Vaccine passports are a much discussed and longed-for platform for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The term itself suggests an opening to international travel and, as leisure and business trips come back, the oppression of lockdown life is hopefully behind us.
In fact, events in Europe are showing that the passes are likely to be far more localised and deep-reaching in daily life than travel documents. The day-to-day, perhaps hour-to-hour, nature of the concept is prompting new soul searching on how desirable or even workable the arrangements might be.
With Germany suffering its fastest growing wave of the crisis so far, Boris Palmer, the mayor of the south-western city of Tubingen, has been hailed for going against the trend of stay-at-home orders. Mr Palmer has set up a system of "day tickets" where the 90,000 residents can make their way to any one of eight testing centres in the city. If the antigen test comes back negative, the resident can go to restaurants, shops and the local theatre, when it opens on April 4.
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Not all precautions have been thrown away. Patrons would still have to wear a mask inside venues. And the QR code pass worn on a bracelet is only good for the day of issue.
For testing capacity, it helps that Tubingen has a large university. The 30,000 students in the town are also younger and less vulnerable to Covid-19.
Meanwhile, three Swiss cantons are providing points of light in Europe’s darkness by running extensive testing regimes. Not with the relatively easy to administer – but less reliable – antigen devices but spit and PCR tests. The cantons have set up these mass tests to ensure that schools and factories are fully opened to sustain the economic recovery.
However, extending schemes such as this to cities around the world would be fraught with verification issues. The third wave is only just taking off in many European countries, so it is hard to conceive that a relaxation of stay-at-home orders and curfews will be possible before the summer starts.
Drill down and there are barriers to imposing Covid-19 pass regimes everywhere. Is there a model for the workplace? Or for public transport? The use of the system in sports events and restaurants is not a simple option. Who should be given a "laissez passer"? People who have tested positive to Covid-19 in the recent past. With antibody protections, these people should have less fear of social interaction.
Those who have been vaccinated are the obvious candidates. All the major vaccines are proving more than 70 per cent effective against even the mild form of the disease. Of course, with many countries working their way down the age spectrum in distributing vaccines, the pressures on the younger cohorts to get the vaccine would rise. The young might feel excluded but in terms of risk to life, one 83-year-old vaccinated is worth 50 people in their forties.
What about those who merely test negative within a limited timeframe? This would seem to prioritise calculated risks over absolute vigilance against the spread of the coronavirus.
Despite the difficulties presented by critics of vaccine passports, the system is the gateway to open up the big European economies
Credentials based on the three criteria above represent a great step forward. To cry that they are inevitably excluding some people is misguided.
In fact, the implementation of a simple system such as this would be enabling. It would allow businesses to restart. These businesses – be they theatres or restaurants – would be able to show that they could operate within regulated conditions, just as they did before the pandemic.
The scale of the system could quickly grow to the size of a domestic driving licence scheme. It can only be justified because it is necessary in the circumstances thrown up by the pandemic.
The related issue of vaccine passports for international travel is, in fact, far more complicated. This is widely seen as a device to allow people to travel to another destination. But this throws up questions, too. For instance, what if people leave their home country and return having picked up the virus or a variant that is potentially even more dangerous? These people essentially become an imported biohazard. The legal implications of tracking disease across international borders is totally untested. The anguish of separation is likely to take on new forms unless the guidelines are well designed.
Returning to life in the locality is the first step. The pain and loss of not going to school, being isolated from family or friends, not accessing leisure venues or going to sports events, not to mention exclusion from care homes and other settings, are now recognised by almost everybody.
Economists measure the value of "bonding" (within the immediate social sphere, community or group), as well as the rewards for "bridging" (between social networks along class, racial and religious lines). By some measures, the boost to GDP from unimpeded bonding is around 5 per cent while bridging adds another 9 per cent.
Andy Haldane, the Bank of England economist, believes people are desperate to regain their lifestyle, socialising and working roles to fuel a “rip-roaring” recovery.
Despite the difficulties presented by critics of vaccine passports, the system is the gateway to open up the big European economies.
Damien McElroy is the London bureau chief at The National
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Summer special
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
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%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000