Vaccine Passports Could Be Brought In As Early As Next Month

Vaccine passports could be brought in as early as next month starting, according to reports.

It is thought that theatres and stadiums will be the first places to see the roll-out, but the scheme could eventually extend to pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, and cinemas.

The MailOnline reports that in order for the scheme to begin, it will require the existing NHS Covid-19 app to be updated to contain information about the vaccination status of the user.

Boris Johnson is expected to announce that the scheme will go ahead on Monday, after he receives a report from Michael Gove, who has led a study into the viability of such an initiative.

However, the introduction of vaccine passports would almost definitely cause upheaval, as many MPs are against the idea, including members of both the Conservative and Labour parties.

The proposed relaxation of restrictions - which aims to remove all legal requirements for distancing and coronavirus regulations by June 21 - could hang on the introduction of such a system.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that he thought that vaccine passports would provide 'maximum confidence to businesses and customers'.

On a visit to Middlesbrough, Johnson said that vaccine passports will almost certainly be required for foreign travel, but could also have a 'useful' role to play in domestic matters.

He was keen to state that the NHS app will also allow people to present a negative test instead of proof of vaccination.

Speaking on the matter of overseas travel, Johnson said: "On the issue of vaccine certification, there's definitely going to be a world in which international travel will use vaccine passports," he said.

"You can see already that other countries, the aviation industry, are interested in those and there's a logic to that."

He then added: "I think when it comes to trying to make sure that we give maximum confidence to business and to customers here in the UK, there are three things - there's your immunity, whether you have had it before, so you have got natural antibodies, whether you have been vaccinated, and then of course whether you have had a test.

"Those three things working together will be useful for us as we go forward."

72 MPs from across the political divide have issued a joint statement yesterday calling vaccine passports 'divisive and discriminatory' and said that they would oppose any such scheme being brought in across the UK.

However, if the targets are to be hit, one Whitehall source was quoted as saying that a scheme would be 'vital'.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, vaccine, Coronavirus, Politics, Covid-19

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

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