the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, England has abandoned its previously announced plan to implement a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine passport program by the end of this month that would have required people to show proof of vaccination to enter the country’s nightclubs and certain other crowded venues, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC on September 12. The announcement was made following opposition from some members of Parliament as well as representatives of the hospitality industry, who said such a program would create a burden for businesses and infringe on residents’ rights. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Secretary Javid said the government decided against the passports after “properly” looking at the issue and determining other factors could help keep COVID-19 incidence down, including high vaccine uptake, testing, surveillance, and treatments. Some people suggested the passport proposal simply was a ruse to encourage young people to be vaccinated, although Secretary Javid hinted the government could reverse course again if the number of new cases rises. About 66% of the population of England is fully vaccinated. Several days prior to the announcement, British researchers published a paper in EClinicalMedicine casting doubt on whether vaccination passport programs would incentivize more people to get the shots and calling for additional research into the matter.
