Currently, the Norwegian Government says that a person “must be able to document [their vaccination status] by means of a verifiable covid-19 certificate that is connected to the EUDCC gateway.”
When Express contacted the Norwegian Embassy in London to enquire as to whether there would be any changes or consideration to Jersey, they said they had “no further information than what has been published on the Norwegian government’s website,” and pointed to the current guidelines.
One islander has already faced difficulty with travelling to Norway as a result.
He told Express that he was met with a response that, as Jersey was not part of “the UK NHS, also not part of the EU or Schengen”, he would have to go into four days of isolation when he arrived.
Seeking a solution, he contacted External Relations Minister Senator Ian Gorst via email, telling him: “I contacted the Norwegian covid help line to confirm that my Jersey double vaccination would be OK for entry.
“They informed me that as Jersey was not part of the UK NHS, also not part of the EU or Schengen, that I would need to go into 4 day isolation.
“They forwarded me to the Border Police who also confirmed that I would need to isolate before being allowed to enter.”
Pictured: Norway’s travel advice currently states that a covid certificate should be connected to the EUDCC gateway.
The traveller continued: “I contacted the Jersey Norwegian Consul who referred me to the embassy in London.
“I sent them an email explaining the problem, but they didn’t reply.
“The Jersey covid help line said that as we would soon have a yoti QR code that this would solve the problem.However this is not true.
“The problem is recognition and not the availability of a QR code. We are part of ‘the rest of the world’.”
Jersey’s Government did not respond to a request for comment on the issue when contacted by Express last week.
However, they issued a statement on Friday promising the imminent “relaunch” of the digital covid certificate, which is expected to meet EU requirements.
“Officers are working with suppliers to ensure the platform launches as soon as possible once thorough testing and quality assurance has taken place,” it read.
“In the meantime, islanders who need to access to their digital vaccination records can do so by calling the Coronavirus helpline, who will be able to generate QR codes for travel or domestic use in other countries.
“The UK has joined the EU Gateway, which means our QR codes can now be used in Europe and beyond. Islanders are asked to check the vaccination policies of the countries they are travelling to.
“A further update on the progress of the Digital CSC will be given in due course.”