Namibia begins use of “Trusted Travel System” for COVID-19 tests
Namibia on Monday officially began using the African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Trusted Travel System for the verification of COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates.
The Trusted Travel System offers an online digital platform for the verification and authentication of COVID-19 test results from a network of participating COVID-19 testing laboratories, port health authorities and transport industries, Namibian Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula said at the launch.
“It is recognized that paper-based systems for the verification of COVID-19 results have proven to be cumbersome and slow,” he said. “The paper-based verification processes have proven to be ineffective in ascertaining and determining the legitimacy and authenticity of test result certificates, hence the need for a system that ensures robustness, speedy execution and improved analytics across the verification continuum.”
According to Shangula, the Trusted Travel System allows for the detection of counterfeit test results and also enhances cross-border collaboration and confidence in COVID-19 results originating from participating jurisdictions.
“The platform further provides updated information on entry requirements and travel restrictions for participating states. With greater interoperability amongst systems, travelers are able to plan, embark upon and undertake their journeys in a hassle-free manner,” he added. Shangula said that by Nov. 15, 2021, all participating gazetted points of entry in Namibia will have the system operational and it will become mandatory to have all travelers’ PCR results entered on the system by Dec. 1, 2021.
