UK transport minister Grant Shapps says that countries will demand full vaccination “forevermore” and that young people “won’t be able to leave the country” without being double jabbed.
Shapps made the comments during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today show.
“I think double vaccination, full vaccination, is going to be a feature forevermore and most countries, probably all countries, will require full vaccination in order for you to enter,” said the minister.
“It’s important to understand that there are simply going to be things that you will not be able to do unless you’re double-vaccinated or have a medical reason not to be, including going abroad,” he added.
He then directly addressed people in their 20’s who were under the impression the virus doesn’t effect them by asserting, “You won’t be able to leave the country” without the jab.
The comments were intended to combat vaccine hesitancy amongst young people, with figures showing fewer than 60% of 18- to 25-year-olds had received their first jab in England.
The UK is set to introduce vaccine passports in September that mandate proof of full vaccination before allowing people to enter venues such as nightclubs and concerts.
The option of providing a negative COVID test result instead will be removed despite the fact that fully vaccinated people can still spread the virus.
The government initially vowed to never introduce vaccine passports because they were “discriminatory,” but if the government is successful in doing so, expect the list of venues requiring them to rapidly expand.
However, some nightclubs have vowed to resist the measures, insisting that they are impossible to enforce and will eliminate profit margins, making staying in business unworkable.
As Sir Desmond Swayne recently warned, vaccine passports are merely a veil for the introduction of national identity cards.
“It is the Trojan Horse for an identity card system. Once you bring in requirements of this sort, they’re very, very difficult to remove,” Sir Desmond said.
