As the world begins to grow accustomed with the premise of international travel once again, global authorities around the world are now looking into finding a common solution with regards to the validity of vaccination certificates issued by various countries as part of their own immunisation efforts against COVID-19. This is especially relevant in the wake of the Omicron spread, with numerous nations now demanding proof of vaccination from international travellers upon their arrival, prior to being granted admission.
Philippine authorities reject MySejahtera digital vaccine certificate
However in a recent report by The Star, it would appear that Malaysia’s digital vaccination certificates issued through the MySejahtera contact tracing app are not actually recognised by Philippine border authorities. This comes after 15 travellers were said to have been left stranded at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport when they were denied admission into the city due to this discrepancy.
A traveller from the group, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, explained that the Philippine immigration authorities did not consider the digital vaccine certificates issued through the MySejahtera application to be a valid proof of an individual’s vaccination status. In light of that fact, they were refused entry into the nation and allegedly had their passports confiscated, after they had arrived on board an 8.30am flight from Kuala Lumpur yesterday (13th February 2022).
“Passengers that were on the flight from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) but were vaccinated in Singapore or the United Kingdom were granted access to the country but those vaccinated in Malaysia have been denied entry.”
“Our passports have been confiscated, and we were told that we would be deported.”
“As there are no hotels available, we are being made to sleep on benches or the floor,” the passenger added.
Group of 15 to be deported from the country despite negotiations by Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines
The group, which comprised of 13 Malaysians and 2 foreign nationals who were all inoculated in Malaysia, was also informed that should they wish to travel into thee Philippines, they are first required to be vaccinated in another country whose vaccination certificate is recognised by the Philippine authorities, such as Singapore, or possess a World Health Organisation (WHO) International Certificate of Vaccination.
And while the Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines had arrived at the airport to meet with the travellers and had attempted to negotiate on their behalf, it is understood that the Philippines authorities remained resolute in their decision to have the group deported. It is worth noting that the Philippines had earlier opened their borders completely to vaccinated travellers last Thursday (10th February 2022).
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