Rishi Sunak says decision on vaccine passports will be made ‘within months’

Rishi Sunak said a decision on vaccine passports can be expected ‘within months’ when speaking on the BBC One Andrew Marr show. 

Vaccine passports could pave the way out of the Covid-19 pandemic, however it is causing growing unease among decision-makers due to the danger of dividing society.

Senior government minister Michael Gove is currently leading a review into the possible use of vaccine passports in venues such as pubs and theatres.

Latest figures show that more than 20 million people in the UK have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr show, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government should reach its conclusion on vaccine passports in a ‘few months time’.

He added: “Obviously it’s a complicated but potentially very relevant question for helping us reopen, particularly those parts of our country like mass events.

“That’s what the committee and the review will do, is work through all of those questions and come to a view in a few months’ time.”

Scientists from the Royal Society say a ‘broader discussion’ is needed regarding vaccine passports to discuss legal and ethical standards, along with conversations on data privacy. They also explained that until a set standard across countries was made, passports for foreign holidays remain unfeasible.

The Guardian explains that a digital universal document which provides official proof of vaccination could become a reality within months. 

Last week German ticket company Eventim updated their online booking service to allow customers to upload proof they have been vaccinated.

US President Joe Biden has asked government agencies to investigate the feasibility of producing digital vaccine certificates in one of his first executive orders.

Greece’s prime minister, Kyria Mitsotakis has proposed that the EU push ahead with a common vaccination certificate that could help create a ‘fast travel lave’. 

In Brazil, 10 of 11 supreme court judges ruled in December that vaccination could be made indirectly obligatory by allowing schools, shopping centres, restaurants and public transport to demand proof of inoculation.