On March 17, 2021, the EU members want to set the course for a so-called “Green Pass”, which is intended to simplify travel within the Union territory. So far, the only thing that seems fixed is that people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 will receive certain privileges.

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) said at the beginning of the discussion that the "Privilege Pass" can also be activated and kept valid with regular tests. Exactly on this topic there is still a great need for discussion, because it is unclear whether PCR is necessary or whether antigen tests are sufficient. Furthermore, the question arises: How long is a negative test result valid? Exactly this should be regulated uniformly across Europe and not all members of the Union are positive about rapid tests.

Many countries, for example Austria and Germany, recognize negative rapid test results. Greece, once a driving force in travel antigen testing, indicated that a negative PCR result is required to enter the country without vaccination. Other vacation countries such as Spain and Malta do not currently recognize rapid tests. So there will still be a lot of discussion.

Within Austria, the “Privilegienpass” will in future also be the entry ticket for events, football matches, concerts and, if necessary, body-friendly services. How exactly this should work is still completely unclear. In any case, the daily newspaper "Die Presse" reports that the federal government, the federal states and the social security system agreed on a timetable during the Elga general meeting. The “Green Pass” should be ready by the beginning of the summer holidays at the latest.

E-Card as a national “Green Pass”

The E-Card health insurance card is intended to serve as a “Green Pass” in Austria. An app and printed versions in the form of a PDF file should be available as alternatives. The Federal Computing Center wants to provide corresponding QR codes that are to be used for authenticity checks.

However, the fact that the Elga general meeting is involved in the project gives rise to fears that people who do not take part could again be put in a worse position. For example, these were already used in the Issue of free home tests excluded. There will also be numerous data protection issues to be met with regard to the e-card, because the health insurance card in front of a rock concert sounds quite absurd from today's perspective. The question that inevitably arises: Which data is tapped and, conversely, which information is stored by the social security system? So, in theory, could there be consequences if a person on sick leave goes to the hairdresser, for example?