Covid-19: Vaccine passports should already be in place, says Naomi Long

Covid-19 vaccine certification checks should have already been introduced in Northern Ireland, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said.

Her comment comes after Health Minister Robin Swann said the Stormont executive would discuss a mandatory Covid-19 passport scheme this week.

Mrs Long said the system should have been brought in when some Covid-19 restrictions were eased last month.

But she acknowledged that vaccine passports were not "the silver bullet".

Nightclubs reopened in Northern Ireland on 31 October after social distancing was scrapped in hospitality settings.

Mrs Long told BBC News NI: "I felt that the time to do this was at the point when we were making additional relaxations.

"Those who are vaccinated are less likely to become seriously ill, and if they're less likely to be seriously ill they're less likely to put pressure on the health service."

But she said it was important to maintain that other measures for dealing with Covid-19.

"[Vaccine passports are] not going to be the one thing which sets us out and deals with the fact we have rising Covid levels in the community," she said.

"The thing that's most likely to do that is people taking personal responsibility."

Mrs Long said she did not support the introduction of Covid-19 passes "when it comes to access to public services".

"I think that would be discriminatory, but I think when you're talking about areas of life which are optional, it is reasonable, particularly where there is no social distancing possible," she added.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the evidence to support the introduction of Covid passports was "clear".

"This is long overdue and I think it really is the right and responsible thing and I hope that all of the executive can examine the evidence and we can agree this and we can get moving on it extremely quickly," she told BBC News NI.

"No-one wants to be taking these decisions but we're in a public health emergency and so we have to take difficult unpopular decisions.

"We need to do a last push if you like to maximise vaccine uptake and we know when you look at other places that when you incentivise it more people come forward."

Since July, people in the Republic of Ireland have had to show proof of their jabs for indoor hospitality.

If Covid passports are to be introduced in Northern Ireland it will not be a magic solution - they are just another piece of the jigsaw of measures designed to offer an additional ring of protection.

It would be wrong to expect Covid certificates to solve all of our problems.

The hard evidence is that vaccines work so more proof of individuals being vaccinated will help control an environment that's full of the virus.

Think about it - if you reduce the chance of infectious people entering high-risk settings such as bars and nightclubs you reduce the risk of transmission.

It worked in the Republic of Ireland to an extent but now that the effectiveness of the vaccine is waning and more people are indoors certs there aren't just as powerful.

Like social distancing, hand-washing, vaccines and boosters, Covid certs are just another part of the armoury.

With rising coronavirus figures, the Department of Health needs all the ammunition it can get its hands on as it continues to battle the virus.