COVID-19 has taught us many things. Not only has this pandemic has disturbed our routine life but it has affected the world’s economy because tourism plays a significant role in a country’s economy. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries closed their boundaries for visitors. As in 2008, economic recession damaged the financial conditions and economy of countries. Do you know that in the 2008 economic recession, a bailout package of around $900 million was used to save the economy? And now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are again facing huge economic loss.
Situations were getting worse until vaccinations were introduced. Vaccinations have helped countries control the spread of COVID-19. Due to COVID-19 vaccinations, many countries have opened their doors for people to visit their countries. Now, by showing vaccination cards or COVID-19 digital passports, people can get permission to visit other countries without spending days in quarantine.
Will a COVID-19 Digital Passport Be Required to Travel Domestically and Internationally?
Over the past year and a half, many countries have set rules to control the spread of COVID-19 because of how contagious and dangerous it is. COVID-19 badly affects our lungs and causes cough, fever, fatigue, headaches, body aches, and other problems. The symptoms have been described as similar to seasonal influenza, for which the CDC recommends that every person older than 6 months old get a vaccine every year. Officials have speculated that individuals will need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 regularly in a similar fashion to prevent the virus from returning in full force.
To further control the spread of COVID-19, many countries are considering making it compulsory to have COVID-19 digital passports to travel domestically. Other countries aren’t making moves to make it mandatory, such as the Biden administration which said that you don’t need COVID-19 passports to travel domestically. However, it may be essential to have COVID-19 digital passports to travel internationally. Without having proof of vaccination, airport management and other countries’ governments may not allow you to travel to their countries.
These passports would likely be accessible with the use of a smartphone. Many have pointed out, however, that there are many people around the world who don’t have smartphones and are unable to purchase one. Without this piece of hardware, many people may not be able to travel.
There is also a challenge in building a uniform international system for digital passports. While some countries may be able to afford and implement a system, others may not. The U.S. government, for instance, has spent around $5.3 trillion just to maintain the financial systems of its country, let alone implement a travel system that could protect lives. Not all countries, however, can afford to spend as much on creating a system. It is also going to take some serious coordination between nations to make sure that the passport systems can interact with each other.
Will It Be Able to Prevent Scams?
With normal papers, it would possible for people to scam the system by using fake certificates of COVID-19 vaccinations to travel to other countries. But after introducing the idea of COVID-19 digital passports, it’s much more difficult to fake the proof. Many countries are latching onto this idea and may be making it mandatory for traveling to their countries.
Countries are putting this in place because the pandemic has already disturbed the financial status and economy of the globe and a small mistake can lead to a big problem. One person with COVID-19 is enough to infect a whole slew of people, which is what happened in many countries at the start. That’s why the governments of different countries, such as Japan, China, and the EU, are embracing the idea of the COVID-19 digital passport.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already created a lot of devastation. Officials have said that one of the best ways to keep the situation in control is to get vaccinated. This will help you travel to any city or country without spending days in quarantine. If you’re planning to travel this summer, be sure to get your COVID-19 digital passport.
