UK PM Boris Johnson to give go-ahead for trials of Covid passports

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is slated to set out plans for a domestic "vaccine passport" system to help the country ease itself out of lockdown.

Football cup finals, a comedy club and a cinema will be used to test vaccine passports over the next few weeks, as per plan.

The pilot venues will be unveiled on Monday by the prime minister with the NHS drawing up a system that will allow people to use an app or a paper certificate to gain access to major events and reduce social distancing measures.

Johnson, however, continues to face a mounting political backlash over the use of vaccine passports.

More than 70 British lawmakers have signalled their opposition to the introduction of so-called vaccine passports.

The system being piloted will take account of whether someone has had a vaccination, a recent negative test, or natural immunity after a positive test in the last six months

On Friday, Johnson said that a combination of immunity factors - if people have had the disease, a vaccination or had a COVID-19 test - would give businesses confidence.

Under the government’s planned “roadmap” out of the pandemic, pubs will be allowed to serve people outdoors later this month, with a further easing of restrictions in mid-May before all measures are lifted near the end of June.

Johnson suggested last month that some pubs might require customers to produce vaccine certificates. Culture minister Oliver Dowden, meanwhile, has said that such certificates could help get more people into theatres.