the industry, and that initial notice from IATA is the first indication that something is going to change in the industry.”
