The British government is considering launching a vaccine passport, but more than 70 MPs have formed a cross-party coalition to express their opposition, saying that a vaccine passport would be “divisive and discriminatory” and that instead of being more liberal after the outbreak is under control, it would do the opposite.
The UK opened for outdoor encounters on March 29, and non-essential retail stores, hair salons, gyms and outdoor dining venues, as well as libraries, museums, zoos and theme parks, will resume operations from April 12.
With the possible further relaxation of the lifting of the ban, the British government began to study supporting measures. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously suggested that bars may need to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test result.
British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden (Oliver Dowden) said that vaccine passports might allow theaters and sporting events to restart.
The Telegraph revealed on the 2nd that England plans to “trial” vaccine passports in the coming weeks, which could be used at sporting events such as the World Snooker Championship, which will be held on the 17th.
However, the plan immediately sparked a backlash, with more than 70 MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, opposing it. The British government said it has not yet made a final decision.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “With the vaccine programme pushing the virus under control, we should be free again, but a vaccine passport would push us in the opposite direction.”
Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, said, “We should be getting our lives back on track, not putting restrictions on them forever.” While the lifting of the closure order is expected to revive the economy, the introduction of vaccine passports is likely to backfire.
Emma McClarkin, executive director of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said the vaccine passport could be devastating to the restaurant industry that wants to reopen. “It’s difficult for us to implement this policy and as of today we haven’t received any consultation from the government on how we want to implement it in pubs.”
Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, a British privacy group, said, “We are in danger of becoming a censorship society, where everyone from bar security to shopkeepers can ask for our documents. We cannot allow the government to create a dichotomous society of division, discrimination and injustice.”
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