LONDON (Reuters) – Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of “vaccine passports” as a way to reopen the economy, identifying those protected against the coronavirus.
Those who develop the technologies, however, say that such tools have consequences, such as potentially excluding entire groups from social participation, and are encouraging lawmakers to think seriously about how they are used.
The travel and entertainment industries, which have struggled to operate profitably while enforcing social distance regulations, are particularly interested in a way to quickly verify who has protection.
Among those developing passports are biometrics company iProov and cybersecurity company Mvine, who built a vaccine pass that is now being tested at Britain’s National Health Service after receiving funding from the UK government.
IProov founder and chief executive Andrew Bud believes these vaccine passports need only contain two pieces of information.
“One is, was that person vaccinated? And the other is, how is that person? “
You just need to match a face with the vaccination status, you don’t need to know a person’s identity, he added.
Confirming clients’ vaccination status could help the night economy, which employs about 420,000 people in the northern city of Manchester, experts say.
“We have to see how to get back to normal,” said Sacha Lord, an industry consultant and co-founder of the city’s Parklife music festival.
Although there were experiences at socially distant concerts and events last year, they were not financially viable, he said.
“A show is not a show or a festival is not a festival unless you are shoulder to shoulder with your friends.
“I don’t think we should force people to use vaccine passports. It must be a choice. But at the entrance, if you do not have this passport, we will give you another option, ”he added, suggesting the use of rapid results coronavirus tests.
Bud said vaccine certificates are being launched in some countries and, in the United States, some private sector health passes are being used to admit clients to sporting events.
“I think that vaccine certificates raise huge social and political issues. Our job is to provide the technological basis to make passports and vaccine certificates possible … It is not our job to make judgments about whether they are a good idea or not, ”he said.
Potential issues could arise around the discrimination, privilege and exclusion of the younger generation who would be the last in line to be vaccinated, he said, adding that he believes the government is considering this carefully.
Reporting by Natalie Thomas; Written by Alexandra Hudson; Mike Collett-White edition