Barrage Of New Countries And Airlines To Adopt Vaccine Passports

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Spain And Greece To Implement ‘Vaccination Passports’ To Re-Start Tourism

Country urges EU to adopt “a common framework” for vaccination passports

Summit News | 20 January, 2021

Spain and Greece are to follow the example set by the Seychelles and implement a ‘vaccine passport’ system to allow those who have taken the COVID shot to enter the countries for holidays.

Greece has been lobbying the EU to introduce a bloc-wide standardised COVID passport, while Spain has announced that it fully supports the idea.

Speaking at at the meeting of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto described the move as “a sign of multilateral commitment,” adding “It could contribute to restoring mobility at European level.”

Maroto urged that while Spain will work toward “transforming and digitalising” its tourism industry, “a common framework” across the EU must be developed to allow tourists to “avoid indiscriminate measures, such as quarantines or travel restrictions.”

The request is set to be debated by the European Commission in the coming days.

“Reaching immunity is a key milestone to generate confidence to travel,” Maroto added, even though taking the vaccine has not been shown to provide immunity.

Spain’s tourism industry is one of the biggest of any country on the planet, so it comes as little surprise that it intends to adopt any means necessary to encourage tourists back as soon as possible.

Vaccine passports have previously been touted by the EU, with officials suggesting back in April that visa applicants would also be required to be vaccinated.

EU countries including Spain, Estonia, Iceland, Denmark, Poland, and Belgium have all indicated that they are open to some form of vaccine passports, as well as sharing the data across borders.

A slew of other countries have now indicated that they will introduce vaccination passports, despite concerns that it will create a two-tear society of those who have and have not been vaccinated.