Boris Johnson has won backing for Covid passes in England despite the biggest revolt by Tory MPs since he became PM.
A total of 99 Conservatives voted against the government, but the measure was passed by a majority of 243 thanks to Labour support.
So NHS Covid passes, showing a recent negative test or full vaccination, must be shown to get into many large venues, including nightclubs, from Wednesday.
MPs also voted to back compulsory face masks in most indoor settings.
The Covid measures MPs voted for:
—Making vaccinations compulsory for NHS workers in England
—Over-18s in England must prove they are fully vaccinated or have a recent negative lateral flow test to enter a number of large venues, such as nightclubs, from Wednesdays
—Daily lateral flow tests for fully vaccinated people who come into contact with Covid cases, instead of isolation
—Continue making face masks compulsory in a wider range of venues
One Tory rebel, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Browne, said the scale of the revolt over passes meant a leadership challenge to Mr Johnson had “got to be on the cards” next year.
One can only hope.
So just a few months after claiming they had “ditched” their plans for vaccine passports, they have now passed them:
You wonder how much this had to do with Boris Johnson’s “Partygate” scandal, and if this was meant to be a distraction or a way to win back support of the public.
Whatever it was, it was absolutely despicable. Anyone who supports Covid vaccine passports is a terrible human being, no exceptions.
What I’m wondering, and have been wondering for a while amid all this talk about vaccine passports, is this: when will they no longer be required?
Now that we actually have the UK passing a passport law, we should at least have some clarity on the matter.
Unfortunately the BBC article doesn’t say. No details on the timeframe of the vaccine passport are provided.
My fear is that the government didn’t put any expiration date on the vaccine passport law. It’s permanent and indefinite.
So even if the Covid cases chart in the UK starts to look like India:
Are the vaccine passes still in effect?
Will they ever cease being in effect?
What is the plan here?
What if in 2025, there haven’t been any new reported cases of Covid since 2023? Are vaccine passports still required?
If so, why?
What if it’s 2035 and no new Covid cases have been reported in over 12 years, and vaccine passports are still in effect?
Don’t act like it’s such a crazy idea. I’ll bet right now almost half the country would support indefinite Covid passport requirements, even if Covid has stopped spreading entirely.
Can we get some clarity on this?