No Mandatory Vaccine Passports In England, Health Minister Says To BBC

Bruce Haring
·1 min read
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Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed Sunday to the BBC that England will not go forward with plans to require proof of vaccination in nightclubs and other spaces.

“What I can say is that we’ve looked at it properly, and while we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,” Javid told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

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The England proposal would have required a proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test for attending crowded events.

The move by England comes as US cities and school districts are increasingly installing mandates on vaccination status. The Los Angeles school district has imposed a student vaccine mandate, and New York already requires its restaurants and bars to verify vaccine status. All are polarizing the affected, with legal challenges mounting.

England’s Javid said that he “never liked the idea,” but that it was “right to properly look at it, to look at the evidence. We just shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it, or because others are doing, and we should look at every possible intervention properly,” Javid told the show.

Javid said he was not influenced by criticism of the potential mandates. Instead, he said other mitigation efforts, including high vaccination rates, will govern access.

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