BORIS Johnson is expected to announce on April 5 a Covid passport scheme which will allow people to attend large events and gatherings.
People will have to prove they have received the jab or had a negative test to gain access to sports stadiums, theatres, festivals and nightclubs.
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It’s not really a passport as such, more a ‘certificate’ showing the holder has either been vaccinated or had a negative Covid test recently.
The exact details have not been finalised but is likely to contain information such as the person’s name, date of birth and when they received their vaccinations or when they were last tested for the Covid virus.
It could also show what vaccine they were given.
NHS chiefs are developing a new app members of the public will have to show to gain access to sports stadiums, theatres, festivals and nightclubs.
Those without a smartphone will get a paper certificate.
The system will be trialled at nine pilot events over the next few weeks, where experts will also explore how high-tech ventilation and Covid tests on entry are working.
Mr Johnson will study the feedback to help decide how to manage other large-scale gatherings as restrictions are lifted.
The PM said: “We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country so people can return to the events, travel and other things they love as safely as possible, and these reviews will play an important role in allowing this to happen.”
The details have not been finalised but it seems people will be able to gain access to an app which they can show to gain entrance to events.
It depends on how the trialls go and which systems work the best.
Scientific advisers will use evidence from the nine pilots to assess transmission risks in different settings.
An insider said: “These events will not only be used to try out the new Covid passport.
“We’ll have lots of eyes and ears and systems gathering a mass of data.
“What we learn in the next few weeks will be crucial to how we proceed into step three of the unlocking process on May 17.”
Initial plans had been to include pubs in the Covid passport scheme but these have now been dropped after a backlash from MPs.
In a major boost for the hospitality trade, the PM will exempt bars and restaurants from new Covid safety rules.
Only those attending mass gatherings, such as festivals or major sports events, will be required to provide proof of a jab, test or natural immunity.
Landlords, who can reopen outdoors-only a week tomorrow in England, will soon be free to admit anyone who follows existing guidelines on social distancing and mask-wearing.
Boris’s change of heart came after an angry backlash from 72 MPs who branded the idea “divisive and discriminatory”.
