As Israel and Greece push Covid passport, some urge caution

With most of its population soon to be inoculated against Covid-19, Israel is making deals that would let its citizens visit Greece and a handful of other tourist-hungry countries -- a trend that illustrates the growing global debate over the rules of travel in the post-pandemic era. About two-thirds of eligible Israelis have already had a first shot of vaccine, as the country administers doses at by far the highest rate anywhere. On Monday, the government announced a deal with Greece on mutual recognition of jabs, allowing for eventual quarantine-free travel. The Foreign Affairs Ministry says it’s discussing similar agreements with Cyprus and the Seychelles. While many countries plan to open their borders to people who can show a negative Covid test taken shortly before flying, Israel is also proposing “vaccination certificates as an enabler for the movement of people between countries,” said Ilan Fluss, head of the ministry’s economic bureau. “It’s obviously safer than testing.” Those certificates may be a precursor to the “vaccine passports” some countries are planning as they seek to revive their battered tourism sectors. But many leaders have been less than enthusiastic about requiring proof of vaccination for travel, saying any such system would be unfair and possibly ineffective. “The risk is we get different approaches in different places,” said John Strickland, who runs London-based airline advisory firm JLS Consulting. The WHO says it’s unclear whether inoculated people can infect others even if they remain asymptomatic. <br/>