Let’s push the limits a bit, precisely what is required if you are part of the wide travel ecosystem to succeed out of the devastating effects of the COVID-19. We have been discussing the impact of technology on the revival of the travel sector in the previous two blogs and we will continue to deal with more technological changes viz. Digital health passports that will turn the tables on in this blog.

Digital health passports:
Health could be embedded in every travel process. A study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates that the use of masks, visible sanitizing and screening will help enhance passenger’s feeling of safety post-COVID-19.

To date, there is no agreement or standard on the acceptable level of risk for permitting individuals to travel or reopening borders. Until or otherwise any vaccine is developed, the focus will be on shifting to assessing the risk of individual travellers. With the consent of the passengers, airline and travel companies could make use of personal data including underlying health conditions, age and travel history to come up with an individual risk profile.

Efforts to develop heath standards and protocols utilizing digital technology for the travel and tourism industry are still in infancy. Erstwhile, airlines including Emirates have ensured that passengers need to undergo on-site COVID-19 testing. European airports have framed industry guidelines and regulations for passenger health screening.

While not novel a technology, the use of thermal cameras at airports is more prevalent post COVID-19 outbreak. There are many apps built for symptom-tracking and contact-tracing in several countries. Google and Apple are on the verge of finalizing contact-tracing software for developers to put together compatible apps.

New health-screening and tracking tools ensure the safety of passengers. All said and done privacy and data issues too have to be dealt with all the while. Any solution has to be fully transparent and secure if the travellers are to approve them for wider use. Sharing of data on a ‘need to know’ and ‘authorized to know’ basis, with prior consent conforming applicable guidelines and regulations should be in place.