When President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement that South Africa would move to level 2 lockdown, he also announced his intention of introducing a ‘vaccine pass’ in the country.
In an interview, editor of Bhikisa Centre for Health Journalism Mia Malan said that vaccine passports could be rolled out the following Tuesday.
‘If all goes well, [the Department of Health] is going to make digital vaccine cards available on the 5th of October and you will be able to download it from a web portal. If you access that web portal on a smartphone you will be able to keep that card on your phone,’ she said in an interview with Peter Ndoro.
The first iteration of the pass is believed to incorporate a QR code that can be downloaded onto a smartphone, similar to an e-ticket. The pass is not being set up with cross-border travel in mind, but Milan alluded to emerging trends worldwide such as vaccinated-only entry to certain companies, government agencies and venues.
Initially, it will be focused on domestic use, they could also be utilised for international travel, Malan said. She also added that the World Health Organisation guidelines for vaccination passports are being followed.
Picture: Unsplash
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