June 1, 2021- 3:00 p.m.
The European Union’s digital coronavirus certificate program is up for travelers in seven European countries.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland have all started using the program on Tuesday, and all EU countries will be in the program by July 1, The New York Times reported.
The program shows if the person has had a negative COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours, has recently recovered from the coronavirus or is fully vaccinated.
Whoever meets one of those requirements will be able to freely travel through the EU.
The European Commission said the system’s data is not stored anywhere in order to quell privacy concerns, according to the Times.
The EU is working with other countries including the United States in order to determine how to get international travelers certificates for vaccinations.
However, it will be difficult to verify vaccinations for everyone as some countries have not been giving secure proof that a person received both shots, the Times noted.
The U.S. has also said it is looking at vaccine passports for international travelers.
“The U.S. government recognizes that other countries have or may have foreign entry requirements. We will be monitoring these and helping all U.S. travelers meet those,” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
