ASEAN Countries Plan To Roll Out A Global Vaccine Passport

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has said that it is planning to introduce a standardised vaccine passport for travel in Southeast Asia. In a recently-held meeting of health ministers of ASEAN countries in Nusa Dua, Bali, officials reached a mutual consensus on developing a vaccine passport. By Karan Kaushik

ASEAN plans to develop a globally-accepted vaccine passport

ASEAN includes Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Southeast Asia has been battling an increasing number of coronavirus cases and myriad travel restrictions since the pandemic hit us in 2020. The global outbreak of the deadly virus has resulted in countries adopting diverse health protocol standards. But these protocols have only complicated things for international travellers.

At present, travel businesses require vaccine certificates from travellers to make sure they are healthy enough to indulge in travel-related activities. The member nations of ASEAN want to address the aforementioned problem by creating a digital-based vaccine passport. The health officials at ASEAN believe that the vaccine passport will be recognised and trusted by all countries.

According to a report published in The Star, the 15th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting was held in Bali recently. The report said that health ministers from all 10 member nations asserted that mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates will help in smooth and hassle-free cross-border travel.

The soon-to-be-developed vaccine passport will follow the same mechanism used by the immigration authorities of ASEAN countries to establish a traveller’s identity. According to officials, the move will help in boosting Southeast Asia’s economy and strengthen ties between ASEAN countries.

Related: What Are Vaccine Passports And How Reliable Are They?