PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The airline industry and several business groups are asking the Biden administration to develop “vaccine passports” — credentials for travelers to show they’ve been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19.
In a letter to White House COVID-19 Response Team coordinator Jeff Zients, a few dozen groups, including airline trade organizations, airline labor unions and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the United States needs to lead with such an effort, though they do not believe vaccination should be mandatory for travel. They do see the potential for a much-needed economic boost if more people feel safe traveling.
Airlines are losing $150 million a day, according to advocacy group Airlines for America. The organization, in data released on Monday, said U.S. travel volume was 58% below pre-pandemic levels last week.
The concern, as CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg lays out, is that different countries and organizations have or will be coming out with credentials, but too many out there could create confusion and complications.
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“There’s no one set form of requirements yet that the world has embraced that allows for a singular vaccine passport yet,” Greenberg said.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone gets smart and comes up with a universally acceptable, readable and updatable document that people can use to give them a sense of confidence and freedom that they’re desiring right now.”
So far, no word from the White House on this particular issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that vaccinated people can be with each other, unmasked, but the agency still does not recommend travel.
“Every time that there is a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Other countries are moving forward with their plans. China created a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate for its citizens. The European Union is expected to announce, at some point this month, plans on the development of a “Digital Green Pass”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen tweeted last week that the aim is to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, results of tests for those who couldn’t get a vaccine yet, and information about COVID-19 recovery. She said, "It will respect data protection, security and privacy."
The World Health Organization, however, is cautioning against mandating such “passports” for travel.
“At the present time the use of certification as a requirement for travel is not advised because quite simple vaccination is not available enough around the world and not available, certainly, on an equitable basis,” Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said on Monday.
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