The thought of taking an international vacation seems like a far off dream because of the pandemic, and as case rates change across the globe many countries have resorted to instituting travel bans to protect their citizens.
But one group is hoping to come up with a way to repair trust among countries and allow for people to once again move freely – within reason.
The Commons Project has been developing a travel app that would certify whether or not a traveler has tested negative for the virus before crossing an international border.
It came about after the group worked with a coalition of countries in East Africa on a centralized system that would allow for truck drivers delivering essential supplies to move freely through the region by confirming that they were negative for COVID-19. The group developed an app where drivers could update their status on a regular basis with their test results and show that they were safe to travel.
“Really, that got us thinking about the applicability of a similar framework, similar platform at the global level,” said Dr. Brad Perkins, the group’s chief medical officer.
They have now partnered with the World Economic Forum to build a similar system on a wider scale.
The app is supported by a technology platform developed by Apple to securely store health data.
“What you’re essentially doing is downloading those results into essentially a form of a digital wallet,” said Dr. Perkins.
But he says while the security framework is state-of-the-art, the real obstacle is one that has long plagued international relations.
“The most important thing that we’ve learned is perhaps a little bit surprising, and it’s not specifically about the technology platform or framework… it’s really about trust and building global trust,” he said. Specifically, whether or not countries can trust the lab results – and one day, the vaccination results – from another country. “That’s the theme that repeatedly came up.”
