Russian entrepreneurs have just launched tattoo-QR codes to prove your Covid status

For millions of us, scanning and carrying QR codes has become a staple of pandemic life. But if you’re tired of touting your phone every time you want to grab a coffee, then entrepreneurs in Moscow have a new proposition: getting a QR code as a (temporary) tattoo.

Created by food courier service Delivery Club and Everink Tattoo, the new service is aimed at Muscovites who need a QR pass to enter bars and restaurants. The link proves that the holder is either fully vaccinated, has had Covid-19 in the past six months, or has had a recent negative PCR test.

The new measures came into force in the Russian capital on 23 June, amid record daily Covid-19 infection rates and a very low vaccine uptake, with just 13 per cent of Russia’s population being fully vaccinated.

To speed up the country’s vaccination drive, the Russian government has resorted to measures to incentivise people to get themselves vaccinated, ranging from competitions and cash payments to threats of dismissal.

Everink Tattoo and Delivery Club hope that their tattoos will also encourage Russians to get jabbed, as well as providing a boost to the country’s hospitality sector.

Lasting between two and three weeks, the waterproof tattoos come with a catalog of designs, with the simple square paired with designs from floral wreaths to “wino forever”.