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Boris Johnson is set to announce some good news on Easter Monday, with steps to ease the lockdown at home and away as part of his COVID roadmap to freedom.
At home, it will launch nine “vaccine passport” pilots from mid-April, including three football masterpieces at Wembley and four evening entertainment events in Liverpool.
And far away, it is preparing for the vacation abroad that will follow this summer, with a system of “traffic light” rules in which travel to “green light” destinations will not require quarantine.
However, whether the countries are red, amber, or green, it will depend on your vaccination and COVID-19 infection rates.
And the government keeps saying: don’t book a vacation abroad yet.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has also given a strong signal that vaccine passports are on the way, according to a scheme used in Israel.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he says: “Vaccination is an enormously powerful tool, but it can never provide 100% protection. That is why we must look at all potentially available options to ensure the fastest, safest and most sustainable way back. to normal. “
Mr. Gove adds: “Given the impact that the nighttime economy and entertainment sector have taken over the past year, anything that can help businesses reopen sooner is worth considering.
“The Israeli approach involves a smartphone app and the NHS app could serve a similar purpose here.”
The Wembley drivers will be the Leicester City / Southampton FA Cup semi-final on April 18, the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on April 25 and the FA Cup final on May 15.
The Liverpool tryouts will be at the Hot Water Comedy Club on April 16, the Luna Cinema from April 23 to 25, a corporate event at the ACC conference center on April 28, and the Circus Nightclub from April 30 to April 1. May.
The other events are the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield from April 17 to May 3, and a massive turnout at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, from April 24 to 25.
“We have made great strides in recent months with our vaccine program and everyone in the country has made great sacrifices to bring us to this stage of our recovery from COVID-19,” the prime minister said.
“We are doing everything we can to allow our country to reopen so that people can return to events, travel and other things that they love as safely as possible, and these reviews will play an important role in allowing this to happen.
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PM confirms the role of ‘certification’
Nevertheless Mr johnson rejects the term “vaccine passports”, the holiday will announce a system of “certification of COVID status” that could allow people to return to high-level sports, theaters and other public events.
He will say that a system will be developed in the coming months that will take into account three factors: vaccination, a recent negative test, or natural immunity determined from a positive test taken in the previous six months.
However, businesses that open on April 12, including nonessential pubs, restaurants and shops, will not be required to introduce certification, the government emphasizes.
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Will vaccine passports be used in the UK?
But there is strong opposition to “vaccine passports” from many deputies. This weekend, a group of 72 deputies from various parties signed a commitment against the plan, which, according to them, is “divisive and discriminatory.”
If the plan requires legislation, the government can try to win over the rebels by promising it will be temporary, perhaps for no more than a year.
The government says the certification is expected to be most useful in risk management where large numbers of people are nearby, at mass events such as festivals, sports matches and nightclubs.
At the same time, the certification will not be used in public transport and in essential stores. There will also be waivers for people for whom vaccination is not recommended and it would be difficult to repeat testing.
But otherwise, it will be a smartphone app or a paper certificate. The government says the NHS is working to provide people with a means to demonstrate their coronavirus state through digital and non-digital paths.
Three ‘vaccine passport’ pilots take place at Wembley
On overseas travel, Johnson will say the government wants to see a safe return, but it is crucial that the cautious approach continues in light of third waves in some countries and the risk posed by variants of concern.
Following the timetable on the Prime Minister’s roadmap, international travel will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, and the “Stay in the UK” regulation remains in effect.
Downing Street says it will be confirmed in advance whether leisure travel can resume on May 17 or whether travelers will have to wait longer before lifting the one-way travel restriction.
As widely predicted in recent days, when “Stay in the UK” is phased out, it will be replaced by a risk-based “traffic light” system with red, amber and green ratings.
The government claims this will help ensure that UK vaccine progress is not compromised and will provide clear guidance for travelers.
There will be four nightly entertainment trials in Liverpool
There will be no isolation requirements for travel from countries in the new “green” category, although pre-departure and post-arrival testing will still be required.
The “red” and “amber” restrictions would remain as they are now, with the requirement to enter quarantine or self-isolation upon return.
The government says it will continue to monitor the risks posed by individual countries and consider a variety of factors to inform the restrictions placed on them.
This will include the percentage of their population that have been vaccinated, the rate of infection in the country, emerging variants of the coronavirus, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
Ministers say it is too early to predict which countries will be on which list during the summer and decisions will be based on the evidence available at the time. Therefore, the government continues to advise people not to book summer vacations abroad.
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‘I’ll go to the pub in a few days’
The prime minister is also expected to confirm that a social distancing review is considering the safest approach to allow for closer contact between friends and family, allow for greater transport capacity safely, and reduce distancing requirements within venues. and workplaces.
This includes how and when the government can safely lift the 1m + rule and its operation from home. Both Mr. Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have spoken over the past week about wanting people to get back to work in the office.
The questions being explored in the social distancing review, according to the ministers, relate to the results of the certification review, including whether it could facilitate changes in social distancing.
So vaccine passports, unpopular as they are, could eventually lead to loosening of social distancing in pubs and restaurants and queuing at the bar again.
