Opinion is split on vaccine passports to help the route out of lockdown.
The Scottish Government has announced it is considering the use of digital vaccine certificates to help with the route out of lockdown.
The virtual documents would be used for identifying members of the public who are at risk of carrying coronavirus, with information such as recent test results, vaccine doses taken and natural immunity being included.
Such vaccine passports would allow those who have been immunised to take part in certain activities without restriction, such as international travel, large music festivals and visits to public spaces.
Concerns have been raised that the introduction of such passports would be unethical, with worries it would feel like the state was controlling the public’s ability to attend every day events.
One the streets of Dundee, people were broadly in favour of the idea, but a readers’ poll suggested the majority are against it.
‘I think it’s a great idea’
However many residents in Dundee are in favour of the idea, with some even describing the plan as “brilliant”.
Keith Kidd, 58, said: “I think it’s a great thing, maybe not for things like pubs but for big events it is a really good idea.
“Things like getting us back to the football, because I’ve had my vaccine but I wouldn’t want to sit there not knowing if the guy next to me had his jab or not.
“You also shouldn’t be able to travel without a vaccine because these big planes can hold about 600 or 700 people and the air is all being circulated through.”
His opinion was shared by 78-year-old Will Watson, who said: “I think it’s something they should have for going on holiday, but not for stuff like going to the pub.
“I feel like it’s the best way of getting back to normal and keeping people safe in an enclosed thing like a flight.”
‘It would help to avoid people worrying’
Chris Elder, a 28-year-old pension administrator, would also like to see the passport used in other ways.
He pinpointed music festivals as the obvious place where the virus could be transmitted – and thinks a passport introduction would help ensure the safety of everyone in attendance at large-scale events.
“It would be good to have something like that so people can get together and just not worry about it,” he said.
“People will say that it’s a government overreach but it’s not, the only place I can see it being an issue is things like small businesses, it might have an economic impact on them.”
UK Government plan
The Scottish Goverment’s consideration of the proposal comes after Boris Johnson confirmed that Covid-19 status certificates would be trialled in England from mid April.
The UK government says such a scheme could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally and is “likely to become a feature of our lives until the pandemic recedes”.