The European Commission plans to maintain the covid certificate system for another year and a half. This is reported by El Pais, citing its own sources.
According to the information, the EC is going to approve the corresponding project for the extension of the digital document this week. The certificates were accepted in Europe in the summer of 2021. Initially, they were supposed to be used for 12 months as the main tool for controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, now the commission has decided not to abandon the current rules until July 2023.
The EC noted that the preservation of covid certificates is not just a desire of officials to make it difficult for tourists to travel between countries, but a necessary measure. In the current pandemic conditions, the refusal of certificates will lead to a significant weakening of sanitary measures and hinder the fight against coronavirus.
Covid passports are issued to citizens who have completed a full course of vaccination against COVID-19, have had a disease, or have tested negative for the infection. From February 1, the validity of the document is 9 months.