Coronavirus: EU digital Covid certificate ‘currently only for travel’

The EU digital Covid certificate can only be used to travel across European borders but does not represent a valid certificate to access venues in Cyprus, according to the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Kyriakos Kokkinos.

Speaking to CyBC’s Trito programme on Friday, Kokkinos said that every EU country, including Cyprus, is making its own legal arrangement regarding the SafePass and said he hopes the Council of Ministers will take a final decision on the matter by next Wednesday.

“For now, people must show their vaccination card, or the result of a negative Covid-19 test no older than 72 hours when visiting businesses and venues,” Kokkinos said.

On Thursday, the permanent secretary of the deputy ministry for research, innovation and digital policy Stelios Himonas said that people in the island will soon be able to download a mobile application with which they can prove they have received the jab or taken a PCR or rapid test.

The application will be called “CovPass”. It has already been submitted for approval to the AppStore and to Google Play and is set to be released in the upcoming days.

Himonas added that the internal SafePass, whether in print or digital form, is not a travel document, but rather an added proof that can be used to facilitate travel or access to certain venues or businesses that require a vaccine or a negative test.

In order to travel across border, like Kokkinos said, people must have a valid EU digital Covid certificate.