European officials are on vacation. The EU’s Covid-19 digital credentials, known as the Covid passport, will start working on July 1, 2021.
Vaccinations against the coronavirus have already begun in all European Union countries, including Poland. It is true that before we gain herd immunity it will be some time, and the return to normalcy is prolonged by all kinds of papers, but now the new governments are easing restrictions, including those related to movement between different countries.
One idea to reduce the risk of exporting and importing people infected with the coronavirus is called Covid passports. Citizens will be able to obtain a certificate that they can travel to other European countries with an individual QR code during this holiday. Legal holders will not be treated like using biological bombs.
The European Parliament is working on the rules for the EU’s Covid-19 digital certificates and has just announced the completion of the work. Under these provisions, once approved by the European Council and published in the Official Gazette, all member states of the Community will be able to issue certificates to their citizens and… they will have to honor them.
The Covid passport is due to be respected next month across the European Union. The EU Covid-19 certificate will be in digital and paper form with the above-mentioned QR code, and obtaining it will be free of charge. The document was released in the national language and in English (despite the fact that the UK left the EU as a result of Brexit).
Who can get a Covid passport?
In addition to information that anyone can move freely in another country within the community, a Covid passport will contain information such as name, date of birth, date of issue, unique identifier and relevant information about a vaccine, test or disease history. People who scan the EU Covid-19 digital certificate (at least in theory) will not download or store this data, but only verify it.
Most importantly, there is no difference in the condition of those who are vaccinated which vaccine they receive. However, there is one problem here for people who have opted for two-dose lotions, such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, or Moderna. It is up to each country to decide whether the government plans to accept foreign nationals two weeks after the first dose, or whether it is necessary to wait two weeks after receiving the second dose.
