We have some tentative good news to bring you with the news that the ban on Aussies leaving the country will be dropped as soon as November.
As per SMH, plans to bring to an end the travel restriction are in motion, with the government set to push forward with the “vaccine passport” idea so travellers can prove they are allowed to cross international borders.
The federal cabinet discussed the huge changes on Wednesday night, September 8th, and the plans could be cemented within days. It would see the establishment of a travel pass linked to the Australian Immunisation Record that travellers can download to their phones in order to prove they’re full vaccinated.
Australians have been restricted from leaving the country during the coronavirus pandemic, forced to seek permission from the Department of Home Affairs. As soon as the vaccination rate of those aged 16 and over reaches 80% though, federal ministers want to remove the restriction.
Due to steadily increasing vaccination rates, current estimations have NSW and Victoria reaching that figure in November, with Queensland and Western Australia making it to 80% one month later in December.
The federal government is also signing up to an international app backed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, an agency of the United Nations, using a “visible digital seal” as a global standard for proving vaccination.
This “digital seal” is a barcode that can be used to verify vaccination and other date when a passenger gets to any check-in counter or self-service kiosk. It uses public key cryptography to secure the information.
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There are doubts though about global agreements on the vaccines to be recognised in the emerging system: the International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines, called on the World Health Organisation last month to develop a recognised global digital vaccine standard.
For more on this topic, follow the Travel Observer.
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