COVID-19: China launches digital vaccination certificate for cross-border travel

China on Monday launched the digital health certificate for air travellers that it dubbed as ‘coronavirus passport’ which will depict the flyer’s immunisation status and the result of COVID-19 PCR tests.  In an attempt to boost its sluggish international air travel, People’s Republic announced that the digital passports were available with immediate effect for all Chinese foreign travellers, as news stirred the citizens on China’s local Weibo social media networking site. Becoming the first country to issue virus passports, China, earlier last year, introduced the health check-in mobile app to map the crowded avenues and public premises to avoid the risk of contracting the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus for its citizens as restrictions eased. 

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told state run press Xinhua that the new digital virus certificates were implemented immediately to avoid inconvenience to the Chinese nationals travelling abroad. The new rule would "promote world economic recovery and facilitate cross-border travel," he said. The Chinese travellers will be required to scan the encrypted QR code at the airport that will analyse their health documents and travel history and accordingly issue the “green passcode". 

Several big firms including aviation industry had proposed the idea of issuing digital “immunity passports” to safely resume the air travel that had suffered a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the EU leaders had a faceoff over the so-called 'vaccine passports’ that was suggested by the tourist-reliant southern European nations such as Greece and Spain. The certificate concerned government bodies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the discrimination between the vaccinated and non vaccinated individuals. The EU had stalled the proposal saying it wasn’t the appropriate time to certify any document as COVID-19 had spread extensively across the bloc. 

Singapore airlines' launch of 'Digital Health Passport' 

Last year, however, Flag carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA), in a shocking announcement said that it was launching an app that acts like a Digital Health Passport which will carry information about a passenger's COVID-19 negative diagnosis and vaccination for easy passage through the airport. Referring to the ‘COVID-19 passport’ the airlines said that the systemic framework, designed by Singaporean firms SGInnovate and Accredify, will provide relief to the aviation industry as the flyers will now be able to easily verify healthcare records.