ComeTogether has today launched BackTogether, a COVID-19 passport to enable the safe restart of events. The app will provide COVID-19 test (eg. RT-PCP, rapid, COVID-19 dogs) and antibody test status for verification before entering event venues.

The live events industry has all but ceased to exist for most of 2020. As events begin to re-emerge with reduced attendees and mandatory social distancing requirements, the ability for event organizers to make a reasonable return on their investment remains a challenge. This challenge has been highlighted recently in world news. One example is a press conference held in the UK where Boris Johnson described the idea for virus passports as his “moonshot” to restart live events, and said he hopes it could be live by next spring.

The app is already in trials in Greece with Emergency Help. This is a live test with healthcare providers to track the status of Covid-19 test results. By the end of this month, it will be expanded to include insurance companies. Emergency Help provides an international network of health care services including first responders, nursing and doctors, telematic medical services and event support. “We are thrilled to be the first live trial of the BackTogether app globally and look forward to expanding our use of this powerful COVID-19 passport to reach locations beyond Greece,” said Chris Nikas, CEO of Emergency Help.

BackTogether is available as a module in conjunction with the ComeTogether app or as a stand-alone solution. The ComeTogether app is currently in use in Greece and the UK in support of event ticketing. Additionally, it can be integrated via the ComeTogether Network as an add-on to your existing ticketing app through open APIs, as well as end-to-end white label ticketing tools.

The team participated in the Greek government Digital Innovation Against COVID-19 Ideas Challenge, as well as the Antivirus Crowdhackathon and was selected as a finalist in both.

“The importance of restarting events impacts many levels of the global economy, from performers to organizers to all of the individuals who are employed at these events. It’s also important for the moral of communities to be able to leave their homes and enjoy artistic or sports entertainment,” said Lazaros Penteridis, CEO of ComeTogether. “Ensuring safety for the event community with BackTogether will allow us all to come together and enjoy life once again.”

The BackTogether functionality is based on EOSIO blockchain in order to ensure high levels of security and scalability. Data privacy and sov-ereignty are also addressed. The use of a private IPFS – Public EOS blockchain architecture works to enable GDPR compliance and provide an auditable process. Compliance with the W3C Verifiable Credentials (VCs) model allows for interoperability with other similar solutions and is easy to integrate with applications that use W3C Decentralized Identities (DiDs) and W3C VCs. There is also an easy to integrate API for use within other apps.

Download press release – ComeTogether launches BackTogether