FANCY A PINT?
...Prove you’ve had a jab!
PUB landlords could be allowed to demand proof of Covid vaccination from customers before allowing them on to their premises, it was revealed yesterday.
Boris Johnson suggested the Government was preparing to leave the issue up to “individual publicans” as an alternative to a national certification scheme.
The Prime Minister revealed the latest measures being considered during a hearing of the Commons Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers atWestminster.
His remarks follow a longrunning debate withinWhitehall about whether so-called “vaccine passports” could help open up the hospitality sector.
During the hearing, Tory MP William Wragg, chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, asked if “Covid vaccine certification” could be required for pub-goers. Mr Johnson replied: “I think that that’s the kind of thing. It may be up to individual publicans, it may be up to the landlord.”
The PM also said that the “concept of vaccine certification should not be totally alien to us”.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is currently leading a review of the use of vaccination certificates as part of the roadmap for releasing England’s lockdown. But Tory MPs campaigning for a swift exit from restrictions criticised the idea that unvaccinated people could be blocked from using some businesses.
Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, said: “The Prime Minister began to tread a dangerous path when he opened the door to domestic Covid certificates.
“First they said we’ll need them to watch the football, and today that it may be papers for the pub.
“Whether the state legislates for it, recommends it or simply allows it, the result will be the same. A two-tier Britain that prevents pregnant women from taking part in society, given that the Government is telling them not to take the vaccine.
“Or one where we turn back the clock and tolerate businesses turning away customers from communities which have shown an unfortunate hesitancy to take up the offer of a vaccine.
“We must not fall into this ghastly trap.”
His warning comes ahead of a crunch Commons vote today on renewing the Government’s emergency Covid powers.
Mr Johnson also confirmed that the Government was considering tougher restrictions on travel from France to try to block new variants being imported into the UK across the Channel. At the hearing, Home
Affairs Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper pointed out France had more than 2,000 cases involving variants.
The Labour backbencher questioned why France was not on the red list of countries from which travel is effectively banned. Mr Johnson said putting France on the list was “something that we will have to look at” due to concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccines against new variants.
He said: “We have to look at the situation at the Channel.We can’t rule out tougher measures and we will put them in if necessary.
“There is a balance to be struck and what we don’t know is the exact state of the efficacy of the vaccines against the new variants. We have to balance that against the very serious disruption that is entailed by curtailing cross-Channel trade.
“This country depends very largely for the food in our shops, for the medicines that we need, on that trade flowing smoothly.”