EU proposes 9-month vaccination certificates, also linkage to booster jabs

FILE PHOTO: Empty syringes are pictured after a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at a doctor’s office in Berlin, Germany, November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Thursday proposed that from Jan. 10 next year the European Union’s COVID-19 vaccination certificates be valid for nine months after full vaccination, and also opened the way for boosters to be linked to such passes.

“The Commission is proposing a stronger focus on a ‘person-based’ approach to travel measures and a standard acceptance period for vaccination certificates of nine months since the primary vaccination series,” the Commission said in a statement.

“The Commission may, if needed, propose an appropriate acceptance period also for vaccination certificates issued following a booster,” it added.