The Future Of Travel – Digital Green Pass
Hard hit by the various travel restrictions since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union is set to assess the feasibility of the proposed “Digital Green Pass” which will provide information on the travellers’ vaccination records. The objective is to revive the sluggish economies of EU member countries, especially their tourism industries. With guidance from your economics tutor Singapore in economics tuition Singapore, discuss the economic impact of Covid-19 on EU.
The Situation In EU
To date, there have been over 21 million confirmed Covid-19 cases in Europe with over 500,000 deaths. The new variants originating from the United Kingdom and Africa are likely to pose new threats and accelerate the spread of the virus. The situation is especially dire in countries such as Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. You may consult your economics tutor Singapore in your economics tuition Singapore class about the economic performance of these countries in 2020 as compared with their pre-pandemic levels in 2019. With people in European countries less receptive to the idea of wearing a mask and social distancing, vaccination to achieve community immunity seems the only hope. Therefore, all countries are racing against time to have their peoples vaccinated. The EU countries are of no exception. They strive to have 70 per cent of its adult population vaccinated by this summer. However, it remains to be seen if the vaccination will be effective on the new variants which are confirmed to be more infectious. In discussion with your economics tutor Singapore in economics tuition Singapore, compare the cost and effectiveness of different vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna and Sinovac.
Some Considerations
The EU countries are heavily dependent on free movement of labour and other resources to support their integrated economies. It is their hope to reopen the tourism industry in time for the summer holidays to give the sluggish economies a much needed boost. To find out more about the economic integration of EU countries, you may sign up for economics tuition Singapore with a reputable economics tutor Singapore. However, some feel it is still too early to relax the travel restrictions as the EU countries are still at the early stage of their vaccine distribution. Others are concerned about the various challenges during implementation. One consideration is about the standardisation of the Digital Green Pass. Ideally, all EU countries should adopt the same Digital Green Pass with the same standard format. Another consideration is about the verification of the Digital Green Pass as a compulsory travel document. Prior to Covid-19 pandemic, residents in EU countries travelled freely across its member countries by air, train or bus. There was no need for their passports to be checked during their journeys. If the Digital Green Pass was to be implemented in EU, the free movement policy will have to be reviewed to include necessary checkpoints supported by robust verification procedures. You may learn more about the history of EU and the latest development of Brexit from Mr Edmund Quek, the best economics tutor Singapore. Mr Quek is the principal economics tutor Singapore of Economics Cafe Learning Centre, the best economics tuition Singapore centre. The economics tuition Singapore centre is conveniently located within five minutes’ walk from the Bishan MRT Station.
Like the EU countries, other nations such as Singapore are also looking at working with their neighbours to reopen travelling across borders. We wait with anticipation for the travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong to be activated and the suspension of the Reciprocal Green Lane between Singapore and Malaysia to be lifted in the near future.
Linda Geng
Economics Tuition Singapore @ Economics Cafe
Principal Economics Tutor: Mr. Edmund Quek