A trial of corona passports is due to start in the UK this month. The authorities hope that by introducing such a ‘passport’ in England, sports matches, conferences and other events can be held again, British media reports.
Britons will soon be able to show whether they have been vaccinated and whether they have recently had a negative result. If citizens have tested positive in the last six months, such a passport may also record that they have built up natural immunity.
People will soon be able to demonstrate via an app or a certificate that they have been vaccinated or tested negative. People should not have to show such a passport to access public transport or ‘essential’ shops, such as supermarkets. The NHS health service would still be working out the system.
The pilot project will begin on April 16 at a comedy show in Liverpool and run until mid-March. The plans for introducing a corona passport are politically sensitive, including within Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s party. Critics want to prevent people from being refused by such a passport system at some companies or institutions.
Ministers emphasize, according to ITV, that discussions are still being held with experts about which rules will apply in the long term. For example, there must be an exception for people who cannot be vaccinated. More than 31 million Britons have already had the first injection. That is almost half of the population.
The British government also announced a new system for people who want to go abroad. This is described as a “traffic light”. Britons who go to ‘green’ countries do not have to go into self-isolation after their return, while stricter rules apply to ‘orange’ and ‘red’ areas.
The colour of a country depends on all kinds of factors. For example, it looks at the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated and new corona variants. The new system may be introduced on May 17. At the moment, the United Kingdom still bans unnecessary travel abroad.