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The European Union is moving closer to requiring a “vaccination passport,” a concept that has been discussed, proposed, and, some might say, “threatened” ever since COVID-19 vaccines appeared as a viable way to beat or control the virus.
A 20 May Financial Times article notes that ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have made a recommendation that will ease restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU for those who have been fully vaccinated… a move they believe would greatly benefit tourism.
But it will be dependent on travelers being able to prove their vaccination status, and the means to do that has yet to be perfected. There is currently no international electronic system for proof of vaccination.
The keywords appear to be “international” and “electronic.” Countries such as Israel and China have their own vaccine passport programs in place, but they are internal and are not recognized for international travel. (See our 23 January article, “ISRAEL: NO VACCINE, NO GREEN PASSPORT” and our 13 April article, “CHINESE WAY, YOU MUST OBEY: MUST GET VAX PASSPORT.”)
The EU proposal would change the criteria by which countries are judged “safe” by raising the acceptable rate of infection from 25 to 75 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days.
A number of EU member countries have relaxed their individual restrictions, so the new proposal would seek to standardize travel rules for the entire EU bloc.
TREND FORECAST: Tourism, an industry that has been destroyed by the COVID War, will not fully come back if “Must Have Vax Passport to Enter” requirements are imposed since a significant percentage of travelers will not get vaccinated.