A virtual representation of the Ghostnuts Podcast #62 which can be found at https://ghostnutspodcast.com
16 months ago there was an idea of a ‘digital certificate’ as a means of confirmation of inoculation. Shortly after that announcement, the title was then changed to ‘’vaccine passport’. This change of title started to have questions thrown around in regards to the current situation of flights being halted around the world. Today the vaccine passport is all the latest buzz with many for and against the idea, with many countries who have adopted the idea.
EUROPE
The European COVID-19 travel certificate has been created by the European Union in a bid to restore the freedom of travel, which has been put at a halt for over a year now, since the pandemic erupted all over the block. Through the certificate, the Commission intends to remove travel restrictions as entry bans, quarantine obligation, and testing. The EU Commission has encouraged the Member States to remove the entry restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement since mid-March 2020, for those that hold such a document, starting from July 1, though the members have the option to remove those restrictions earlier, as many already have.
Negotiations between the European Union and the U.S. to recognise each other’s vaccination passes are struggling to make headway due to the absence of a federal certification system in America. EU ambassadors were told at a meeting on Thursday that the European Commission is, however, in an advanced stage of talks with the U.K., and in contact with Japan, Australia and Canada.
Even though England hasn’t officially confirmed anything (yet) the main question being asked is the full introduction of what might be called domestic vaccine passports: from the end of September, people in England will have to prove they have had both Covid doses to enter nightclubs, as well as for what are described as “other venues where large crowds gather”. England has its own problems at the moment with this whole “Pingdemic”
AMERICA
The Biden administration has made it clear it will not be the role of the federal government to issue vaccine passports or to collect and store individuals’ vaccination data at the federal level, but the government is taking on a coordination role and working with many of the international and domestic vaccine passport initiatives being developed by other parties. The Administration is working with a number of privately-led vaccine passport initiatives already underway, to develop guidelines and address issues such as accessibility, privacy, and other access barriers. There are at least 17 such U.S.-based initiatives involving companies and institutions including Microsoft, IBM, MasterCard, the Mayo Clinic, and MIT.
ASIA
Taiwan and the Thai government have approved the adoption of vaccine passports, becoming the latest country to join China, South Korea and Japan, among others, in using digital health certificates to track users’ vaccination and coronavirus test history for international travel. According to the plan, residents who have completed their vaccinations will receive documents for overseas travel from Thailand's Health Ministry.
AFRICA
The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday described COVID-19 vaccine passports as “inappropriate" while poor countries lag behind others in acquiring the shots. Vaccine passports are documents that show that travelers have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus. Technology companies and travel-related trade groups in some wealthy countries are developing and testing out passports to encourage travel.
AUSTRALIA
Australians who have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can now prove their inoculation status with a digital passport for the first time, it has been announced. The official certificate – unveiled by the federal government – has a coat-of-arms hologram and includes the holder’s name, date of birth and a green validity tick. In April, it was reported that the national cabinet ‘welcomed’ the introduction of a new COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate, which will be made available through the Medicare app or myGov. The app should be able to plug into external systems, which could make it possible for interaction with health databases overseas. That would be useful when Australians seek to enter other countries when international travel resumes.
DISCLAIMER: All topics discussed are hypothetical and may or may not be true, it is just a couple of friend's take on the subjects brought up. We advise you to please do your own research and don't just take what we say as gospel. This is all for fun and entertainment. Godspeed.
