Covid-19 passport pilots suggested by the British government as a way out of lockdown

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With the country reopening, ministers hope that the “covid status certification system” will allow those who have been vaccinated, have undergone a recent negative or positive test, to return to theaters, football matches, cinemas and others within six months. events.

Several countries are considering some form of Covid-19 status verification as a viable way to make it quick and easy for individuals to attend or board events, but critics are concerned that the passports will harm fundamental freedoms and at risk of discrimination.
The UK pilot, to be discussed in detail by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, will test the effectiveness and transmission risks of the government’s reopening plan and will begin April 16 at the Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool. Other events and venues listed for April include the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium in London and Luna Cinema in Liverpool.

“We have made tremendous progress with our vaccine program in recent months and everyone in the country has made huge sacrifices to get to this stage of our covid-19 recovery,” Johnson said in a statement on Saturday. “We are committed to making the reopening of our country possible so that people can return as safely as possible to the events, trips and other things they love, and these assessments will play an important role in making this happen. “

The National Health Service is developing paper and digital methods by which citizens can prove their Covid-19 status. The government stressed that passports are not required to travel on public transport or to enter essential shops.
More than 70 MPs joined civil rights organizations such as Big Brother Watch this week and launched a campaign against the proposed use of documents allowing people access to certain domestic locations. Senior politicians such as former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey signed a statement saying vaccine passports “divide and discriminate.”

Davey described the passports as “illiberal and unworkable” in a tweet on Friday.

“Work is underway with clinical and ethical experts to provide appropriate exemptions for people for whom vaccination is not advised and repeat testing would be difficult,” the government said in Saturday’s statement.

A tourism minister said on Sunday that certification was “one of the tools” the government is looking at to “help us get back to the things we love.”

“We are very aware and very aware of the ethical considerations surrounding vaccination certification,” Nigel Huddleston told CNN subsidiary ITN. “The main purpose of looking at this option is to see how it can enable us to open up, to get back to the things we want to do sooner … A lot of companies tell me that opening is one thing but what we really need to do is be able to open profitably and as long as there is social disassociation that creates real challenges for us to reopen as viable businesses. ”

International travel from the UK is still prohibited until May 17, but after that date the government will introduce a “traffic light” system. Travelers coming from “green” countries do not need to isolate, while travelers from “red” or “amber” are limited to the mandatory quarantine policy currently in force.

The American Civil Liberties Union said this week that plans to roll out a standardized vaccine passport should take into account social inequalities and privacy rights and make everything less of a “non-starter”. Several organizations and technology companies have already started developing smartphone apps and other digital systems to store and verify vaccination data.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Friday banning the use of Covid-19 passports in the state. The injunction prohibits any government agency from issuing vaccine passports and blocks companies from requiring such documentation.

Robert Iddiols, Kelly Murray, Gregory Lemos and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.

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