(20 Apr 2021)
IATA has signed an agreement to incorporate Unilabs’
worldwide COVID19 testing network into its Travel Pass.
The deal makes Unilabs one of the first major lab
groups to be integrated into IATA’s Travel Pass app.
Proof of a
negative COVID19 test is required by many governments as a
condition of entry, and the app makes the process seamless,
secure, and easy.
Crucially, the app also ensures that documents
used for travel are genuine, and not counterfeit.
“We are delighted that IATA has chosen us for this
initiative,” said Michiel Boehmer, Unilabs’ President and COO. “As
international travel starts coming back, we are ready to do our
bit – delivering the fast, effective, and reliable COVID19 tests
that will get people moving again.”
IATA Travel Pass provides information on entry
requirements, directs travellers to trusted labs, and allows
passengers to receive and manage digital certificates for COVID19
tests or vaccinations.
Unilabs will be able to securely upload test
results in IATA Travel Pass, which are then checked against the
IATA Timatic global registry of national health requirements, to
produce an “OK to Travel” status.
Through the app, passengers can
share their status and the digital test certificates with
authorities, airports, and airlines.
Unilabs and IATA are currently running a pilot
program in the UAE. Once the processes are successfully up and
running, the initiative will be rolled out to other entities of
the Unilabs network in many countries.
Alongside PCR tests, Unilabs also performs antigen
and serology tests. Since the start of the COVID19 pandemic, the
lab group has performed close to 10 million COVID19 tests across
its network in 17 countries.
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PODCAST
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Editor’s note:
As the above video interview was conducted over the internet, I
would like to apologise that the audio and visual quality are not
up to the same HD/UHD quality that it normally would be. Hopefully it won’t be too
long until we are once again conducting exclusive video interviews
in person, but for now we have to make do with what we have. Thank
you.
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