Digital vaccine passport trial kicks off in SA from Monday, two face court over medi-hotel breaches

An electronic vaccine passport trial is launching in SA – and getting it is easy. It comes the same day two people will face court over alleged Covid breaches.

A pilot trial for vaccine passports that will prove a person has been fully vaccinated through a digital certificate will begin from Monday.

The state government will launch the test program of official Covid vaccination proof, dubbed VaxCheck, through the mySA Gov app.

The first stage will involve up to 50 participants through the app which also stores QR code contact tracing data.

It comes the same day two people will face court over breaches to the Emergency Management Act in recent days.

A Salisbury man, 48, was arrested at the Pullman Hotel by police on Saturday afternoon who stormed the site with battering rams and boltcutters.

The man was charged after repeatedly refusing to comply with directions under the Emergency Management Act.

Another man was arrested at a border checkpoint about 8.45pm Thursday at Wolseley near the Victoria and South Australia border.

The truck driver from Victoria, 56, allegedly became aggressive and spat at the officer and pushed another. He was charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and resisting arrest.

Both men will face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.

And in other Covid related news, an infected FIFO worker in her 30s who flew into the state on October 10, was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Sunday night for a medical assessment related to her symptoms. It is not yet known whether she required an overnight stay.

Officials said the passport trial participants will be made up of government workers, who have opted into the program.

The pilot program, overseen by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, will only test the technology related to the vaccine passport system.

Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Tom Huntley

If successful, the VaxCheck scheme is expected to be rolled out after a spate of coronavirus restrictions are eased three weeks before Christmas when the 80 per cent mark is reached. Official projections show Friday, December 3, is looming as the date vaccinated South Australians may start to enjoy greater freedom.

Authorities say the app will make it easier for people to prove they have been vaxxed if a business elects to introduce compulsory vaccinations.

Latest SA Health figures show nearly 60 per cent of the state’s adults aged over 16 are fully vaccinated while three quarters have had at least one dose. NSW on Saturday became Australia’s first state to reach the 80 per cent fully vaccinated target.

Premier Steven Marshall said the VaxCheck pilot would ensure a “secure and seamless rollout … as our state prepares to be Covid-ready”.

“South Australia’s borders will be reopening with the rest of the country and a key tool in our continued defence against Covid-19 is vaccination,” he said.

“We require thousands of South Australians to continue to roll-up and get vaccinated today, which has been made easier recently through walk-in clinics.

“Vaccination is the key to our state’s recovery from the pandemic and our way forward to not only protect ourselves, but others in our community.”

The government has repeatedly ruled out introducing mandatory Covid vaccinations, although many sectors, such as healthcare workers and essential border travellers must have a jab.

Currently, proof of either an AstraZeneca or Pfizer dose is recorded by using a Medicare online account through the commonwealth’s myGov or the Express Medicare app.

Officials say users can also add the passport to the digital wallet on a phone. They can also request a paper certificate from Services Australia.

Mr Marshall said a digital certificate was secure and convenient: “We are ready.”