Sebastian Kurtz
In Europe, covid passports should be introduced for citizens who have had coronavirus, who have been vaccinated or who have passed a negative infection test. This proposal was made by the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The corresponding video was posted on his Twitter account.
Such a document, according to the head of the Austrian government, will allow free movement in the European Union (EU), in particular, travel, visit cultural events, restaurants or stay in hotels. “Specifically, this is a digital solution, that is, everyone should be able to verify their identity from a smartphone, thus living a relatively normal life,” explained Kurz. He recalled that a similar system operates in Israel.
He will bring this initiative up for discussion at the EU Council on Thursday 25 February. The Austrian Chancellor spoke with colleagues who promised to support the plan. If this proposal is not supported at the EU level, Kurz intends to implement it in Austria and invite neighboring countries to participate in it.
The country's chancellor added that he considers it realistic to return to normal life in the face of the pandemic this summer.
Earlier, Michael Ryan, director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Emergency Program, praised the idea of introducing covid travel passports amid the spread of COVID-19. He drew attention to the fact that there is still not enough data on the impact of vaccines on the spread of coronavirus. In addition, immunity certificates are not recommended as required for international travel at this time.
