Božinović: COVID digital certificate can be issued after first dose vaccination

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Tuesday, the first day of issuance of COVID digital certificates, that certificates could be obtained after being vaccinated with one dose, however, he was uncertain where Croatians can travel with those passes.

"The issuance of EU Digital COVID Certificate started today, and all our citizens that have access to the e-citizen system or to HZZO offices can be given those certificates. Those partially vaccinated can also get certificates provided that 22 days have passed since the vaccination with the first dose," Božinović told the press.

As regards technical solutions for the issuance of travel passes of this kind, Croatia is among the first countries in the EU to start issuing them.

Apart from Croatia, only Germany, Italy and Denmark were ready already today to start rolling out those certificates, the minister said.

To date, 13 countries have been connected to the European platform for the EU-wide travel pass facilitating cross-border movement during the pandemic.

Anyone possessing the pass can enter Croatia without restrictions, according to Božinović, who said that all Croatian border crossings had been equipped to accept those certificates.

Asked about travelling from Croatia to other countries, Božinović said that it was a sovereign right of every country to regulate the matter.

He said that the whole system should start functioning across the EU on 1 July.

It would be ideal of all the states have the same rules, he said.

The new rules will see fully vaccinated people - who have received the second dose in the last 14 days - exempted from testing and quarantine requirements when travelling around the European Union. The same would apply to those who have recovered from the disease in the last 180 days.

It will be up to individual countries to decide if the rule applies to those who have been partially vaccinated. The vaccination and recovery certificates should be in line with the provisions of the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

Travellers with a valid COVID-19 test should not be subject to quarantine. The European Commission proposes two standardised validity periods: 72 hours for PCR tests and 48 hours for rapid antigen tests.

Text: Hina

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