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Those who live and travel in Europe will now travel not with one passport, but with two.
This Thursday, the so-called green digital certificate began to work with which the European Union will allow its citizens to move between countries.
The certificate, which was approved in March and entered into force on July 1, is intended to allow movement within the continental block, without the need to submit to restrictions, to any person vaccinated against covid-19, having negative virus evidence. or have recently recovered from the disease.
It is known as the “European vaccination passport” and, besides the 27 member countries of the EU, it has also been approved in foreign countries but part of European territory such as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. .
“We want to help Member States reliably restore freedom of movement,” European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said when she proposed the measure.
However, the vaccine passport proposals have met with opposition in some countries for fear that they will become a discriminatory tool.
In response to this, European Commission officials have assured that they want to prevent citizens who, for one reason or another, have not been vaccinated, from feeling excluded.
The EU has indicated that the measure aims to guarantee the movement citizens and residents on community territory. However, countries like Germany and Spain have already eased entry for travelers from third countries.
At BBC Mundo, we explain how the digital passport works and what the consequences are for Latin American travelers.
1. Key elements of the green digital certificate
The main provisions taken into account for the approval of the digital certificate were as follows:
- It is accessible to all EU citizens.
- Confirm vaccination or have tested negative for COVID-19 (in a PCR or lateral flow test) or have recently recovered from infection (within the last 180 days).
- It will be distributed in digital and paper format.
- Both formats include a QR code to ensure their authenticity.
- It will only contain essential information, thus protecting personal data.
- It is printed in the official language (s) of the issuing State and in English.
- It is offered free of charge.
Any member state that allows vaccinated travelers to avoid restrictions, such as quarantine, must accept certificates from other states in the bloc under the same conditions.
The European Union has so far approved the application of vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, but not russian Sputnik V nor the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm.
But the proposal adds that member states have the option of also accepting vaccination certificates issued in connection with other vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In this case, Sinovac and Sinopharm, which have been administered in several Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, have been approved for emergency use by the WHO.
However, the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, applied mainly in Argentina and Mexico, has not yet been regulated by the multilateral body. Despite this, countries like Greece are considering it in their plan to enter the country.
2. Who can receive the certificate?
The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, underlined during the presentation of the certificate that the document aims to ensure that it can be “travel safely and with minimal restrictions this summer”.
On its website, the European Commission explains that the certificate must be issued to all EU citizens and their family members, regardless of their nationality.
The certificate also covers foreigners residing in the EU and visitors authorized to travel to other Member States.
3. Reviews
There has long been a rejection of the idea of creating a “vaccine passport”, which many consider discriminatory.
Some claim that only a minority could benefit unrestricted travel, while others – especially young people, who are not a priority group for vaccination – will continue to be subject to strict measures such as mandatory quarantines.
Doubts also remain about the results – still incomplete – of the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing a vaccinated person from carrying or transmitting the virus. In this sense, France and the Benelux countries are the most opposed to the idea.
Ahead of the EU’s announcement, the WHO said it was working to “create a reliable international framework” for travel safety and that vaccines should not be a requirement.
EU guarantees vaccinated and unvaccinated people will benefit from digital certificate green because it also supports those who have been tested for covid-19 or who have recovered from the disease.
On the other hand, fearing that the certificate contains personal data, the European authorities argue that the information will be limited to the essentials, such as name, date of birth, date of issue and relevant data related to the vaccine, to test or recovery.
4. How does all this affect Latin American travelers?
The European Union has recognized that this is a complicated process, so it leaves the responsibility of each member state to consolidate the information in the best possible way.
In addition, each Member State will determine how it allows entry of non-essential travelers from third countries who meet the minimum requirements. Basically, the one that was completed 14 days after the application of the complete vaccination.
Thus, the Spanish and German governments have opened the doors to non-essential travelers (tourists) they show that they received the second dose at least 14 days before their arrival.
The Spanish government in its Travel Spain portal states the following:
“From a territory registered on the list of countries / areas at risk (according to the list in force at the time of travel), the entry of people traveling for tourism will be authorized with a vaccination certificate issued by the competent authorities from the country of origin from 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose necessary to complete the vaccination cycle. The vaccines accepted will be those authorized by the European Medicines Agency or the World Health Organization.
In the German case, the only vaccines that will be accepted are those approved by the European authority: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Jenssen.
However, a spokesperson for the European Union, in conversation with BBC Mundo, clarified that although each country will determine the form of entry into its territoryWhen it comes to talking about digital covid certificates for travelers from third countries, we will have to wait.
“They must wait for a decision of” equivalence “: When the Commission is satisfied that a third country issues certificates in accordance with standards and systems interoperable with the EU system, it can adopt a decision under which such third country certificates would be accepted ”, he said. he noted.
This means, according to the EU, that certificates from countries outside the continent could meet the same conditions as digital covid documents from the EU.
He also recommended that, under the current pandemic conditions, the information held by the embassies and consulates of European countries in Latin America be consulted before leaving on a tourist trip.
Meanwhile, in the case of European citizens residing in Latin American countries and that they were vaccinated there, the spokesperson indicated that they will be able to request the digital certificate.
“EU citizens vaccinated in a third country can apply for the EU COVID digital certificate from the Member State of their nationality or residence”, the spokesperson explained to BBC Mundo.
“The EU COVID digital certificate will be issued if there is reliable proof of vaccination and if the structure of the health system allows it. For more information, citizens can visit the Member State of nationality or residence, ”he added.
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