Pubs and restaurants could be able to turn away customers who have refused to take the coronavirus jab, the government’s vaccine minister has suggested.
Nadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the rollout of a vaccine once it is approved by regulators, claimed businesses could require proof of vaccination before allowing people in.
However, he said the government would not make vaccination compulsory.
Asked whether people who get the Covid-19 jab will receive some kind of “immunity passport” to show they have been vaccinated, Mr Zahawi told the BBC: “We are looking at the technology.
“And, of course, a way of people being able to inform their GP that they have been vaccinated.
“But, also, I think you’ll probably find that restaurants and bars and cinemas and other venues, sports venues, will probably also use that system – as they have done with the [test and trace] app.
“I think that in many ways, the pressure will come from both ways, from service providers who’ll say, ‘Look, demonstrate to us that you have been vaccinated’.
“But, also, we will make the technology as easy and accessible as possible.”
Such a regime could result in people without the vaccine facing severe restrictions.
“I think people have to make a decision,” Mr Zahawi said.
“But I think you’ll probably find many service providers will want to engage with this in the way they did with the app.”
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, told a Downing Street press conference: “For a long time now we’ve been looking at the questions that minister Zahawi was talking about and the question of what’s the impact on the individual in terms of what they can do.”
But he added: “Firstly, we do not plan to mandate the vaccine.
“We think that by encouraging the uptake of the vaccine, we will get a very high proportion of people in this country to take up the vaccine, because of course it protects you but it also helps to protect your loved ones and your community.”
