You might need a vaccine passport to go clothes shopping after June 21
Downing Street has refused to rule out the use of vaccine passports in clothes shops in England after all social contact rules are eased on June 21.
Boris Johnson has described the controversial documents as an ‘important way forward’ as the country continues to fight off the Covid pandemic.
A briefing document on Monday said people should never be asked to have one to enter ‘essential’ retail venues – but the prime minister’s spokesman indicated today there is a chance they could be required in shops like H&M or New Look.
When questioned on the matter, he told the Independent: ‘We have been clear that we will not require them as businesses reopen in stages two and three of the roadmap.
‘But again the PM was clear that longer term there will some essential services such as essential retail and public transport where they will not be required.’
Mr Johnson assured the public yesterday passports would not be needed for the next two steps of his roadmap out of lockdown.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he said: ‘I think the most important thing to say to everybody listening and watching is that there is absolutely no question of people being asked to produce certification or a Covid status report when they go to the shops or to the pub garden or to the hairdressers or whatever on Monday.’
He then stressed the scheme would not be launched in time for the third step – when indoor hospitality venues are expected to open on May 17.
The Government hopes the scheme will be useful in managing large crowds of people – including at music festivals, sporting matches and nightclubs. Ministers have also not ruled out using them in pubs and restaurants.
However, they face backlash from more than 70 MPs – including more than 40 Tories – who have formed a cross-party campaign against Covid passports.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has suggested he could oppose use in places like pubs.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph last week, he said: ‘My instinct is that, as the vaccine is rolled out, as the number of hospital admissions and deaths go down, there will be a British sense that we don’t actually want to go down this road.’
He added that the issue is ‘extremely difficult’, saying: ‘I’m not going to pretend there’s a clear black and white, yes-no, easy answer on this.’
Tory former minister Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Conservatives, also hit out this week against the ‘discriminatory’ and ‘entirely un-British’ documents.
He said: ‘Whether the Government imposes this, recommends it or simply stands back and allows it to happen, Covid status certification would be entirely un-British and our country and values would become unrecognisable.
‘Spending vast sums of taxpayers’ money and people’s time testing for a disease we have vaccinated against, and encouraging businesses to discriminate against pregnant women, those with health conditions and allergies, people from ethnic minorities, the disabled and the poor, is not the sort of Britain we should allow the pandemic to turn us into.
‘After the toll families and friends have paid all over the country in the face of Covid, and after enduring the devastating cycle of lockdowns and restrictions, the last thing we should do is allow Covid to have the victory of changing our country forever into the miserable dystopia of Checkpoint Britain.’
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