HealthCerts Project Overview
Singapore is taking a proactive approach to stimulating travel and trade with countries which are willing to establish bilateral arrangements, sometimes referred to as “travel bubbles”. The key to success of this approach is verifiable Covid-19 testing.
HealthCerts are digital certificates overlaid with a QR code which are used to prove an individual’s Covid-19 health status. These certs are being developed and deployed through the public-private Safe Travel initiative involving Singapore government agencies and industry partners, guided by a coordinating committee. The technical implementation is built on the OpenAttestation Framework developed by Singapore’s GovTech. OpenCerts, which is also a derivation of the OpenAttestation Framework, is already in use at more than a dozen institutions of higher learning to create diplomas and degree certificates which are of undisputed provenance and authenticity.
But HealthCerts do not contain academic data. Embodied in each HealthCert are Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results, based on a nasopharyngeal swab. PCR is a molecular diagnostic procedure — a kind of fast-acting DNA test. These certs could also be used for other types of Covid-19 tests such as antibody tests. In the future, proof of vaccination and the results of immunity tests may also be evidenced by HealthCerts.
There are several steps in production and use of HealthCerts. In Safe Travel terminology, the person receiving a HealthCert is described as a ‘traveller’, but we prefer the more common term ‘recipient’ (analogous to the ‘Credential Subject’ as used in the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Standard).
- An individual applies and visits one of the clinics or hospitals which is able to issue HealthCerts and obtains a PCR test. The current practice is that doctors issue a ‘Clinic Memo’ without a QR code, but this will soon be replaced by a digital HealthCert.
- After the test is completed, the individual is provided their test result in the form of a HealthCert, which can be given to them as a QR code (eg- on a printout) or URL link in an email. Some recipients may opt for a printout, but the actual certificate is digital and the QR code links to it. The PCR test result is valid for approximately 72 hours.
- For certain use cases (eg — Singaporeans and PRs travelling overseas) the recipient of a HealthCert must visit an MOH website to have their certificate notarised. Notarisation is essentially an ‘envelope’ into which the HealthCert is placed, and the envelope has its own QR code.
- The recipient can then visit a checkpoint and present their certificate for clearance. The checkpoint can be an immigration counter or the carrier’s service desk (eg- airport check-in or cruise line gate). Obviously, only a negative result on the PCR test will permit clearance.
A HealthCert does not serve as an identity document. It only provides proof that the recipient has passed the Covid-19 test mentioned in the certificate. Because it incorporates national id and passport number, it can be cross-checked with the bearer’s passport. A HealthCert will expedite clearance when compared with paper certificates, and of course, HealthCerts cannot be falsified or tampered with.
As a feature of the “travel bubbles”, valid HealthCerts are likely to be required for entry to Singapore and to eliminate the need for quarantine. HealthCerts can be issued overseas through partnerships, so that a foreign recipient is pre-approved (with respect to Covid-19 testing) to enter Singapore. Also, HealthCerts will be issued when a foreigner visiting Singapore receives a post-arrival PCR test. This is necessary whenever the duration of stay is longer than 72 hours, a timeframe subject to government policy, which may change.
An increasing number of travel bubbles are being established and there will be an expanding array of use cases for HealthCerts. Foreign visitors will have to abide by COVID-19 prevention measures agreed by both countries, including pre-departure and post-arrival swab tests. All PCR testing done in Singapore, whether the recipients are locals or foreign travellers, will be evidenced by HealthCerts. Various modes of travel will accept HealthCerts during boarding, including airplanes and cruise lines. It is under discussion whether certain destinations in Singapore will require HealthCerts, including the Singapore Zoo and other theme parks.
As is clear from the foregoing, there are going to be many relying parties and many varieties of HealthCerts. A stealth project within a large government-owned investment corporation (hereafter known as ‘Project A’) is building an app that can scan a QR code and perform vendor-independent verification of HealthCerts. This app can be used by airlines or immigration authorities, whomever is manning a checkpoint.
HealthCerts do not force recipients to go digital. Clinics can still issue printed copies. An individual can keep a printed copy of their HealthCert, which is always overlaid with a QR code, and use that for clearance. This can be an added convenience and a good form of backup in case of the loss of a mobile phone during travels.
The status of this initiative is that over 150 clinics in Singapore are already performing the PCR tests and issuing paper certificates, but without QR codes. A few OpenCerts vendors, including NextID, have indicated their intention to issue HealthCerts. Certificate issuance has to be coordinated with GovTech, which is building the notarisation service, and Project A, which is building the vendor-independent verification services.
Despite the hurdles ahead, there is a clear opportunity for HealthCerts to become a widely adopted mechanism for providing travellers with verifiable proof of Covid-19 test results, vaccination and potentially even immunity. For Singapore, HealthCerts are likely to be its most important tool for re-establishing vital tourism and trade links.
Bill Claxton — Founder and CEO of NextID Pte Ltd
