Corporations, hospitality industries support introduction of 'vaccine passport'

Companies in the travel, hospitality, and recreation industries are beginning to support the idea of a coronavirus vaccine passport, ABC7 reports.

"Many countries are going to put in at least for some time some kind of vaccination requirement [for travel]," says Ron Russo, who runs a number of vacation businesses in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The vaccine passport would be digitalized, with some proposing a QR code system downloaded to smartphones. Presenting proof of vaccination would become a requirement for those seeking to go to an airport, a movie theater, a stadium, or other crowded spaces.

The proposal has received the support of several major airlines, including JetBlue and United, who are partnering with the common trust network to build a CommonPass app. Those who do not own a smartphone would be given a card instead.

The QR code proposal has also received the support of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "China has proposed a global mechanism on the mutual recognition of health certificates based on nucleic acid test results in the form of internationally accepted QR codes. We hope more countries will join this mechanism," Jinping said.

QR codes have already been deployed in many countries as a mechanism for contact tracing. Patrons to businesses and gatherings would have a QR code on their phones scanned, allowing businesses to quickly notify them if they ahve come into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

The use of QR codes to fight coronavirus have raised privacy concerns, however. Privacy experts have raised a variety of concerns, including the use of contact tracing for marketing purposes, public access to private medical records, and hacking by cybercriminals.

There are also concerns that the use of QR codes for contact tracing does not significantly increase the reliability of contact tracing. A study from New South Wales, Australia found that only 17 cases of coronavirus were discovered through QR-code contact tracing which would not have otherwise been discovered through human tracing.

While the QR code system may harm people's privacy, it continues to rally support within the travel, hospitality, and recreation industries which have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns.