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Could Vaccine Passports Open Doors for Travel? Inside This Issue 1 Meet Kevin’s First Client (and Her Soon-to-Be Graduate) 2 Kevin and Tracy Celebrate 8 Years Together 99-Year-Old Betty White’s Secrets of Longevity 3 The Bet That Spawned the Filet-O-Fish Sandwich Shaved Asparagus Salad 4 Could Vaccine Passports Open Doors for Travel?
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Are you hoping to travel this summer? Not like how you “traveled” from your bedroom to your living room couch all this past year, but really travel — get out and see the world beyond your hometown. With the COVID-19 vaccines finally available, millions of people are becoming immune to the virus that has ravaged the global economy, especially in the areas of tourism and hospitality. Industry leaders in these sectors are understandably eager for the vaccine to bring back tourism. Some are hoping vaccine passports will play a part in jump-starting tourism around the world. Vaccine passports are a means by which someone can prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and are, therefore, free to travel internationally. Some countries are eager for the sort of verification these passports could bring, should they exist. The Seychelles, Cyprus, Romania, and other countries have all said they would welcome tourists who could prove they were vaccinated. Now, you might be sitting on the same couch you’ve sat on for the past year, thinking, “Well, I would like to travel internationally after I get vaccinated!” However, this proposal is not without concerns.
Firstly, health care officials still don’t know if vaccinated people can transmit the virus. So, even if they’re vaccinated, they could still spread it to unvaccinated people around the world. Another concern is a vaccine passport’s potential to create classes of “haves” and “have nots” among travelers. Many developing countries won’t receive the vaccine for another few years. Should they be barred from returning to normal? Similarly, could the vaccine passport be abused domestically, enabling private businesses to bar customers from their spaces without proof of vaccination? Finally, what form would these passports take if they were to exist? Would they be on a smartphone app? A laminated card? A verified doctor’s note? So, while the prospect of traveling far and wide this summer after getting vaccinated is exciting, it might be better to temper your expectations for now and hope for clearer guidelines in the near future.
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