Covid vaccine passports allowing people to go on foreign holidays are ‘feasible’ but they cannot be introduced yet, experts claimed today.
Scientists said standards of vaccine passports already in operation around the world vary and need to be made universal for the certificates to be useful for international travel.
And the Royal Society academics warned more evidence is needed on immunity, in order to establish how long a passport can be valid for.
They stressed a ‘broader discussion’ was needed about some of the key aspects of any document, such as the need for legal and ethical standards and data privacy.
No10 has so far denied it has plans to introduce any passport scheme, with vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi describing their use as ‘wrong’ and ‘discriminatory’.
But ministers are ‘increasingly positive’ that foreign summer holidays will be possible this year, despite accepting that some countries may require proof of vaccination as a condition for quarantine-free travel in the future.
Some senior ministers have urged Boris Johnson to consider vaccination certificates in order to help breathe life back into the crippled hospitality industry.
Covid vaccine passports allowing people to go on foreign holidays are ‘feasible’, scientists from the Royal Society have said
Professor Melinda Mills, director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford and a lead author of the report, said a ‘broader discussion’ about passports is needed before they can be introduced.
She said: ‘Understanding what a vaccine passport could be used for is a fundamental question – is it literally a passport to allow international travel or could it be used domestically to allow holders greater freedoms?
‘The intended use will have significant implications across a wide range of legal and ethical issues that need to be fully explored and could inadvertently discriminate or exacerbate existing inequalities.
WHAT ARE THE TWELVE BENCHMARKS FOR VACCINE PASSPORTS? Meeting benchmarks for Covid-19 immunityAccommodating differences between vaccines in their efficacy and changes in vaccine efficacy against emerging variantsBeing internationally standardisedHaving verifiable credentialsHaving defined usesBeing based on a platform of interoperable technologiesBeing secure for personal dataBeing portableBeing affordable to individuals and governmentsMeeting legal standardsMeeting ethical standardsHaving conditions of use that are understood and accepted by the passport holdersAdvertisement
‘International standardisation is one of the criteria we believe essential, but we have already seen some countries introducing vaccine certificates related to travel or linked to quarantine or attending events.
‘We need a broader discussion about multiple aspects of a vaccine passport, from the science of immunity through to data privacy, technical challenges and the ethics and legality of how it might be used.’
The report sets out 12 key points that need to be satisfied in order to deliver a vaccine passport.
These include meeting benchmarks for Covid-19 immunity, accommodating differences between how good the vaccines are at protecting against emerging variants as well as the passports being internationally standardised.
Passports would also require verifiable credentials and defined uses.
The Royal Society said the passports would need to be based on technologies that work across different softwares, be secure on personal data, be portable and affordable for individuals and governments.
The report said: ‘A fair balance of data protection and privacy requirements must be considered, in particular to guard against the use of such a passport to track populations.’
It said additional scrutiny on already marginalised groups by police or employers must be guarded against.
Finally they would have to meet legal and ethical standards, having conditions of use that are understood and accepted by people using them.
Professor Christopher Dye, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and one of the lead authors on the report said passports are ‘promising but more criteria need to be satisfied’.
He said: ‘An effective vaccine passport system that would allow the return to pre-Covid-19 activities, including travel, without compromising personal or public health, must meet a set of demanding criteria – but it is feasible.
‘First there is the science of immunity, then the challenges of something working across the world that is durable, reliable and secure.
‘There are the legal and ethical issues and if you can crack all that, you have to have the trust of the people.’
He said ‘huge progress’ has been made towards addressing some of the challenges, but added: ‘We are not there yet’.
Prof Dye said: ‘At the most basic level, we are still gathering data on exactly how effective each vaccine is in preventing infection and transmission and on how long the immunity will last.’
Professor Christopher Dye, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and one of the lead authors on the report said the passports are ‘feasible’
International travel is banned during the current national lockdown unless it is absolutely essential.
But ministers are ‘increasingly positive’ that foreign summer holidays will be possible this year amid hopes vaccine passports will soon make international travel ‘straightforward’.
There is said to be growing optimism in Whitehall that trips abroad will be allowed in the coming months.
