COVID-19 Little movement on Green Passports To date, neither the Canadian nor American government has shown any significant progress in developing a vaccine certification mechanism (passport) that would allow secure cross-border travel, just as Europeans have done in recent weeks. If Canadian passport designers need any models to emulate, or at least study, there is the European Union’s Digital Green Certificate to whichmost of its member countries (desperate to open up summer tourism) have signed on. It’s slated to be operational throughout the EU in July, and several countries have already enacted it. To Europeans, summer vacations are sacrosanct − to some, these vacations are also crucial for their livelihood. And then there is Israel’s phenomenally successful Green Pass regimen, which was so popular that it became almost mandatory for entry to anything from synagogues to rock concerts. In fact, it was so successful in ramping up vaccinations (mostly Pfizer BioNTech), that it was phased out three months after it was begun, as it had become redundant. With more than 80 per cent fully vaccinated, Israelis have shown how COVID can be tamed. When pressed to consider vaccine passport technologies, Prime Minister Trudeau again punted to the scientists, saying: “I think (vaccination passports) are something people have been talking about for a while. There could be negative consequences… We’re going to follow Public Health’s advice. There are potential pros and cons.” No relief in sight Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has time and again declared that Canada will open its border only when it’s best for Canadians and, “not based on what other countries want.” And, as he told a news conference in Ottawa recently, “75 per cent of Canadians need to be vaccinated and daily cases need to continue to decline across the country before his government would be willing to ease travel restrictions.” That’s some tall order, considering that only 18.6 per cent of Canadians have been fully vaccinated (as of June 19, 2021 − COVID19Tracker.ca); although more than 65 per cent have received their first dose. Consequently, full immunization for the great majority clearly seems some time away, particularly as Canada’s vaccine procurement process has been hobbled from the very beginning, eased to a degree by Canadian seniors who were able to get their vaccines as early as January while wintering in Florida and other sunbelt states. In the meantime, the Minister of Health’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Advisory Panel has recommended, among other things, ending the hotel quarantine program (which it finds “expensive” and “inconsistent”) and suggests allowing travellers to choose their own modes of quarantine. The panel also recommends that, when the “non-essential” border crossings are eased, fully vaccinated Canadians be required to show “acceptable proof ” of full vaccination, no pre-departure test or quarantine requirement or day-seven test and, for surveillance purposes, a PCR test on arrival at the border station could be required (a home sampling kit would be acceptable for land-border crossings). Partially vaccinated travellerswould require a PCR test within 72 hours of departure or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure. A PCR test on arrival at the border-testing station and a negative PCR test on leaving quarantine would also be required. For recovered travellerspresumed immunized, government-approved proof of negative PCR test results and or quarantine location details would be mandatory. Ironically, within a week of the panel recommending elimination of the hotel quarantine scheme, the Trudeau government announced that it was not only keeping the hotel quarantine program in place, it was increasing the penalties for incoming travellers refusing the hotel quarantines from $3,000 to $5,000. Does this suggest deterrence? Or punishment? 46 | www.snowbirds.org
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzMzNzMx