Irish Examiner view: Taoiseach right to advise caution on vaccine passports

It may be a while before we can travel abroad again. Picture: PA

The news that the EU is planning to roll out digital certificates to allow free travel for vaccinated people across the 27-nation bloc will go some way towards easing the growing impatience for a return to some version of normal.

Those working in Irish tourism have welcomed the introduction of a Covid-19 travel certificate, saying it will offer a lifeline to tens of thousands of jobs.

The measure will also offer a glimmer of hope to the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who might not take to the streets in protest but who are, nonetheless, feeling the strain of lockdown on their relationships, their livelihoods, and their health.

Yet, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is right to take a “cautious” approach to vaccine passports. 

Civil liberties

He has said they would give additional rights to some people over others, bringing into question a range of civil liberties issues.

There are other ethical and legal implications too. If a person is refused a service, public or private, because they are not vaccinated that raises a number of questions about discrimination and civil rights.

There are also data and privacy concerns that will have to be spelled out if a person, even willingly, hands over medical information that may be kept on file.

A travel certificate may prove to be a very effective way of striking a balance between stopping the virus and facilitating a return to economic and social activity but, for now, a cautious approach is the right way forward.