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London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to scrap plans for vaccine passports in England as the government sets out its blueprint for managing COVID-19 during the European winter.

Speaking to broadcasters, Health Minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday that vaccine passports would not be introduced in England, nor did he foresee more lockdowns on the horizon.

Protesters opposing vaccine passports drive a van through central London on September 8.Credit:Getty Images

He told the BBC the government would not make vaccine passports compulsory for people attending mass events, while PCR tests for travellers could also soon be scrapped.

“We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,” he said.

“I’ve never liked the idea of saying to people, ‘You must show your papers’ … to do what is just an everyday activity.”

Javid said that while the government would remain cautious, the vaccine programme, combined with testing and treatments, would provide a “wall of defence” as the virus circulates.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce his government’s winter COVID plans on Tuesday.Credit:Bloomberg

The changes would only affect England; the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh administrations are yet to confirm if vaccine passports would be required in their territories.

The decision in Westminister puts England out of step with its European neighbours. Most countries on the continent now use health passes, which ask citizens to either be vaccinated or produce evidence of a recent PCR or antibody test.

The night-time industry welcomed the U-turn on vaccine passports in England, with Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) trade body, saying he hoped businesses would be able to “start to rebuild a sector that has consistently been at the sharp end of this pandemic”.

The government also said it expected Britain’s Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to confirm the details of a vaccination booster programme to begin in September.

Britain, which has one of the highest official COVID-19 death tolls in the world, has seen the number of cases climb over the last few months after restrictions were eased in July.

The UK on Sunday reported 56 new deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test, as well as 29,173 new cases. The vast majority of deaths and serious hospitalisations now involve unvaccinated people.

Javid said that Prime Minster Boris Johnson would this week will announce that some of the emergency measures introduced following the Coronavirus Act of 2020 would be dropped.

These include the power to shut down a business, to shut down education settings and to require certain restrictions around people who are infectious.

“A lot of these powers can go,” the Health Minister said. “But some of them are necessary to keep, such as requiring people to self-isolate if they test positive.”

The Times earlier reported that while Johnson may drop the need for proof of vaccination for entry to nightclubs, cinemas and sports grounds, companies that choose to require a certification of vaccines will be able to continue doing so.

The opposition Labour Party said while it agreed it was a reasonable approach to take some measures off the statute book, it warned the government that winter could punish the National Health Service (NHS).

“We know that winter is going to be difficult, the NHS are fearing the worst winter in living memory, we know we’re going to have more flu, respiratory problems,” Labour’s health policy chief Jonathan Ashworth told Times Radio. “So we need to prepare our NHS for the winter.”

Reuters, Bloomberg

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