The British Vaccine Certificate on Tuesday insisted that vaccine certification as a means of unlocking British society is not discriminatory as the proposal continues to provoke controversy in the UK.
The minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said such a requirement raises a number of ethical issues “but” it will be formidable for us as a government “not to look at all the options to reopen the economy and ‘our lives not to take back ‘.
No decision has been made yet, he said on BBC Breakfast, but ‘everything we decide must be workable, must be non-discriminatory. You can not have some kind of two-level or multiple system. ‘
Zahawi’s remarks, which reflect Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s remarks a day earlier, are the latest indication that a government that once ruled out the possibility of ‘vaccine passports’ is pushing for it.
Zahawi himself had earlier rejected the idea of introducing a vaccine passport: ‘One, we do not know what the impact of the vaccines on transmission is. Two, it would be discriminatory, “he told Sky News in February.
But the scheme will now be launched in the coming weeks for large-scale events, cinemas and theaters.
Asked on BBC Breakfast how it would be possible without being discriminatory, Zahawi said: “There will not be a situation where a government is going to allow it, but it is only right that we look at all technologies. .
He continues: ‘Everyone can get a test, there is no discrimination, anyone can get a test, not everyone can get a vaccine […] therefore, we need to look at all the technologies and make sure they work together to get us to where we need to be. ”
The subject has garnered support and backlash from across the political spectrum, with several figures in Johnson’s own Conservative party against the idea of vaccine passports.
The government released an update on Monday on easing the restrictions on restrictions, which reads: ‘Even without government intervention, the Covid status certification is likely to become a feature of our lives until the threat of the pandemic subsides. . ‘
Separately, Zahawi confirmed that the Moderna vaccine is on track to be rolled out in the UK “around the third week of April.”