The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal the Victorian and NSW governments are in the final stages of developing technology which will allow venue operators to restrict entry to doubled-dosed patrons and reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading once restrictions are eased. The phone-based system will also allow smoother access to major sports events, such as the Boxing Day Test, if they are designated “vaccine only”, and maintain contact tracing capabilities. Businesses will keep QR code systems already linked to the Services Victoria app.But upgrades to the app would allow for a customer’s vaccination status to be linked, via Medicare, and recognised during digital check-ins at venues. Bouncers, MCG security or gallery attendants would simply see a green tick on the user’s app to allow entry.National – 2021 – Covid Vaccination StatsIf people didn’t have a phone they would need to download a stand-alone certificate through federal government websites apps or Services Australia that could be cross-checked with identification. Federal Employment Minister Stuart Robert said he believed the technological solution would be ready in Victoria and NSW as early as this month, meaning it could be rolled out once 80 per cent of people are vaccinated and venues open to strict capacity limits. Australian Hotels Association president David Canny said there “will be overwhelming support” for the system that could act as a “pub pass” and pave the way for more customers. “If people think it’s a safer place, where they know people are vaccinated, they might be encouraged to go out,” he said.“It needs to be an easy mechanism — QR code in, green tick, ‘welcome, you are in’.”Victorian director of the Australian Industry Group, Tim Piper, said it would boost employee and employer safety, speed up freight movements, and incentivised getting the jab. “A lot of young people are getting vaccinated because they believe it will be a passport for doing these things,” he said.Infectious diseases expert at the Burnet Institute, Professor Margaret Hellard, said vaccination passes were a “really good and really positive thing” but would not mean “open slather”. “Even with high levels of vaccination, if we continue to have high levels of cases in the community we are going to have to be super cautious opening up some venues, particularly indoors,” Prof Hellard said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that once vaccination certificates were linked with state check-in apps via an individual “document number”, they would be authenticated against the federal immunisation register. “How that’s used is up to state governments and individual businesses, who have a right to decide who comes into their premises,” he said. A paper version of vaccination certificate could still be used if people don’t have smartphones.A state government spokeswoman said once national vaccination targets were reached there would be “more access and opportunities for people who are vaccinated”. “We’re working on small, outdoor vaccinated economy pilots — activities or venues that can be made safer if everyone there has been vaccinated,” she said. Mr Robert said Services Australia would make it “simple and safe for people to share their vaccination status”.“Each of the states and territories … have different apps and different health regulations, so we’re upgrading and building secure vaccination certificates that could be integrated to the state apps, if the individual wants to share it,” he said. “There is no doubt Victoria and New South Wales are progressing quickly with upgrading their own apps to enable someone to share vaccination status and I’d expect us to have the tech sorted by the end of September.” Proof of vaccination is also likely to be a key measure for opening borders once restrictions are eased.
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