If it is approved, we will start (the implementation of the validation system) in ASEAN countries (first) and later in G20 countries.
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Health Ministry is conducting a trial implementation of a single quick response code (QR code) that harmonizes the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) protocols on vaccination certificate validation for international travel.

"The attempt aims to resolve the difficulties faced by the international community, including Indonesian people, who conduct overseas travel since vaccination certificates in each country are different," chief of the Digital Transformation Office of the ministry, Setiaji, said here on Tuesday.

Thus, despite travelers’ certificates being uploaded on health service applications developed by each country, the validation system can still use the same QR code.

The validation system can be used for various international traveling activities, for instance, the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage, the official said.

Still, travelers will be required to comply with the health regulations and protocols applicable in each country. Thus, the types of acknowledged vaccines will also refer to the policies of each destination country.

"The Health Ministry has initiated the use of WHO international standards to be able to be used by all countries," Setiaji said.

Hence, the WHO-standard QR code was discussed at the 1st Health Ministerial Meeting (HMM), held as part of Indonesia’s G20 presidency, in Yogyakarta on June 20–21, 2022.


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The results of the discussion will be presented at the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15–16.

"If it is approved, we will start (the implementation of the validation system) in ASEAN countries (first) and later in G20 countries," the ministry official added.

The trial implementation of the validation system is being conducted at the Marriott Hotel in Yogyakarta concurrently with the implementation of the 1st HMM.

During the trial, it took less than 10 minutes for participants to pass the QR code validation gate.

The participants were asked to first open the vaccination certificate menu on the health applications acknowledged by their countries of origin to access the QR code of the vaccination certificate on their smartphones.

After the QR code appeared, the participants were asked to confirm the country they were visiting in the menu of the validation machine installed at the gate. Later, the machine opened a QR code screening window.

The participants were asked to bring their smartphones closer to the validation machine to screen the QR code. Upon successful validation, the entrance opened automatically.

"It only took me about five minutes to pass the gate. The process was fast and simple," one of the participants, Wahyudi, said.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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