England cancels plans for COVID-19 vaccine passports: health official

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England has scrapped plans to make COVID-19 vaccine passports mandatory for nightclubs and other crowded spaces, a top health official said Sunday.

Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed that the country won’t go forward with its plans to begin requiring proof of vaccination later this month at the venues.

"What I can say is that we’ve looked at it properly, and while we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports," Javid told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

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Under the proposed rules, people would have had to show proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test or that they had recently isolated after a positive test in order to enter clubs or other crowded venues.

Javid said that he "never liked the idea," but that it was "right to properly look at it, to look at the evidence."

 "We just shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it or because others are doing, and we should look at every possible intervention properly," Javid told the show.

Asked if the decision was made in response to criticism from some venues, Javid insisted that was not the case.

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He said the vaccine passports were no longer necessary due to other mitigation efforts, including high vaccination rates, testing, surveillance and new treatments, BBC reported.

New York City rolled out its own vaccine passport system last month in which patrons are required to prove they’ve received the jab to enter certain indoor businesses — including all indoor restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms.

Click here to read more on the New York Post.