Many governments around the world are beginning to consider the prospects of liftingrestrictions on business in a bid to revive their economies. Based on this, many are considering "immunity passports" or “risk-free certificate” as a way to check the further spread of COVID-19 infection.

The idea is to issue these immunity documents to citizens who have survived COVID-19 infection and tested positive for its antibodies. Survivors who are considered to not be at risk of contracting the disease will be allowed to go back to work and resume social interactions.

This idea has been widely criticized due to the fact that there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

In Canada, one of the proponents of immunity passports is Dr. Kumanan Wilson, who recently predicted that proof of immunity will be required in the future, not only for people returning to work, but for cross-border travellers and people who attend mass sporting events, music concerts, and live theatre.

In a recent CBC interview, Dr. Wilson said that he hopes to partner with the Canadian government to develop a system that shows people who are protected once immunity tests become available.  The physician insists that immunity passes could be an 'interim measure' on the way to reopening society.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO)has warned against the use of these certificates, stating that "currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."

The WHO insists that even though survivors would have some level of immunity to the novel coronavirus, there is incomplete knowledge about the level of protection they might have. According to their official website; “At this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate.’ People who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice. The use of such certificates may therefore increase the risks of continued transmission.”

Fortunately, Canadadoes not seem to be in a hurry to adopt the use of these. According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it’s still premature to talk of so-called “immunity passports” for Canadians because the science is unclear. Trudeau says he prefers to remain focused on physical distancing and personal protective equipment.

“It is very clear that the science is not decided on whether or not having had COVID once prevents you from having it again,” he told reporters quoted on Global News. “It’s something we need to get clearer answers to and until we get those clearer answers, we need to err on the side of more caution.”

This creates the impression that Trudeau might one day be open to the idea of immunity passports for Canadians.

Dalhousie University research professor Françoise Baylis and molecular biologist and Harvard lecturer Natalie Kofler, in an opinion article on CBC news insist that Canadians must firmly resist any future attempts by government to introduce any sort of proof-of-identity cards for several reasons.

First is the fact that when some people are allowed to go back to work and others are not, it would create some injustice and increased economic inequity, and would also encourage problematic behaviours on the part of those without immunity passports such aspurposely exposing themselves to the virus in an attempt to gain immunity, or efforts to falsify documentation, all of which will create a serious public health risk.

They also insist that introduction of immunity passports would create problems for people of colour. In their words; immunity passports would “create a formal, state-sanctioned opportunity for law enforcement to stop and question innocent individuals. For members of certain racialized groups, there would be an increased risk of police carding, something that is already a serious problem for Canadian communities of colour and First Nations peoples.”

Lastly, the personal privacy of every citizen would be compromised as the government might start to monitor everyone’s immunity statuses electronically, using either a smart phone app or digitized health records.