Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Everyone in England will be invited to have a coronavirus test twice a week, while a new Covid passport system is being evaluated for large-scale use, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to reopen the economy after the blockade. .
Free trial kits will be made available at local pharmacies, community centers and home delivery services when the new regime goes into effect on 9 April.
With the majority of the adult population now receiving a vaccine, the government believes that rapid testing of the entire population and a system for certifying Covid status will help maintain control over the pandemic as restrictions are eased.
Johnson is due to set the details later on Monday, ahead of the next stage of lifting brakes for businesses and citizens, which will take place on April 12.
“Massive efforts have been made by the British public to prevent the spread of the virus,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office. “As we continue to make good progress on our vaccine program and our roadmap to cautiously alleviate the restrictions in place, regular rapid testing is even more important to ensure that these efforts are not lost.”
The UK has suffered the highest number of deaths in Europe due to the pandemic and is still recovering from the country’s deepest recession in 300 years.
A vaccination program that has quickly surpassed the rest of Europe has seen 31.5 million people receive at least one vaccine so far, and puts the UK in a good position to reopen, even with close countries like France closing again.
Under Johnson’s plans:
- International travel can be resumed, potentially from May 17, with a new “Traffic light” system that codes countries as red, amber or green, based on their pandemic risks. Risk ratings will take into account a country’s vaccination program, infection rate, virus strains and sequencing capabilities
- Arrivals from green countries in the UK will not need to be isolated, but will have to do tests before leaving and after arriving. The quarantine and isolation rules will apply to passengers entering the country for places on the red and amber lists
- A certification system with Covid status – generally known as a Covid passport – will be developed in the coming months, which may allow the reopening of riskier locations, such as sporting events, nightclubs and theaters
- Covid certificates, which can be on paper or through a smartphone app, will be tested at mass events, including major football matches and other sporting occasions in the coming weeks; pubs, shops and restaurants will not need to use certification to reopen
- A review of social detachment will take into account when families will be able to embrace again and whether Covid passports will be able to see suspended detachment guidelines.
Many of the measures contained in Johnson’s plan will need to be approved by Parliament. Johnson is likely to face conflicting demands from some of his own Conservative Party colleagues to lift the blockade faster, while more than 70 members of Parliament have launched a campaign to oppose vaccine passports, citing concerns about the erosion of freedoms.