More activities are opening to vaccinated individuals. The question is how they will prove their status.
Italy, Iceland, Greece and Spain now allow or are opening their borders to people who’ve been vaccinated or who recently tested negative for Covid-19. The European Union has agreed to open its borders to more vaccinated tourists, including from the U.S. The question is: How will individuals prove their vaccine or Covid status? As of Wednesday, almost half of the total U.S. population had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose. New Covid infections in the country continue to drop. As of Thursday, the seven-day average of daily new Covid infections is at its lowest level since June 22, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That trend is helping people return to pre-pandemic activities — from concerts to indoor dining to live sporting events and even international travel. Vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or physically distance indoors or out, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month. Retailers like Walmart and Costco and hotel chains including Hyatt dropped their mask requirements for vaccinated customers this month, unless it’s required in local rules. U.S. officials have said they are largely relying on people being honest about their vaccine status, and retailers and hotel chains have said they don’t plan to check for a proof of a vaccine. As Covid mutations spread, will herd immunity ever be possible? White House partners with popular dating apps like Tinder and Bumble to raise vaccine awareness U.S. is recording fewer than 30,000 daily new Covid cases for the first time in nearly a year Singapore orders Facebook, Twitter to correct false claims on a ‘new’ Covid variant CDC chief says lab-based origin of Covid possible but animal host is most common Emergent CEO says FDA is holding over 100 million J&J Covid vaccine doses for further testing after botched doses Employees at plant that ruined millions of J&J Covid vaccine doses failed to shower, change clothes 60% of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine dose as case counts fall further India’s daily death toll crosses 4,500 as Covid-19 cases stay below 300,000 Officials in charge of overseeing international travel require more than the honor system. Federal officials require U.S.-bound international travelers, including U.S. citizens, to show proof of a negative Covid test result to board flights. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said DHS officials don’t check passengers’ Covid test results upon entry — that is up to the airlines.
