fter a year of on-and-off lockdown, Europe’s businesses and citizens urgently need progress towards safe economic reopening and return to normalcy. This is especially critical given the fast-approaching spring and summer travel season, which will be decisive for the desperately needed hospitality industry. But with a struggling vaccine rollout, Europe will need a broader range of solutions to reignite this vital source of jobs, economic activity, and psychological relief.
A fair, scientific, equitable immunity passport approach offers a path forward. If appropriately designed, such a program could maximize the economic and psychological benefits of every vaccine administered, providing an important boon for the travel industry and all of the businesses and workers that depend on it.
This could jumpstart recovery, as the travel and tourism industry sit at the center of the European and global economy. Before COVID-19, the European tourism industry supported more than 27 million workers and 2.3 million businesses, linking to a full 10% of GDP and 12% of total employment. And this was just one part of the larger $8.3 trillion global tourism industry.
Immunity passports could help to quickly restore this economic pillar. However, there are valid concerns about privacy, inequity, safety, and other aspects of such a passport program. The fate of 2021 may well depend on finding a middle way. Much like COVID-19 testing and vaccination, the success or failure of immunity passports will depend on how they are implemented. Five fundamental principles must guide any successful effort.
First, governments and research institutions must ground immunity passports in a valid scientific basis. There is no clear evidence about whether or not a vaccinated person can still transmit COVID-19, which is further complicated by the growing number of COVID variants. These questions will need to be settled with a review of available evidence before immunity passports can safely move ahead with full public trust.
Second, immunity passports must be part of a broader package of measures that address potential inequities that could arise based on age, socioeconomic resources, and demographic groups. While an immunity passport would offer the easiest way to travel and engage in other activities, these options should also be available to those who complete alternative safety measures, such as testing, distancing, and isolating. This will aid those who cannot yet access the vaccine—maintaining the sense of social solidarity that has held together pandemic responses thus far. What’s more, if the immunity passport approach will be used as a template for other activities—going to the movies, shopping, etc., there is an increasing pressure on getting this right.
Third, data security and privacy must be bullet-proof. Last year, there was significant scrutiny of contact-tracing apps, given the extremely sensitive and confidential nature of this information. To be successful, any passport-like tool needs to ensure that protecting privacy, freedom, and fairness is a primary objective, not an afterthought.
Fourth, an immunity passport must add to—not replace—existing public health measures. While vaccination will ultimately end the pandemic, societies cannot afford to let up the masking, physical distancing, contact tracing, and other measures needed to limit spread during the interim period when vaccines are still rolling out.
Finally, these measures must be coordinated and standardized between different countries. An immunity passport has limited value if it means completely different things in Berlin versus Barcelona. Strong regional and international cooperation is needed to ensure a viable level of standardization and uniformity, with bodies like the World Health Organization, International Air Transport Association, UN World Tourism Organization, and others positioned to take the lead.
A well-designed immunity passport program offers a lifeline to not just Europe’s hospitality sector, but the entire economy and people who desperately need psychological respite. It could allow millions of people to resume more normal routines more quickly, driving a faster recovery of businesses and livelihoods in this key economic sector. However, the risks of an uneven or poorly planned response also loom large. That’s why discussion, design, and planning must begin now. Like the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the design of immunity passports must be fast-tracked to meet the urgency of the crisis.
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Five Principles for a Successful Immunity Passport
March 24, 2021
A
fter a year of on-and-off lockdown, Europe’s businesses and citizens urgently need progress towards safe economic reopening and return to normalcy. This is especially critical given the fast-approaching spring and summer travel season, which will be decisive for the desperately needed hospitality industry. But with a struggling vaccine rollout, Europe will need a broader range of solutions to reignite this vital source of jobs, economic activity, and psychological relief.
A fair, scientific, equitable immunity passport approach offers a path forward. If appropriately designed, such a program could maximize the economic and psychological benefits of every vaccine administered, providing an important boon for the travel industry and all of the businesses and workers that depend on it.
This could jumpstart recovery, as the travel and tourism industry sit at the center of the European and global economy. Before COVID-19, the European tourism industry supported more than 27 million workers and 2.3 million businesses, linking to a full 10% of GDP and 12% of total employment. And this was just one part of the larger $8.3 trillion global tourism industry.
Immunity passports could help to quickly restore this economic pillar. However, there are valid concerns about privacy, inequity, safety, and other aspects of such a passport program. The fate of 2021 may well depend on finding a middle way. Much like COVID-19 testing and vaccination, the success or failure of immunity passports will depend on how they are implemented. Five fundamental principles must guide any successful effort.
First, governments and research institutions must ground immunity passports in a valid scientific basis. There is no clear evidence about whether or not a vaccinated person can still transmit COVID-19, which is further complicated by the growing number of COVID variants. These questions will need to be settled with a review of available evidence before immunity passports can safely move ahead with full public trust.
Second, immunity passports must be part of a broader package of measures that address potential inequities that could arise based on age, socioeconomic resources, and demographic groups. While an immunity passport would offer the easiest way to travel and engage in other activities, these options should also be available to those who complete alternative safety measures, such as testing, distancing, and isolating. This will aid those who cannot yet access the vaccine—maintaining the sense of social solidarity that has held together pandemic responses thus far. What’s more, if the immunity passport approach will be used as a template for other activities—going to the movies, shopping, etc., there is an increasing pressure on getting this right.
Third, data security and privacy must be bullet-proof. Last year, there was significant scrutiny of contact-tracing apps, given the extremely sensitive and confidential nature of this information. To be successful, any passport-like tool needs to ensure that protecting privacy, freedom, and fairness is a primary objective, not an afterthought.
Fourth, an immunity passport must add to—not replace—existing public health measures. While vaccination will ultimately end the pandemic, societies cannot afford to let up the masking, physical distancing, contact tracing, and other measures needed to limit spread during the interim period when vaccines are still rolling out.
Finally, these measures must be coordinated and standardized between different countries. An immunity passport has limited value if it means completely different things in Berlin versus Barcelona. Strong regional and international cooperation is needed to ensure a viable level of standardization and uniformity, with bodies like the World Health Organization, International Air Transport Association, UN World Tourism Organization, and others positioned to take the lead.
A well-designed immunity passport program offers a lifeline to not just Europe’s hospitality sector, but the entire economy and people who desperately need psychological respite. It could allow millions of people to resume more normal routines more quickly, driving a faster recovery of businesses and livelihoods in this key economic sector. However, the risks of an uneven or poorly planned response also loom large. That’s why discussion, design, and planning must begin now. Like the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the design of immunity passports must be fast-tracked to meet the urgency of the crisis.
