Denmark's government has launched coronavirus passports, which all adult residents can freely download from the national health website, TV2 reported.
The idea is to use the passports when travelling abroad as a token of their health and safety.
In order to obtain one, Danish citizens must first apply to be tested at the coronaprover.dk website. If the test comes back negative, they can subsequently download an official coronavirus certificate by logging into the country's national health website. The passport is only available for download if the test is negative and less than seven days old.
“In many places you might be required to document a negative COVID-19 test, and with the new COVID-19 passport, we now have a digital offering for Danes who need to be able to bring official documentation of a test on their journey,” Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said.
Children over the age of 15 will be able to log in and receive their passports themselves, whereas parents will secure passports for younger children.
Michael Svane, chief executive of the Confederation of Danish Transport, welcomed the move, suggesting that it will “certainly help Danes who have to travel with work or privately”.
“We are (living) in a time when, as a traveller, you encounter many obstacles. But the COVID-19 passport is easy to access and very easy to use,” Svane mused.
Denmark closed its borders to tourists in mid-March to curb the spread of coronavirus. Since then, however, it has opened again to travellers from several countries who meet more objective requirements. Among other things, the share of people infected must be below 20 per 100,000 inhabitants in the country.
Denmark currently requires Swedes living in the border regions of Skåne, Halland and Blekinge to produce negative tests before crossing the border into Denmark, unless they have a “worthy reason” to do so.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation warned against so-called “immunity passports”, which would allow people who have had COVID-19 and recovered to travel more safely, stressing that the extent of immunity is still within reasonable doubt. The idea also sparked ethical concerns, implying the advent of an “antibody elite”.
Nevertheless, several countries are in the process of creating such systems. Among others, Estonia is working on an “immunity passport”, while Chile is also planning a “release certificate”.
So far, Denmark has seen close to 13,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 609 fatalities.
