How will the Covid digital certificate work in Europe to circulate between countries?

The European coronavirus certificate will take effect on July 1, although it can be postponed until next Wednesday, to facilitate travel within the European Union (EU) despite the pandemic. Vaccines, tests, immunity: How will it work?

“The EU’s digital COVID certificate”, the official name of the health passport, it will be recognized throughout the European bloc and is free.

There are three possibilities: certifies that the person is vaccinated against covid-19, that they have tested negative for PCR or antigens, or that they are immune after suffering from the disease.

Validity dates tests are not harmonized, it depends on the Member States.

To show that they are vaccinated, a person can provide a positive PCR test revealing your infection. The duration of immunity is a maximum of 180 days, but countries can reduce it.

Serological tests They are not yet considered very reliable in certifying immunity, but it is planned to be assessed within the first four months of the regulation’s application.

Are accepted the four vaccines approved by the EU: Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

It is not obligatory, but people can be accepted with vaccines used in the EU (Sputnik V in Hungary) or approved by the WHO (Sinopharm).

Has a QR code with an electronic signature that reveals its authenticity, readable in all EU countries. It can be presented to the competent authorities in digital form on a “smartphone” or printed on paper.

Member States decide to include this certificate in their national tracing request or they use another one.

The certificate will only contain “strictly necessary” personal data, in accordance with European regulations (GDPR). This data will not be shared between countries, with the exception of the key which verifies its authenticity which must be transmitted.

The retention of this data will be prohibited by country of transit or destination.

In principle yes, but there will be exceptions, if the situation in the place of origin of the traveler deteriorates, by the appearance of a variant, for example.

30 countries

In this case, the country of destination must inform the other Member States and the European Commission 48 hours before introducing new restrictions, as well as its duration.

Travelers can consult the “Re-open EU” site where are the conditions in different European countries.

The regulation applies to free movement, but Member States can decide use it for other purposes (concerts, festivals, etc.), according to their laws.

In general, children and adolescents will not be vaccinated by the summer (boreal), and a negative test may be required.

It will be applied in 30 countries (27 in the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein).

Have been executed technical tests passed in 18 countries, verifying that they can connect to the gateway configured by the UE.

The digital certificate will take effect on July 1 for a period of one year.

There is a six week transition period for countries which are not ready to issue certificates following the European model. Meanwhile, the others have to accept national documents containing the data required at European level.

EU holds talks with several third countries, such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as with international organizations such as the WHO and air transport associations for reciprocal recognition and interoperability.

Source: AFP

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