Certification of vaccines as a means of unblocking British society would not be discriminatory, the British vaccine minister insisted on Tuesday, as the proposal continues to be controversial in the UK.
Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the requirement raises “a number of ethical issues”, but “it would be our responsibility as a government” not to look at all options to reopen the economy and “recover our lives”. “.
No decision has been made yet, he told BBC Breakfast, but “ultimately, everything we decide must be feasible and must not be discriminatory. You can’t have a two-tier or multi-level type of system. levels “.
Zahawi’s comments, which echo the words of Prime Minister Boris Johnson a day earlier, are the latest indication that a government that once ruled out the possibility of “vaccine passports” is moving toward its introduction.
Zahawi himself previously rejected the idea of introducing a vaccine passport: “One, we don’t know the impact of vaccines on transmission. Two, it would be discriminatory, “he told Sky News in February.
But the scheme will now be piloted in the coming weeks for large-scale events, cinemas and theaters.
Asked at BBC Breakfast how it will be possible without being discriminatory, Zahawi said: “There will not be a situation where a government allows this to happen, but it is right that we look at all technologies.
He continued: “Everyone can get tested, there is no discrimination, anyone can get tested, not everyone can get vaccinated. […] that’s why we have to look at all the technologies, make sure they work together to get us to where we need to be. “
The issue has received support and reactions from across the political spectrum, with several figures from Johnson’s own Conservative party opposing the idea of vaccine passports.
The government on Monday released an update to its review of easing blockade restrictions, which said: “Even without government intervention, Covid state certification is likely to become a feature of our lives. until the threat of the pandemic recedes ”.
Separately, Zahawi claimed that the Modern vaccine is on track to be launched in the UK “around the third week of April”.