As of Wednesday, December first, Lund nations’ clubs will require vaccination certificates for entry, leaving exchange students out in the cold.
Event organizers can now require vaccination certificates at public events and gatherings of a hundred or more people. By demanding proof of vaccination, organizers can choose not to heed specific disease control measures such as assigned seating and limited gathering sizes.
Alexandra Gäddnäs is the chairperson of Kuratorskollegiet (KK). She tells Lundagård about the approach chosen by KK-associated nations.
“All KK member nations have decided to require vaccination certificates at our clubs,” Gäddnäs says.
Lund University, however, will not be requiring vaccination certificates, according to principal Erik Renström. Internal operations – including lectures and disputations – are unaffected by the restrictions. Other events involving more than a hundred participants, such as events open to the public, will adhere to rules for disease control.
“Regarding vaccination certificates, it isn’t currently possible for government authorities to use them. The Swedish Agency for Government Employers (SAGE) is working on the issue – we’re still waiting to hear their decision,” Renström explains.
In order to get a vaccination certificate issued by the Swedish eHealth Agency, you need a Swedish personal identity or co-ordination number – something many exchange students do not have, meaning that they cannot get their certificates issued.
“We’re incredibly frustrated about the situation, that our hands are that tied. There really isn’t anything we can do at the moment,” says Gäddnäs.
However, vaccination certificates issued by other EU countries will also be accepted, writes Kuratorskollegiet on their Facebook page [link].
SVT Scania has reported that the Swedish eHealth Agency is working to have a solution in place in mid-December, but until then, exchange students find themselves outside the system.
“Of course we have to push to find a solution for our exchange students. It’s unacceptable that they should be barred from various events,” says Renström.
The nations have also struggled to find decent tools to use to verify the certificates.
“It was only this morning [Editor’s Note: Tuesday morning, 30/11] that we gained access to a Swedish authority variant for the verification of COVID-19 certificates, Gäddnäs explains.
The Agency for Digital Government (DIGG) has developed an app for verifying certificates called Vaccinationsbevis, which event organizers can use. Vaccinated individuals can download a certificate from covidbevis.se, a service provided by the Swedish eHealth Agency.
This article was originally published in Swedish in on Lundagårds’ website on the 1st of December.
Translation: Sabina Rameke
