Malawi introduces Digital Verification platform for COVID-19 certificates

The Government through the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the African Union (AU) and Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has introduced a digital verification platform for COVID-19 certificates.

A statement, signed by Secretary to the Ministry, Charles Mwansambo, says the online verification system will ensure the integrity of certificates presented at various points of entry.

Reads the statement: “The Covid-19 pandemic continues to adversely impact global travel, disrupting trade, tourism, and other economic activities. To mitigate against these effects and to allow for economic activities dependent on international travel, many governments are requiring travelers to present negative Covid-19 certificates at various points of entry”.

The Ministry is further notifying all travelers to first visit authorized laboratories; National Microbiology Reference Laboratory and all central hospitals in the country to get take a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) Covid-19 test and get and “ensure that their test results have trusted travel (TT) codes that can be verified by airlines and health authorities at ports of entry.”

The statement further stipulates that starting from July 1, 2021, no traveler will be allowed to leave Malawi without verified certificates and those coming to Malawi will also require to produce a TC code issued after successful validation of their test result by the Global Haven verifier.

The digital verification system also comes in the wake of reports of fake traveler’s Covid-19 certificates.