Covid vaccine passports won’t be needed for entry to shops or pubs - Grant Shapps

Covid vaccine passports will not be needed to enter shops or pubs in England, a Government minister has said.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that only venues where people come in “close contact” with each other, such as nightclubs, would require proof of vaccination.

He added that it was a “good idea” for people to get the jab before going back to their workplaces and some companies in the UK may demand staff have it.

Asked about concerns over vaccine passports he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: "We won't go as far as requiring it to enter a shop or the pub, we will for very close contact things like going to nightclubs.

“There is precious little reason not to be vaccinated, every good reason to be vaccinated.

“Why wouldn't we want to save lives? It's just obvious to me."

On Thursday, vaccine passports were effectively introduced in England after a change to the NHS app.

The wording on the app was amended to include a “domestic” section and stated: “You may need to show your NHS Covid Pass at places that have chosen to use the service”.

Previously, users were given the choice of using the app to show proof of their status for foreign travel or for the Government’s events research programme.

Mr Shapps added that he did not think the vaccine passport programme was “particularly controversial”.

“I don’t know why this is particularly controversial - nine out of 10 people have had their first vaccinations and are going on to have their second, so most people have already had their vaccinations anyway,” he said.

“So, for most people this doesn’t matter one way or the other.

“It does protect not just your life but other people’s lives when you get vaccinated, so of course, as a society, we should be encouraging it.”

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