MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: tourism almost back to normal by October – travel pass on the way

The digital travel pass is here to stay, said Monzeglio

Uruguay's Tourism Undersecretary Remo Monzeglio Sunday explained in a radio interview that his country envisions a quasi total return to normalcy for this coming October and that “we are preparing for the (summer) season.”

Monzeglio also explained the Ministry was working to be ready the day after the borders are opened but declined to give a specific date.

He did admit, however, that “each airline will come with a special passport and everything will work through a QR code that will have all the information certified.”

According to other sources, Uruguayan authorities plan to have the health passport operational by June 2021 through their Coronavirus Uy application so that it also reflects certified information about the vaccines that a certain passenger has received.

The Coronavirus Uy, a digital application developed by the Electronic Government Agency (AGESIC), will be updated so that it incorporates information certified by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP).

This information will reflect whether a passenger has been vaccinated against covid-19; with how many doses; if a coronavirus test was performed in a laboratory approved by the MSP; plus the traveller's itinerary.

Coronavirus Uy will also connect with the IATA Travel Pass, the digital health pass developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). With the data incorporated into the application, the passenger will only have to present a QR code on his mobile phone, which will reflect whether or not he is fit to travel. ”It is something that is here to stay (...) The Travel Pass is the instrument to reliably enter a country,” Monzeglio was quoted as saying.

The launch of the COVID-19 pass in Uruguay is also linked to the success of vaccination campaigns in other countries in the region, the Undersecretary stressed. He also underscored expectations are focused on the positive rate of immunization in the country, where 30% of the population has received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccines. So far, only Chile and Uruguay are among the 10 countries with the highest percentage of vaccinated people.

The launch of the Uruguayan health passport in June would be simultaneous to that of the European Union's Green Digital Certificate, the EU COVID-19 pass, which could allow for a prompt resumption of safe flights between Latin America and Europe.

Since early 2021, Uruguay is said to have been working on a covid-19-pass since early 2021, with an eye on the Madrid-Montevideo route served by Iberia, which would thus become the first European carrier to test the IATA Travel Pass in Latin America.