Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Everyone in England will be urged to take a coronavirus test twice a week, as a new Covid passport system is being evaluated for widespread use, in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to reopen the economy after the blockade.
Free test kits will be made available through local pharmacies, community centers and home delivery services when the new scheme goes into effect on April 9th.
Given that the majority of the adult population has now received a vaccine, the government believes that rapid testing of the entire population and a Covid status certification system will help maintain control over the pandemic, as restrictions are eased.
Johnson will present the details later Monday, before the next step in raising the borders for companies and citizens, which will take place on April 12.
“The British public has made massive efforts to stop the spread of the virus,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office. “As we continue to make significant progress on our vaccination program and roadmap to carefully mitigate ongoing restrictions, regular rapid testing is even more important to ensure that these efforts are not wasted.” .
Britain has suffered the highest number of deaths in Europe due to the pandemic and is still in the throes of 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 blow so far and puts the UK in a good position to reopen even while nearby countries such as be France, it gets stuck again.
According to Johnson’s plans:
- International travel can be resumed, possibly starting May 17, with a new one The “traffic light” system that codifies countries as red, amber or green, based on their pandemic risks. Risk assessments will take into account a country’s vaccination schedule, infection rate, virus strains and sequencing capacity.
- Arrivals from the UK from green countries will not have to be isolated, but will have to be tested before departure and after arrival. Quarantine and isolation rules will apply to passengers entering the country from red and amber seats
- A Covid status certification system – often called a Covid passport – will be developed in the coming months, which could allow for the reopening of more risky places, such as sporting events, nightclubs and theaters.
- Covid certificates, which could be on paper or via a smartphone app, will be tested at mass events, including top football matches and other sporting events in the coming weeks; pubs, shops and restaurants will not have to use the certification to reopen
- A review of social distancing will take into account when families will be allowed to embrace again and whether Covid passports could see the distance guidelines raised.
Many of the measures in Johnson’s plan will have to vote in Parliament. Johnson will likely face the fighting demands of some of his Conservative 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.