Govt to discuss digital Covid pass with EU
James ChappleUK government officials will meet with EU counterparts to discuss the union’s plans for a digital Covid pass, Downing Street has said.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on Monday (1 March) confirmed the EU would publish a legislative framework for a "digital green pass" this month.
The pass would provide proof of vaccination, any necessary pre-travel test results for those yet to be vaccinated, and information relating to an individual’s recovery from Covid-19.
Following a meeting of EU leaders last week, German chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected it would take around three months to bring such a pass to fruition.
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson reiterated to the BBC on Monday afternoon the government was looking into the issue of vaccine certification.
"As you can expect, the Department for Transport will speak to countries across the world in terms of how they may look to introduce passports," they said.
Vaccine certification is expected to form part of various reviews of how the UK economy and society reopens over the coming months, such as hospitality, with the newly reconvened Global Travel Taskforce due to report in mid-April on the feasibility of restarting international from 17 May at the earliest.
The spokesperson added Downing Street that while would not pre-empt the outcome of any of the government’s ongoing reviews, the UK would speak to the EU and other countries about how they may implement a green pass or similar policies.
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