Big Names In Travel Back CommonPass, New Digital Health Passport to Restart Travel
Photo Credit: The CommonPass is a digital health pass for travelers to securely document their certified Covid-19 test status while keeping their health data private. The Commons Project
Skift Take
Several big names are linked to this pilot, not the least of which are the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and The Rockefeller Foundation, and to other schemes afoot. But are they the answer to restarting travel, and can they convince governments that Covid-19 testing, not quarantines, is the best way to reopen borders?
There may be light at the end of the travel corridor as an international pilot project, supported by American Express Global Business Travel, United, Cathay, Collinson and more, prepares to launch in the next couple of weeks.
The trial will involve a test run of a digital health passport called CommonPass, and a framework that sets standards for lab results and vaccination records, as well as a system that allows different countries to set their own health criteria for entry.
The purpose is to enable safer airline and cross-border travel by giving travelers and governments confidence in each traveler's verified Covid-19 status.
As far back as April there have been ad-hoc attempts at airport testing, but this scheme is one of the most ambitious to date, involving four countries and two major carriers.
The project is being run by the Commons Project Foundation, a Swiss-based non-profit public trust, and the World Economic Forum. The Commons Project was established with suppor
