Covid: Has Boris Johnson endorsed unofficial vaccine passports?

Boris Johnson may have hinted at Covid-19 identity cards of some description. Credit: PA

At his press conference, Boris Johnson said that the way theatres, nightclubs, concerts and so on would be able to reopen would be by them insisting those who attend can prove they've been vaccinated or have had a rapid lateral flow Covid test.

Which sounded like a Covid-19 identity card being introduced through the back door. And if it allowed us to have important freedoms back, would this infringement on one civil liberty be such a terrible thing?

That said, Downing Street is very keen to point out the prime minister has explicitly ruled out that there will be an official requirement to carry a vaccine passport or proof of having had a Covid test before going to the pub and so on - which you can see here.

But my point is that when he says we can only reopen theatres and so on with mass vaccination and the use of rapid lateral flow Covid tests, that introduces an unofficial system of Covid-19 identity cards, whether that's by government ordinance or not.

The only way the prime minister can prevent Covid-19 identity cards being introduced through the back door is to make it illegal for a theatre, entertainment venue or pub to refuse entry to someone who can't prove they've had a vaccine or Covid-19 test.

Would that be rational for him to do? Is it likely?


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