Editor lll
Namibia, on Monday officially launched the African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Trusted Travel System for the verification of COVID-19 test results and immunization certificates.
The COVID-19 test results from a network of cooperating COVID-19 testing laboratories can be verified and authenticated using the Trusted Travel System’s online digital platform.
At the launch, Namibian Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula emphasized that port health authorities and the transportation industry are important partners.
“It is acknowledged that paper-based techniques for COVID-19 result verification have proven to be burdensome and slow,” he stated.
“The paper-based verification processes have proven to be ineffective in ascertaining and determining the legitimacy and authenticity of test result certificates, hence the need for a system that ensures robustness, speedy execution and improved analytics across the verification continuum’’
According to Shangula, the Trusted Travel System allows for the detection of counterfeit test results and also enhances cross-border collaboration and confidence in COVID-19 results originating from participating jurisdictions.
“The platform further provides updated information on entry requirements and travel restrictions for participating states.
“With greater interoperability amongst systems, travelers are able to plan, embark upon and undertake their journeys in a hassle-free manner,’’ he added.
Shangula said that by Nov. 15, 2021, all participating gazetted points of entry in Namibia will have the system operational and it will become mandatory to have all travelers’ PCR results entered on the system by Dec. 1, 2021.
(Xinhua)
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