UK to begin trials in bid to resume mass gatherings
THE Government is to begin trials to enable the safe return of crowds to mass gatherings including Wembley football cup finals and indoor events such as comedy clubs as it prepares to launch its so-called “vaccine passport”.
People attending a range of sporting events, conferences and clubs will be tested both before and after in the next step towards the easing of restrictions in England.
Ministers said the scheme, which will include the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 15, will be used to gather scientific evidence on how venues can reopen without the need for social distancing.
However, the move is likely to prove controversial with many MPS deeply concerned about the implications for civil liberties of requiring people to prove whether they are clear of the disease in order to attend certain events.
More than 40 Tories have signed a letter publicly opposing the use of vaccine passports in a campaign which has brought together ex-conservative and Labour leaders Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Jeremy Corbyn.
Yesterday the Government
said a further 10 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 126,836.
Separate figures published by the UK’S statistics agencies show there have been 150,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The Government also said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 2,297 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,359,388.
Numbers for cases and deaths over Easter will be affected by incomplete data plus a longer than usual lag in reporting.
Government data up to April 3 shows that of the 36,904,755 jabs given in the UK so far, 31,523,010 were first doses — a rise of 97,328 on the previous day.
Some 5,381,745 were second doses, an increase of 176,240.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health did not release data yesterday.
On Saturday, a further 84 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed here, with no new virus-linked deaths reported. The total death toll from the virus remains at 2,116.
In the Irish Republic, health officials announced three further deaths of people with Covid-19 and 457 new confirmed cases.