Covid: Isle of Man travellers urged to update digital vaccine pass

Codes generated before November will not work because of the change

Manx residents planning to visit the EU must update their digital NHS Covid pass or face potential travel delays, the health minister has said.

It comes after the UK reached an agreement with the bloc to integrate their systems for the scanning of proof of vaccination certificates.

Lawrie Hooper said any QR codes generated before 1 November will need to be "refreshed" as a result.

Those with paper copies do not need to get a new certificate, he added.

A government spokeswoman said residents planning to travel "should download a fresh PDF of the pass to generate an up to date code", as those generated prior to the switch "will not work".

The agreement also enables "access to venues across the EU which require proof of vaccination such as museums, restaurants and public buildings", she added.

The change was implemented after few EU member states had been able to scan the digital version of the certificate, which has been available on the island since August.

The change also allows similar use of the code in countries including Norway, Switzerland, Israel and Iceland which are linked to the EU's certification system.