Australian State Unveils Vaccine Passport as Lockdown End Nears
Australian State Unveils Vaccine Passport as Lockdown End Nears
(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s most-populous state unveiled a digital app to show the vaccination status of adults, as its prepares to wind back stay-at-home measures next month for people who are double jabbed.
Immunization certificates will be integrated into an existing app that the New South Wales government has used for over a year to assist with contact tracing efforts, state Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello told reporters Wednesday.
Adults will have to be fully vaccinated to visit pubs, restaurants, gyms and retail outlets when the state re-opens around mid-October, once 70% of those aged over 16 have received two doses. Still, the app might not be ready in time as it is still in the final stages of development with a trial set to kick off on Oct. 6.
Countries around the world are grappling with whether to require proof of vaccination as economies open up. The U.K. this month dropped plans for vaccine passports, while France’s constitutional court last month legislated rules that require proof of vaccination or a negative test to eat out and travel.
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