Why we’ve been right over vaccine passports

IT HAS been said that a libertarian is someone who is economically liberal but socially awkward. When it comes to vaccine passports, whatever your political philosophy, this newspaper has continually argued that the bottom line is that people are going to demand them.

We can have a piecemeal approach led by private companies, but why should they have to take the pressure? It’s better for the Government to oversee a national scheme.

There are some people who for health reasons are unable to take the vaccine. They must be safeguarded. But for those who simply do not fancy the jab, it is a different matter.

We already have laws mandating seat belts. Why shouldn’t we insist that the person who sits next to us in a theatre or aeroplane has had the vaccine?

Equally, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has been adamant that all health professionals should be taking the vaccine, it is their duty to protect those they are treating. Whether they were forced to, he agreed, was a political matter. Last week, we reported that only one in 10 residents of Tower Hamlets — one of the worst areas hit by the pandemic — have received the jab, with take-up weakest among people from BAME backgrounds.

Local authorities, health professionals and community leaders want to redouble their efforts to increase uptake and untangle barriers, whether in the guise of logistical issues or unfounded fears around safety and the Government must encourage this.