I think the extent to which vaccine passports will be required will be decided nearer to 21st June, depending on:-
- The percentage of people who have been vaccinated
- The number of new cases, and the number of people in hospital
- The level of opposition from MPs and the businesses which are affected
- Public opinion
- The local and national election results
- Whether there is the threat of any court cases, and legal opinion as to whether such court cases might succeed.
At the moment, the threat of vaccine passports is being used to cajole people who might be hesitant into having a vaccine.
Hence we have the somewhat pathetic statement by Oliver Dowden that "..it is not about vaccine passports, it is about COVID status certification...." What a load of nonsense. It is one thing to have "clean pubs" and "dirty pubs", but quite another to make
people either "clean" or "dirty" depending on their "COVID status".
If the vaccine take up is sufficiently high, or if the government gets a bloody nose in the local elections, I think you will see vaccine passports quietly dropped, or at least reduced in scope so that they only apply to certain mass participation events.
Edit:-
Some good news though.
In a clear sign that the government is rattled by the level of opposition to vaccine passports, it has been reported that the government is going to make their use time limited, with the duration measured "..in months..".
But the opposition is not wearing this for one minute, saying it is the principle of vaccine passports (or so called "COVID Status Certification") that they are opposed to.
After all the broken promises by the government, who is going to believe them when they say that "COVID Status Certification" will be only be mandatory for "..a few months..."
A 'time limit' of less than a year could be imposed on the vaccine passport scheme to head off a Tory revolt in the Commons, as Ministers believe the scheme may be essential.
www.dailymail.co.uk