- In January 2021, airline representatives asked the World Health Organization to support quarantine-free travel after vaccination.
- Development of common grounds for vaccine certificates is a major element of IATA’s proposed Travel Pass smartphone app- Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Passenger Matters
THoD Newsdesk, World: This January 2021 report covers airline representatives’ request for World Health Organization guidance on quarantine-free travel after COVID-19 vaccination. IATA linked the request to its proposed Travel Pass and a common approach to vaccine certificates. The article reports an industry proposal, not WHO approval or current entry rules.
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Passenger Matters, stated, “We can say whatever we want, what we do need is for the WHO to come out and say the same thing, so that it becomes a universal acceptance that once you’re vaccinated you should not have to go through any of these hoops. He further added that the development of common grounds for vaccine certificates is a major element of IATA’s proposed Travel Pass smartphone app. Careen also mentioned that paper-based accreditation is more open to fraud, with several cases having surfaced already. The IATA app, which can also be used to store a negative test result, is due to be launched in March.
“We have been suggesting this for months,” he said. “The WHO needs a fire lit underneath it to get this done sooner rather than later. Even then, there’s no guarantee that every government will adopt the standard right away.”
As per the agency’s earlier remarks, WHO’S Emergency Committee on Covid-19 doesn’t advocate demanding proof of vaccination from incoming travellers, as the effect of inoculations in reducing transmission is still in the dark. Nations should instead implement coordinated, evidence-based measures for safe travel, it said.
