Experts urge govt to digitise Covid vaccine and testing certificates for travellers

Various experts and organisations have urged government to digitise its Covid vaccine and testing certificates in a standardised way which will make it easier for travellers going overseas.

As international travel has been slowly reopening to people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid, South Africa’s card-based certification has fallen behind the global digital trend.

Although some European countries have given the green light for visitation without having to spend weeks in quarantine or hours in airports, some travellers could be denied entry to some countries, while some may be delayed for hours, or even days, due to manual processing at airports.

According to Dear SA’s Rob Hutchinson, although the digitising of the vaccination database was doable, government was trying to delay and keep the database within its control.

Hutchison said there were policies interfering with government’s online initiatives, as it has been looking to launch its own cloud-based network.

Countries with high vaccination rates that are approaching herd immunity have slowly started to ease travel restrictions and many may resort to vaccine passports as tickets of entry.

Although digital records may be the most convenient way to prove your Covid vaccination, government has said it is working on it, but has not yet provided any further updates or timelines.

“A decision has not been taken but the thinking is firmly there,” said the department of health’s spokesperson Popo Maja.

“The entire world seem to be heading towards that direction.”

Meanwhile, Discovery Life has acknowledged the need for a digital version of the Covid vaccination card, particularly for international travel purposes, but also for long-term reference and fraud prevention.

According to Discovery’s Nthabiseng Chapeshamano, the company has developed a solution for a digital version of the Covid vaccination card and was awaiting approval from the national department of health before implementation.

– reitumetsem@citizen.co.za