• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Write for us
No Result
View All Result
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

Are “vaccination passports” the future of international travel?

byMatthew Staffordand Edited byBrendan Monroe
December 29, 2020
in WORLD
Reading Time: 5 minute read
Are “vaccination passports” the future of international travel?

Source: Toby Melville, Reuters

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
The rollout of effective vaccinations promises relief to certain industries that have been relentlessly battered by the pandemic.

With the numbers of vaccinated individuals slowly rising around the United States, a tantalizing prospect has risen for the not-so-distant future – a return to relative normality. 

A vaccine that has been proven successful, safe and is widely-available has long been hailed as the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic, which to date has now killed nearly 340,000 in the US alone.

In recent weeks, the number of promising vaccine candidates has only expanded. Vaccines developed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. (in collaboration with German partner BioNTech SE) and Moderna Inc. appear to hold the most promise, reporting efficacy rates of over 90%.

Outside of the realm of public health, however, the rollout of effective vaccinations promises relief to certain industries that have been relentlessly battered by the pandemic.

Few industries stand to benefit more from a return to normality than the international airline industry, which suffered immensely from the coronavirus pandemic as it put an end to the majority of international travel.

But with promising vaccines on the way, governments and airline operators may begin to look at requiring “vaccination passports,” which will certify that an individual has been vaccinated for COVID-19 in order for airlines to return t business as (somewhat) normal.

Airline crash

By the end of February 2020, international flight frequency had already begun to decline as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world. 

By the end of March, as the virus began to spread quickly throughout the US, international travel was no longer feasible, with many countries around the world banning international travel to stave off the spread of the virus. 

In total, air passenger traffic has slumped as much as 94% in 2020, as the pandemic has put a stop to most air travel.

As a result of a massive drop-off in business, airline carriers have borrowed record amounts to keep their businesses afloat. State aid to the airline sector has also surpassed US$220 billion according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), with carriers projected to lose more than US$118 billion in 2020 and US$39 billion in 2021. 

As a consequence of this, IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac stated that “if there ever was an annus horribilis, this is it.” De Juniac argued that “nobody in aviation will ever be nostalgic for 2020.”

Vaccination passports

It comes as no surprise, then, that airlines are eagerly awaiting the results of mass-vaccination programs that have begun to get underway in several countries around the world.

Some in the airline industry have already begun to speak openly of their efforts to incorporate vaccinations into their business plans moving into 2021. 

Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, said that his carrier had been discussing the possibility of “vaccination passports” for international travelers that would allow airlines to begin offering regular services once more. 

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” Joyce told Australia’s Nine Network.

As recent developments in the United Kingdom show, countries still view international travel as a prime vector for coronavirus transmission, with several European nations banning travel from the UK following news of a more-infectious variant of the virus. 

A successful vaccination program and “vaccination passports” would help to alleviate worries of international travel potentially spreading the virus. Such a move would also not be without precedent.

Past pandemics, such as the multiple outbreaks of yellow fever in the 1960s, have required international travelers to possess documents showing immunization and clean bills of health. 

The Common Trust Network, an initiative launched by the Geneva-based nonprofit The Commons Project, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, has partnered with several large airlines around the world to provide a 21st century “vaccination passport.”

This “CommonPass” would take the form of a mobile app that would allow users to upload medical data such as a COVID-19 test result and, eventually, proof of vaccination. These results could then be shown to authorities to allow international travel. 

The app would seek to create a standardized system by which passengers could prove that they’ve been immunized, allowing airline carriers to return to regular business after a difficult downturn during the pandemic. 

According to Dr. Brad Perkins, the chief medical officer at the Commons Project Foundation, “this is likely to be a new normal need that we’re going to have to deal with to control and contain this pandemic.”

Despite this, there are lingering concerns over the technology. 

Professor Michele Goodwin, a law professor and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at UC Irvine, told The New York Times that “protecting public health has historically been used as a proxy for discrimination” with electronic “vaccination passport” apps having the potential to be used as “proxies for keeping certain people away and out.”

Ultimately, having faced an unprecedented downturn as a result of the pandemic, the airline industry will be looking toward any available avenues through which regular operations can be restored. 

But for many, a privately-developed app which shares medical information with large airline industry operators to permit international travel may be a step too far for a “new normal.”

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: BusinessEuropeLonger readNorth America
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Senator Bernie Sanders is the new chair of the Senate Budget Committee. What does that mean for US economic policy?

Senator Bernie Sanders is the new chair of the Senate Budget Committee. What does that mean for US economic policy?

January 25, 2021
Who was – and wasn’t – on Trump’s pardon list?

Who was – and wasn’t – on Trump’s pardon list?

January 25, 2021
What’s next for Donald Trump?

What’s next for Donald Trump?

January 25, 2021

Beijing prepares for US-China reset under Biden

January 24, 2021

How the restart of federal executions led to calls to abolish the death penalty

January 24, 2021

President Biden’s inauguration was as much about what didn’t happen as what did

January 21, 2021

Janet Yellen calls for “big” stimulus under Biden administration as US recovery slows

January 21, 2021

Telegram is becoming a new haven for QAnon, even as Trump leaves office

January 21, 2021

Biden’s first 100 days, explained

January 20, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Write for us

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.