On March 28th, Indonesia proposed the standardization of COVID-19-related health requirements for traveling to the members of the group of 20 major economies (G20). According to Setiaji Setiaji, an aide to the Indonesian Health Ministry, this proposal includes the creation of a global website able to verify the vaccination status of travelers. Indonesia’s proposal will also adhere to the health regulations of each G20 member country regarding COVID-19 vaccines and tests. All G20 member countries support the program except for China, which is withholding support “Due to technical reasons,” Setiaji claimed.

The Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated, “Every person on this earth who travels… can do so more efficiently,” when speaking at a news conference at a G20 health meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. “[A standardized COVID-19 vaccination and test certification system] would ensure that it will be functional in another country and be trusted and verifiable… right now, that is a challenge,” explained Garrett Mehl, the head of the World Health Organization’s Digital Health Technology Unit, regarding Indonesia’s proposal.

Indonesia has previously demonstrated a desire to liberalize travel through its removal of quarantine requirements for foreign travelers, a move that follows similar repeals by Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Standardized procedures that are universally applied, such as vaccination and testing requirements, allow for people to travel more efficiently and avoid burdensome quarantines. Indonesia’s proposal should be implemented due to the effects it will have on economic growth and the prevention of COVID-19. Easier travel allows for countries with tourist economies to regain their main source of revenue while keeping their populations safe from the spread of COVID-19 since they will be able to confirm the vaccination status of tourists. While implementing this type of system would come with difficulties due to the universality required for it to be successful, starting with the G20 countries is a good first step and would likely show to the rest of the world the economic and health benefits of standardizing health requirements for travel.

Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have existed since the virus first became widespread in early 2020. The effects of these restrictions and the health effects of the virus have been drastic, with the IMF estimating that the mean global GDP dropped by 3.9% from 2019 to 2020 and COVID-19 deaths having passed the 6 million mark globally. The tourism industry was especially hard hit by travel restrictions, with its share of global GDP decreasing from 10.4% to 5.5% from 2019 to 2020. Although the spread of Omicron and other COVID-19 variants delayed plans for reopening and lowering restrictions, countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan have begun to lift restrictions to reopen their countries to travel as infections stabilize and, in some cases, decrease.

The destabilizing effects of COVID-19 forced countries to close their borders and apply strict lockdowns out of fear of spreading infections. As global vaccination rates continue to increase and knowledge about preventing the virus has become widespread, it is imperative that countries lift travel restrictions and facilitate the sharing of tourists’ vaccination statuses between each other. While COVID-19 is a deadly virus, the effects of restricting travel also prove devastating to economies that rely heavily on the tourism industry. Providing standardized health requirements for travel amongst G20 nations is a good initial step at reopening these economies and keeping travelers and countries safe.