Coronavirus: British government renounces vaccine passport

The British government announced on Sunday that it has abandoned plans to introduce a vaccine passport to reach nightclubs and other busy venues in England due to the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

“I’ve never liked the idea of ​​asking people to show their papers (…) which is just a routine activity,” Health Minister Sajid Javid told the BBC.

“We’ve seen it as it should, and we should reserve it as a potential option,” he said, adding that I’m happy to say that we’re not going to continue with our Vaccine Passport project. ”

The change comes after the executive reiterated its intention to introduce a vaccination certificate for entering stadiums or discos in late September, attracting strong criticism from the nightlife sector and from members of the conservative majority. like the opposition.

Sajid Javid estimated that such a measure was not needed, given the high rate of vaccination in the United Kingdom, despite the daily number of positive cases being around 40,000 in recent days. About 81% of the population over the age of 16 received two doses.

Since each of the country’s constituent nations has jurisdiction over anti-Covid restrictions, Scotland has decided to introduce a vaccination certificate for access to nightclubs and certain events from 1 October, in order to prevent an increase in responsible cases . the school year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson should, in the coming days, extend his battle plan in the fight against the coronavirus for the duration of the winter.

According to the British press, mass vaccination should be the main focus, with decisions on the deployment of a booster program and the possible administration of vaccines to young people aged 12 to 15 years.

Sajid Javid has also announced his intention to remove “as soon as possible” the obligation of double-vaccinated travelers from certain countries to undergo an expensive PCR test two days after their arrival in England.

© Agence France-Presse