International travel update: Canada set to launch digital vaccine passports soon

After announcing restrictions for unvaccinated people, Canada is set to create a digital vaccine passport for citizens wanting to travel abroad.

Government officials revealed on Wednesday that a digital vaccine passport will be made available within the next few months.

This vaccine passport will be "a key step forward in ensuring Canadians will have the documents they need once it is safe to travel again," according to Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.

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Canada has been urging locals to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. Recently, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had suggested compulsory vaccines for all government employees.

"We need to get vaccinated to get through this pandemic, particularly with all the real concerns around the Delta variant we are facing that is striking hardest, obviously, in under-vaccinated and non-vaccinated people," Trudeau said.

He also added that getting vaccinated is "no longer a matter of individual choice" and people should consider "community and our children who haven’t had the opportunity to be vaccinated".

Quebec had also discussed the idea of 'vaccine passports' after which all non-essential public spaces such as gyms, restaurants, clubs etc will be available only to those who have been fully vaccinated.

Till the end of July, nearly 81 per cent of the eligible population had received the first dose of the vaccine and 68 per cent have been fully vaccinated.