Greece to Launch ‘Covid Pass’ App that Checks Customer ‘Safe’ Status
Greece said this week that starting July 15, restaurant and F&B business owners would be able to download an application that will check whether the health/vaccination status information provided by customers is valid.
The Covid Pass app will be free and available on app stores for phones and tablets, Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis told Mega channel on Friday. It goes into effect July 15 on the day the government has allowed the operation of indoor spaces such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas, theaters, clubs, bars and sports facilities. It should be noted that this week after Covid-19 cases soared, restaurants, bars, cafes, and entertainment venues can only serve seated customers.
How the Covid Pass Works
The application will verify whether a customer to an establishment – café, bar, restaurant – has been vaccinated or recovered, holds a negative rapid test result or a negative PCR test result.
According to Pierrakakis, the establishment’s manager will scan the document presented (paper or on phone) by the customer and a color-coded system will verify validity.
The color green and a check mark indicates completed Covid-19 vaccination or recovery; yellow indicates a negative test result; and red that the document is false or not correct.
“The idea behind the application is to simply to ‘read’ the European certificate,” said Pierrakakis. In this way, the store manager can decide who to let in, he added.
Referring to the management of personal data, Pierrakakis said the app was designed in collaboration with the government’s independent authority and that the app “collects minimum data”, he added.
Lastly, the minister referred to the government’s Freedom Pass incentive – a pre-paid card worth 150 euros that covers costs for travel and entertainment, including air fare or ferry tickets, vehicle rentals, accommodation, admission to museums and archaeological sites, awarded to those aged 18-25 who get vaccinated. The Freedom Pass goes into effect on July 20, he said.
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