UK, Covid Passports to be Tested at Big Events.
Sun 9:00 am +01:00, 4 Apr 2021 6
Jim Pickard and Anna Gross – FT.com April 2, 2021
Pilot schemes for “coronavirus-free” mass events, which will include the trial of contentious “Covid passports”, will be held in the UK within weeks under plans being drawn up by ministers.
Some of the most high-profile sporting occasions, including the FA Cup semi-finals and final as well as the League Cup final in football and the World Snooker Championship are expected to take part, along with the music industry’s Brit Awards, according to the plans, first reported in the Daily Telegraph.
Attendees will have coronavirus tests before and after each event, under the proposals. Government sources also said that ministers were hoping at least some of the gatherings would trial the first use of digital Covid certificates that would provide proof someone has either had the vaccine, a recent clear test or has antibodies for the virus.
Even as planning to allow at least limited mass gatherings continued, prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday urged people not to socialise indoors with other households over the Easter weekend, even if everyone is vaccinated. This is the first weekend since restrictions were relaxed in England allowing more than two people to meet outdoors but the weather forecast for the long bank holiday weekend is for temperatures across the country to fall sharply.
The first trials of the so-called Covid passports are expected to take place this month with a full rollout of the certificates by the start of the summer, according to people familiar with the plans.
As part of the scheme, a “digital certification app” is expected to be hosted inside the existing NHS App that is used by patients to book appointments and order repeat prescriptions. It is separate to the NHS Test & Trace app which has been downloaded 20m times.
The new app would be able to scan coronavirus test and vaccination certification. It will also be able to confirm on request that an individual has evidence they are Covid-19 free.
The plans could be announced as early as Easter Monday, when Johnson is expected to give a televised update on the progress of easing restrictions in England as the country emerges from its third national lockdown.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has been leading a review into Covid passports looking at the legal and ethical issues around allowing premises such as pubs and restaurants to drop social distancing rules if they made them a requirement for entry.
Those plans have already led to a backlash from more than 70 MPs from across the political spectrum, including 41 Tory backbenchers, who warned the requirements for such as passport would erode civil liberties.
The intervention saw libertarian Tory MPs such as Steve Baker join forces with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey in an unlikely coalition.
One Tory MP said the idea was “disgusting,” adding: “What happened to the party that opposed ID cards,” in a reference to a successful campaign to block plans to introduce a national identity card by the Labour government in the mid-2000s.
Netcompany, a Danish company, has been awarded a £3.1m contract in part to develop a Covid-19 certification scheme, according to publicly available records.
The IT and business consulting company has confirmed it is in discussions to build similar solutions for a number of other countries. The Danish government recently announced it had asked Netcompany to develop a coronavirus passport app that would allow access to venues such as bars, restaurants, sports events and art galleries.
I would urge everyone to boycott any such event, and urge others to do the same. If you cannot see this for what it is, and what it portends, then not only are you stupid, but you are also a willing partner, in the destruction of everything held dear amongst the ordinary people of Britain. Fight back now while it’s easy, because the water is not yet boiling, but boil it will, and you will be complicit in that boiling.
Aye, I know, a bit drama queen’ish, but it’s how I feel.
Frankly ian I think we’re well past the stage of boycotts. No-one will participate anyway. Our pathetic, spineless fellow citizens are all too busy cowering in their home prisons and hiding their stupid faces behind the dehumanizing slave muzzles that make them feel safe from the non-existent covimonster, they’re all petrified of.
What I’m about to say is way beyond ‘drama queenish’ too: We need to take up arms: resort to violence with weapons – the humanity hating police are using violence against us, even against elderly women for NOTHING, They for all intents & purposes are our enemies and have declared war on us so its definitely justified on the grounds of defending ourselves.
Like it or not, this is war, so it’s reasonable.
I don’t apologize for saying this – there is no other way. The sleepwalking zombies refuse to wake up and the hateful Karens still delight in shopping freedom loving critical thinking, nude-faced ‘antivaxxers’ to the covidcops, so we’ll have to force the zombies awake and silence the Karens, with the aid of weapons – guns if necessary. The law (and the police) are clearly not on our side so we have no choice, but to take the law into our own hands.
I and many other bloggers and simple forum readers and commentators have been trying in vain to convince the fools to stop complying, but it’s useless: They love their servitude, but honestly still have no idea what’s really unfolding in plain sight, because the lying deep state manipulated MSM they 100% depend on for information, tell them under no uncertain terms: not to listen to us and our ‘misinformation’, so they naively believe we’re all dangerous, tin-foil hat wearing lunatics.
It’s totally hopeless!
We simply cannot allow this tyranny to continue. We all know what’s in store if we do.
We MUST do whatever it takes to stop it, right NOW or we all perish along with the compliant masked collaborators, who are enabling this whole real-life nightmare with their blind, but willing obedience.
If anyone has a better suggestion, i.e. an EFFECTIVE solution that will actually bring about a positive change in direction, away from this insanity: please let’s hear it!
I know Alan. You wouldn’t want to discuss it on line though.
Sounds like another Tory scare story. Best ignored..
The rich and lazy always leave a big loophole in these things – for themselves and their friends and families. It’s not too hard once you read the details to see what they are in this case. Cost a few quid of course but as always there are loopholes here as in in everything. The propaganda makes it sound like there’s no way round the rules, but there always is. Be patient. Read calmly and work it out.