Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies debates creating a national health passport

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chamber of Deputies Tourism Committee is promoting a public hearing this Friday, May 14, on the proposed bill 1158/21, which establishes the Covid-19 Health Passport in Brazil.

According to the bill, the health passport will be issued by the Ministry of Health and will be mandatory nationwide. The document will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the pandemic.

The document must be presented upon departure or arrival by air or land, and during lodging. However, when traveling abroad, the destination country will decide whether or not to require tests or quarantine.

“With health care and social distancing, the Covid-19 Health Passport will be crucial in the post-pandemic period and will allow tourism services and the economy to operate again,” said its authors, deputy Geninho Zuliani (DEM-SP).

Currently, through Conecte SUS, the Ministry of Health’s official cell phone app, it is possible to access the National Digital Vaccination Card and track all the user’s immunizations in both public and private networks.

According to the bill, the document to be accessed over the internet will include:

– digital vaccination card, with name, date of birth and CPF (individual tax ID);
– certificate of vaccination against Covid-19, with immunizer, manufacturer, date and number of doses;
– certificate of negative molecular test (PCR), with date, time and laboratory; and
– if applicable, certificate that the user has recovered from infection, with the physician’s digital signature and date, valid for a maximum of 180 days, and date of the positive test confirming the disease.

The debate this Friday was called by deputy Herculano Passos (MDB-SP), co-author of the bill. “Several countries have begun issuing certificates that may soon allow those who have been immunized to travel abroad,” he points out.

“Governments now face another issue: is it time to resume certain parts of the economy, such as travel, theaters, concerts, and even work for all? Or only for those who have already been vaccinated?,” he questions.

Taking part in the public hearing are the author of PL 1158/21, deputy Geninho Zuliani (DEM-SP); the president of the Brazilian Association of Airlines (ABEAR), Eduardo Sanovicz; the director of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Brazil, Dany Lima de Oliveira; and the president of the National Forum of State Secretaries and Directors of Tourism (FORNATUR), Bruno Wendling.

Also invited were representatives from the Ministry of Tourism; the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety; and the Ministry of Health.

Europe

The European Union on May 10 began the test phase of its Covid-19 health passport, called the “digital green pass,” which will allow travel between the countries of the bloc and the European common market. The pass will contain data on vaccinations, treatments the traveler has undergone, and negative test history.

In the testing phase, the interoperability of structures that will produce the passes and the uploading and downloading of data are being assessed. No real data is being used, for now. But as of June 1, EU member countries will be able to upload real data.

Source: Exame