By Ben Kerrigan-
MPS have slammed the idea of “discriminatory” coronavirus vaccine passports as pubs face tougher entry rules when they reopen later this month.
Boris Johnson is facing a major rebellion to his plans, criticised by backbenchers, and 72 cross-party MPs are preparing to join forces and try to block it.
Th UK prime minister has expressed approval for vaccine passports, despite the inevitable discrimination it would pose on large segments of the public.
Last week, Johnson gave pubs a blanket license to require vaccine passport for entry to their premises.
An implementation of mandatory vaccine passports would deprive law abiding citizens from functioning normally in society, requiring members of the public to have a vaccine to visit pubs, theatres, and even restaurants, without talking of international travel.
Those who refuse to take up the vaccine would automatically be marginalised from society.The idea of making life impossible for those who don’t have vaccine passports is at odds with Boris Johnson urge to the British public to avoid people meeting others from different households indoors over the Easter weekend, warning vaccines do not guarantee “100 per cent protection” from coronavirus.
And there is growing agitation by many reasonable members of the public, who are wondering what all the fuss about vaccines are, if the public still can’t mix freely, and the vaccine dos not provide assured protection from the virus.
In response to a Twitter question and answer session, in which the British PM was asked if people could meet loved ones indoors if they are vaccinated, he replied: “I’m afraid the answer is no, because we’re not yet at that stage.
“We’re still very much in a world where you can meet friends and family outdoors under the rule of six or two households.
“And even though your friends and family members may be vaccinated, the vaccines are not giving 100 per cent protection, and that’s why we just need to be cautious.”
Protection
Protection is at the heart of vaccinations, and the British government’s position is that the vaccine has a high chance of protection from Covid-19, but does not offer full protection.
How high the protection vaccines offer is considered by sceptics to be almost irrelevant, to every extent restrictions will still in place even after large sections of the public are vaccinated.
A covid vaccine offers protection from the Covid-19 virus, but the idea that multiple shots of the vaccine would still call for caution makes nonsense of the idea of mandatory vaccine passports to function normally.
Members of the public are expected to take at least three shots of the vaccine across the year, still without hundred percent guarantee of enjoying rest assured protection from catching the virus.
Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s dangerous, it’s discriminatory, it’s counter-productive.”
The former director of human rights organisation Liberty also warned that using coronavirus certificates could create a “checkpoint Britain” as she urged for the country to “open up together” as restrictions ease.
Early reports suggest that theatres and stadiums could be the first to pilot the scheme before being expanded to restaurants and pubs.
The PM could update the country on the progress of vaccine passport plans as soon as Monday, when he is expected to report the results of a study led by Michael Gove.
Divisive
Included in the rebel MPs are 40 Tories and six ex-Cabinet ministers – who have vowed to block the “divisive and discriminatory” jab passports.
Organised by the pressure group Big Brother Watch, the 72 MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, are mounting pressure on the Government to halt plans for Covid status certification.
NHS England data shows a total of 3,716,720 jabs were given to people in London between December 8 and April 1, including 3,221,416 first doses and 495,304 second doses.
But this is still behind the 5,166,341 first doses and 670,924 second doses given to people in the Midlands, a total of 5,837,265.
Scotland recorded four coronavirus patient deaths and 414 positive tests in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data. It brings the death toll to 7,614.
Austria will provide the Czech Republic with 30,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s office said today.
The Austrian government called the move a display of solidarity after it felt the European Union did not do enough to help its neighbour.
It comes after EU ambassadors agreed to change the bloc’s vaccine distribution system for 10 million BioNTech-Pfizer doses due to be delivered in the second quarter, so needier countries could receive more.
Of those 10 million doses, 2.85 million so-called “solidarity vaccines” will be shared between five countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.