The vast majority of them will be sent out by email.
Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth has said that updated EU Digital Covid Certs (DCCs) will begin to be issued from Thursday night (6 January) for those who have received a booster vaccine.
It comes following new rules adopted by the European Commission in December which state that DCCs will only be valid for nine months for travel within the EU after people complete their primary vaccination course.
The measure will come into effect from 1 February.
Smyth appeared on Newstalk Breakfast on Thursday to give details on the updated DCCs to be rolled out for booster vaccine recipients.
“We’ve all had Covid certs for the last year. We’ve issued nearly five million of them at this stage,” he explained.
“When you travel internationally, you have a QR code. They scan it and you can get through an airport.
“So, from the first of February, the European Union has agreed to change the rules so that you must have had your most recent dose in the last nine months.
“For somebody, for example, who was vaccinated in February of last year – who got their second dose in February of last year – their Covid cert would have expired and they wouldn’t be able to travel on it.
“So, what we’re doing is we’re issuing new Covid certs to everybody whose received a booster shot so that they can continue to travel internationally after the first of February.
“I can tell you today that we are expecting to start sending those out tonight.”
Smyth said the vast majority of the DCCs will be automatically sent out by email.
“If you are somebody who doesn’t have an email address or you went to your GP and the GP didn’t collect your email address, you’ll get a text with step-by-step instructions for how to download your Covid cert or how to have it sent on to your email,” he added.
On whether updated DCCs would be required for indoor hospitality in Ireland in the future, Smyth stated that this was not the current plan.
“At the moment, it’s just for international travel,” he said.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said people can also request a DCC of Recovery via the EU Digital COVID Certificate Self Service Portal if they have recovered from the virus in the last six months.
📢 Digital COVID Certs will be updated soon to reflect your additional vaccine.
The EU is applying a maximum 9 mth validity to certs based on a completed primary vaccination course.
You can also request a DCC of Recovery if you've recovered in the last 6months via online portal pic.twitter.com/VtGHkOHOqR— Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) January 5, 2022
Featured Image via Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
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