Japan to issue COVID-19 vaccine passport for travel abroad
17 June, 2021
Japan said on Thursday (Jun 17) it'll make a vaccine passport available from next month for Japanese travellers, as governments all over the world experiment with ways to relaunch tourism and business trips.
"We are getting ready to issue a certificate of vaccination for many who need one ... if they visit foreign countries," top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
The certificate will be paper-based instead of digital and will be issued by local governments from sometime the following month, he said.
EUROPE is working on a digital vaccine passport because of this summer so that it can welcome back badly needed tourists, and some EU countries intend to introduce certificates at the national level.
The EU version will feature information on whether one has been vaccinated, or had the virus, tested negative, and recovered.
Last month, Washington said it had been also considering special documentation for vaccinated Americans who wish to travel abroad.
However the idea is controversial in some places, with conservative US states like Florida and Texas rejecting the thought of vaccine travel documents as a violation of peoples' basic rights.
In Japan, company officials have already been keen for a vaccine document that could help reestablish business travel.
Japan's vaccine rollout started comparatively slowly, but has picked up pace in recent weeks. Just over six percent of the populace happens to be fully vaccinated.
The country's borders are closed to virtually all foreign arrivals, though the rules will be relaxed for the Olympic Games, which open in Tokyo on Jul 23.
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