UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that his government is considering coronavirus vaccine certification but suggested it might only be implemented once all adults in the country have been offered a jab by the end of July.
File photo: Reuters
London:
Speaking in London on Thursday, Johnson said "no decisions have been taken at all" before the publishing of a government review into Covid-19 certification early next month, reports Xinhua news agency.
"All sorts of things are being considered," Johnson said, adding it was "a bit premature" to speculate on whether pubs could run entirely by implementing a certification scheme while scrapping social distancing and mask-wearing rules.
"What we want to do is (to) roll out the vaccine program and see what that builds in terms of general resistance to the virus," he told Sky News.
"I do think there is going to be a role for certification," he said.
However, Johnson said Britain needs to think carefully about the issue.
"As I've said before there are lots of difficult issues, because there are some people who, for medical reasons, can't get a vaccination, pregnant women can't get a vaccination at the moment," the Prime Minister said.
Johnson suggested that whether someone's vaccine status, any possible immunity after having recovered from the virus or a negative test "could work together" in a possible certification scheme.
More than 28.6 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the risks of the public breaching restriction rules.
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