Privacy campaigners have condemned as the makings of a “checkpoint society” calls by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for large venues to adopt entry by vaccine passport only “as a matter of responsibility”.
Announcing last night that the end of legal restrictions will come on Monday, Prime Minister Johnson nevertheless said that he and the government “expect and recommend that people wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with those you don’t normally meet, such as on public transport”.
Johnson also pressured venues to adopt an NHS-enabled domestic vaccine passport, thus denying service to those without it, saying: “And as a matter of social responsibility we’re urging nightclubs and other venues with large crowds to make use of the NHS Covid Pass – which shows proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or natural immunity – as a means of entry.”
Civil liberties and privacy pressure group Big Brother Watch condemned the prime minister calling for vaccine passports, pledging to “name, shame, and boycott companies that demand divisive and discriminatory Covid Passes.”
“A checkpoint society will not make us any safer,” the group added.
👀 When the past comes back to bite you…
Divisive | Discriminatory | Wrong#NoVaccinePassports | #caughtin4k
🖥️ https://t.co/PVWIyjDPro pic.twitter.com/xcuBCNuXaY
— Big Brother Watch (@BigBrotherWatch) July 13, 2021
The government is also planning to announce compulsory vaccines for care and NHS staff, with Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo saying on Monday with incredulity: “When I came into civil liberties campaigning, I never thought I’d be facing a snap vote on mandatory vaccinations in this country.”- READ MORE
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