Wales in talks with rest of UK over vaccine passports

WALES remains in discussions with the four UK nations over whether vaccine passports should be introduced.

First Minister Mark Drakeford, speaking at Thursday’s press conference, said there would be “many practical and ethical issues” to overcome before they were used.

The proposals have been heavily criticised by a cross-party group of MPS, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and senior Tory Iain Duncan Smith, who have launched a campaign against the passports.

They claim proving vaccination status to access jobs, businesses or services would be “divisive and discriminatory”.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that a series of pilots for Covid passports are being planned in England, but governments have insisted that no decision has been made.

“I discussed this yesterday evening with Michael Gove, the minister in charge of the cabinet office, the First Minister of Scotland and ministers in Northern Ireland,” said Mr Drakeford on Thursday.

“We continue to work together on the issue of vaccine certification. There are positive prizes to be won from having a successful vaccine certification scheme, but there are many practical and ethical issues that will need to be addressed and resolved successfully if those positive opportunities can be won from it.

“We do have independent powers in all four nations on this matter, but the fact that we are discussing it regularly together proves the opportunity for us all to address those complex issues in a way that reaches common solutions.”

Wales’s chief medical officer, Dr Frank Atherton, said vaccine passport were more likely to be needed for foreign travel, rather than domestic issues.

He said: “In terms of the science we’re in fairly uncharted territory with some of this. For international travel it may be that vaccine certificates are required because other countries may require them. People may be forced in that direction.

“Use in domestic settings, for example going into venues, I think is far more tentative and there are lots of details that would need to be worked through. I would also worry about the equity concerns around that because some people won’t be able to be vaccinated or choose not to be vaccinated – plus vaccines don’t give 100% protection anyway.

“It would run the risk of people being excluded from parts of public life. It needs a lot of very detailed work.”

Emma Mcclarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the plan could “scupper things” for hospitality venues who are trying to reopen.

She told BBC Breakfast on Friday: “It is a difficult process for us to implement . . . and yet today we have not had a consultation with the government about how we would do this in pubs.”

A broad coalition of MPS and peers have now signed a pledge opposing Covid status certification and accusing the UK Government of “creeping authoritarianism”.

Subject to public health conditions, the Welsh Government has announced that outdoor hospitality will reopen – including at cafes, pubs and restaurants – on Monday, April 26.

A small number of “test” outdoor mass gatherings – of between 200 and 1,000 people – are also being planned in Wales, with the first of those due to be held in April. ■ Coronavirus vaccine passports for everyday life would be “dangerous, discriminatory and counter-productive”: page 12