Plans to introduce vaccine passports as a requirement for entry to clubs, gig venues and various large-scale events in England have been scrapped by the government.
Just one week after the UK government announced that it would not make a U-turn on the plans and was still intending to go ahead with the idea, health secretary Sajid David has confirmed that the passport scheme will no longer be introduced.
Speaking to the BBC’s Nick Robinson yesterday (September 12), David said that he was "pleased" to announce that the government would no longer be pushing ahead with the plans, and added that he personally had "never liked the idea" of implementing them. He added that vaccination passports would be kept in "reserve" as a "potential option" should they be needed in autumn or winter, spelling considerable uncertainty for venue operators.
Under the scheme, people would have been required to show proof – whether of double vaccination, a negative lateral flow or PCR test, or of having finished self-isolating after a positive PCR test – in order to gain entry to clubs and various large-scale events.
The measures were due to come into place from the start of October, and were first announced in July, on the day that most social distancing restrictions were lifted in England and clubs were allowed to fully reopen.
Scotland still intends to introduce the use of vaccine passports as a requirement for entry to clubs and large events from next month, as announced last week by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
