The UK government is reportedly considering vaccine passports as a way of bringing people back to offices and factories. Some countries are already using them, while others weigh up the risks and benefits.
The COVID passport is a means of verifying an individual’s COVID credentials which include their vaccination status, latest test result, and COVID recovery status for those who had contracted the virus. Vaccine passport, meanwhile, may be limited to showing only COVID vaccination status. The digital certificate in UK may likely be in the form of an app allowing Brits to store their verifiable COVID credentials on their mobile devices. By proving their vaccination status, users may then engage in activities such as going to pubs, attending social events, returning to schools or offices, and even travelling abroad. A series of Covid passport trials are being planned to test their use in different venues but the government said no final decision had been made on Covid passports. A review is taking place into whether passports could help to reopen the economy in England, with discussions also taking place across the devolved nations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously said people could be asked to provide a vaccine certificate for entry into pubs in England, saying it “may be up to individual publicans”. Certification could involve people being either vaccinated, having had a recent negative test or having previously been infected, the PM said.
