Some destinations – including the Seychelles, Cyprus and Romania – have already raised quarantine requirements for visitors who can prove they are vaccinated. Others, such as Iceland and Hungary, have opened up to people who have recovered from Covid-19.
This raises the prospect that proof of inoculation or immunity could be the golden ticket to restarting the journey and seems good news for people eager to book summer holidays after months of deadlock, especially as vaccine launches pick up.
They could open restaurants, bars, cinemas and other leisure and entertainment facilities, the closure of which in the last year has left many shaken to the brink – or already the victim – of financial ruin.
Technology companies such as IBM are also trying to take action by developing smartphone or digital wallet applications where people can upload details of Covid-19 tests and vaccinations. They are gaining support from major players in the tourism industry.
This week, Zurab Pololikashvili, the secretary-general of the United Nations Tourism Organization, called for the global adoption of vaccination passports as part of broader measures he said were essential to get the world moving again.
“The launch of vaccines is a step in the right direction, but the resumption of tourism is just waiting,” he said at a meeting of the UNWTO’s Global Committee on Tourism Crises in Madrid. “Vaccines need to be part of a broader and coordinated approach, including certificates and permits for safe cross-border travel.”
“Fundamental priority”
But the concept of immune passports remains deeply controversial and anyone who will use it for a summer vacation in 2021 could be disappointed.
While there is a strong argument that globally recognized inoculation documentation could help reconnect the planet, fears remain about the protection it actually provides, how it could be abused, and what it means for those still waiting for blows. .
Questions also remain as to whether they will become mandatory for any trip and how personal data would be shared securely.
Calls from several European countries to create an internationally recognized vaccination certificate this week have prompted the European Union to debate the measure, even as Covid-19 deadly waves continue to devastate the continent.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in January, stressing that the need for such universally accepted documentation is a “fundamental priority for all of us”.
“Although we will not make vaccination mandatory or a prerequisite for travel, people who have been vaccinated should be free to travel,” Mitsotakis wrote. “This will provide a positive incentive to reassure citizens who are encouraged to get vaccinated, which is the only way to ensure a return to normalcy.”
At the end of summer 2020, some borders opened up within the EU, allowing tourists to seek a dose of sunshine and tourism-dependent countries to make up for some losses. There are fears that without free movement in 2021, the economic impact could be disastrous.
Such pleas have been greeted with caution by other EU members.
Discussing the issue in Brussels on Thursday, they agreed on the need for cross-border cooperation on vaccine certifications, but feared that using them to allow travel could lead to the treatment of unvaccinated people as second-class citizens.
This could lead to scenarios where restaurants or bars require proof of vaccination from customers looking for a glass of wine or seeing travel companies banning unvaccinated people from accessing their services.
The vaccine unknowns
As we have seen, airlines such as Qantas in Australia and companies such as Saga Cruises in the UK insist that only vaccinated passengers will be allowed to travel internationally.
Von der Leyen told the EU parliament on Thursday that there were concerns about unknown vaccines, such as whether those inoculated could still carry and transmit the coronavirus and how long the protection would last.
“And then the political question,” she added. “How do you ensure that you respect the rights of those who did not have access to a vaccine and what alternatives do you offer to those who have legitimate reasons for not receiving the vaccine?”
Concerns about balancing the need to reopen borders with the fairness of allowing inoculated people to enter the world, while others continue to bear the blockage and risk of infection were expressed earlier this month by the World Health Organization.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that he was skeptical about the divisive effect vaccine passports could have.
“There are two urgent issues that need special attention and for which we are asking for your advice today,” he said at a meeting of the WHO emergency committee. “The first is the recent emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; and the second is the potential use of vaccination and testing certificates for international travel.
“One theme connects both aspects: solidarity. We cannot afford to prioritize or punish certain groups or countries.
“Too early” to book
Such inequalities, of course, have already been a feature of current travel restrictions.
Exclusive resorts in the Maldives, for example, have been open to everyone for several months, although the high price and the current price of getting there restrict access to all but the rich.
But even as the debate continues over how to implement, control and enforce immunity certification – if any – the issue may remain debatable for those hoping to plan a 2021 summer getaway.
In the UK, the first country to start vaccinations, infection rates continue to gallop despite increased restrictions since the end of December, prompting government officials to warn that international holidays remain uncertain this summer.
UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Monday it was “too early” to book travel before September, when most people should be vaccinated. He advised UK citizens to plan an earth holiday instead.
Even this could be optimistic. Given that major events on the UK calendar, such as the 2021 Glastonbury Festival, have already been canceled due to ongoing uncertainties, there is a real possibility that a summer holiday at home will also be canceled.
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