Northern Ireland Executive ministers have today voted in favour of mandatory Covid vaccine passports.
During a meeting at Stormont on Wednesday, Sinn Féin, Alliance and the SDLP backed the proposals made by the Health Minister.
DUP ministers voted against the move but did not deploy a cross community voting mechanism to block it, PA Media reports.
Robin Swann's department will now draw up a further paper to explore more details.
Mr Swann proposed that regulations needed for the law change come into effect on November 29, with a 14-day grace period prior to becoming enforceable on December 13.
BBC reports that it's understood the measure would apply for access to:
- nightclubs
- hospitality venues which serve food and drink
- cinemas, theatres, concert halls and conference centres
- indoor events with 500 or more attendees with some or all of the audience not normally seated
- outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees with some or all of the audience not normally seated
- events where more than 10,000 people will be present regardless of whether they are seated
Meanwhile, a modelling paper from health officials presented to the Executive ahead of the meeting warned passports may not be enough to suppress rapidly increasing Covid case numbers, which have surged 23% in a week, and that “more severe restrictions” may need to be considered in mid-December to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed.
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