A Whitehall source told The Times: ‘It’s looking increasingly positive on summer holidays.
‘Once the vaccination passport system is set up it should be straightforward. That won’t be easy, but we can see the way ahead.’
The newspaper said that Mr Johnson’s exit strategy will not include a timeline for the return of holidays abroad.
It is expected to contain broad aims on how ministers want to get the travel industry back on its feet.
However, a Government source expressed caution and said it is ‘too early’ to say for certain that foreign holidays will be possible this summer.
The source said: ‘There are so many variables over the next few weeks – the rollout of the vaccination programme, what that means for transmission, what happens to case numbers as we open up.’
Are summer holidays back on? Government ‘increasingly positive’ that Brits WILL be able to have a foreign break this year amid hopes vaccine passport will make international travel ‘straightforward’
Ministers are ‘increasingly positive’ that foreign summer holidays will be possible this year amid hopes vaccine passports will soon make international travel ‘straightforward’.
There is said to be growing optimism in Whitehall that trips abroad will be allowed in the coming months.
It is thought some countries could require proof of vaccination as a condition for quarantine-free travel in the future.
As a result, the Government is working on plans which would allow Brits to ask for a vaccine certificate to show to border officials.
However, ministers warned this morning that they ‘cannot give guarantees’ and urged the nation to wait for Boris Johnson to unveil his lockdown exit roadmap on Monday next week.
There is growing optimism in Whitehall that summer holidays abroad could be possible this year. The Greek goverment wants British tourists back from May. Tigaki beach is pictured in Kos, Greece
International travel is banned during the current national lockdown unless it is absolutely essential.
But a Whitehall source told The Times: ‘It’s looking increasingly positive on summer holidays.
‘Once the vaccination passport system is set up it should be straightforward. That won’t be easy, but we can see the way ahead.’
The newspaper said that Mr Johnson’s exit strategy will not include a timeline for the return of holidays abroad.
It is expected to contain broad aims on how ministers want to get the travel industry back on its feet.
However, a Government source expressed caution and said it is ‘too early’ to say for certain that foreign holidays will be possible this summer.
The source said: ‘There are so many variables over the next few weeks – the rollout of the vaccination programme, what that means for transmission, what happens to case numbers as we open up.’
The Government is already in talks with countries like Greece about how to resume quarantine-free travel.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil his eagerly-anticipated lockdown exit strategy next Monday
The Greek government wants British tourists to start returning as early as May and it has agreed a trial scheme with Israel which will allow people who have been vaccinated to travel freely.
A senior Greek tourism official said the deal is a ‘prototype and preamble for future deals’ with other countries like the UK.
They said: ‘Obviously all eyes are on these talks with British authorities as Britons account for the most lucrative market of travellers.’
Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly said it would be ‘wrong’ for him to speculate on whether summer holidays will be allowed this year.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: ‘The Prime Minister will be setting out exactly what restrictions we are able to ease and when in as much detail as he is able.
‘But we cannot give guarantees because that is not how viruses work. Our vaccination programme, our current set of restrictions have been effective, we know that. We are currently assessing how effective and what the implications might be of certain options.
‘But ultimately we want to open up society, the economy as much as we are able but only on the condition that it is safe to do so.’
Airline bosses have urged Mr Johnson to set out a detailed plan for resuming international travel
He added: ‘I get how frustrating this is, it’s completely natural. We all want to get a break from this, I get that. But it would wrong for me to start speculating now.
‘We are assessing the numbers, we are making a judgment based on the science and we will be making an announcement on Monday. I can’t go further than that.’
It comes after bosses from leading UK airlines called on the Prime Minister to outline a recovery road map for the industry so they can plan for the summer.
The chief executives of British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Loganair, Ryanair, Tui and Virgin Atlantic warned that without a clear indication of intent from the Government that aviation will restart in the coming months, the UK faces a year of limited connectivity to the rest of the world, and the economic recovery will be hampered.
They said that when the Prime Minister makes his announcement on the lockdown next week, a road map would be critical for airlines and consumers to help them plan for the summer and pave the way for the safe reopening of international travel.
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