The country’s new ‘international travel health certificate’, colloquially referred to as a ‘vaccine passport’, was launched on 8 March in the form of a WeChat-based system. The system uses QR codes to show travellers’ coronavirus and antibody test results and whether they have been vaccinated.
The digital document, which is currently available only to Chinese nationals, could then be provided to the relevant authorities overseas as evidence of a person’s health status. With inoculation programmes gathering pace around the world, several countries are considering the introduction of ‘vaccine passports’ to accelerate the reopening of their borders.
China has also eased entry restrictions for foreigner travellers inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines made in China. Proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result and the Health and Travel Record Declaration Form for Visa Application are no longer required. The new rules came into effect in some places on 15 March.
