Coronavirus vaccine passports are reportedly set to be trialled in theatres and sports stadiums south of the border.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday indicated that some form of certification could ‘definitely’ play a role as the UK exits lockdown over the coming months.
The idea of a so-called vaccine passport being used in the likes of pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and cinemas has been previously mentioned.
But the MailOnline is reporting that some trials of the scheme could take place in some English venues as early as next month.
The newspaper says that it could be sign that Johnson is set to give the scheme a go-ahead on Monday to aid the restart of foreign holidays.
Speaking in Middlesbrough yesterday, the Prime Minister said: “There’s definitely going to be a world in which International travel will see vaccine passports.
“You can see already that other countries, the aviation industry, are interested in this and there’s a logic to that.
“I think when it comes to trying to make sure that we give maximum confidence to businesses and customers in the UK, there are three things - there’s immunity whether you have had it before so you have natural antibodies, whether you have been vaccinated, and of course whether you have had a test.”
It is yet unclear if a similar vaccine passport rollout will be given the green light to be used in Scotland sometime in the future.
Currently, Scots only receive an appointment reminder of their second jab when they have been given their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Nicola Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government is considering the use of vaccine passports during a press briefing on Tuesday this week.
The First Minister said: “In general terms, I agree that it should be looked at and I probably don’t have much to say today that goes beyond what I’ve already said on this.
“I think we should consider how we use some kind of vaccine certification to open up more in the future. I think we’ve got to be careful and considered about how we do that.
“There are still some questions that we don’t really know the answers to, like the vaccine’s impact on transmission - though early data on that is all very positive, and there are big ethical and equity questions about vaccine passports and certification.
“There are some people who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons, for example, so we need to think through all of this.”
Sturgeon later added: “The Scottish Government is thinking about it and we are participating in the international and UK-wide work well. So it’s not something that I think is practical right now, but in the future it is possible, and I think it’s important that we give it proper and due consideration.”
The latest figures have revealed that almost 2.5 million Scots have received their first dose of the jab so far.
It is hoped that all adults will be given an invite for the jab by the end of July this year.
