{"id":23239,"date":"2021-09-26T11:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T15:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23239"},"modified":"2021-09-27T11:22:54","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T15:22:54","slug":"norths-ministers-to-meet-to-consider-vaccine-passports-in-the-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23239","title":{"rendered":"North’s Ministers To Meet To Consider Vaccine Passports In The North"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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SDLP minister Nichola Mallon said vaccine passports would help to create a \u2018sustainable pathway out of the remaining restrictions\u2019 (PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Covid-19 vaccine passport scheme is set to be considered in Northern Ireland by Stormont ministers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SDLP minister Nichola Mallon said such an initiative could create a \u201csustainable pathway out of the remaining restrictions\u201d, and expressed frustration that it has not yet been taken forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ministers are due to meet on Monday to look at the current social distancing rules and consider what mitigations could be introduced to change them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said she retained human rights concerns around the use of vaccine certification but suggested it may be required for the \u201cgreater good\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Minister Paul Givan said he had\u00a0concerns about requiring people to prove vaccination in order to gain entry to hospitality venues, noting that thousands of unvaccinated people would be denied access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stormont officials have been examining policy issues around using vaccine certification in Northern Ireland and assessing the logistical requirements of rolling out such a system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Mallon said she has raised the matter a \u201cnumber of times\u201d at the Executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that the Health Minister (Robin Swann) shares my frustrations at the delay in getting this forward,\u201d she told the BBC\u2019s Sunday Politics program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to be honest with ourselves, if we want to have a sustainable pathway out of the remaining restrictions, if we want to avoid further lockdown, if we want to protect our health service from unprecedented pressures as it goes into winter, then we need to look to introduce Covid passports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that the level of uptake in vaccines from the ages of 18-35 is lower here, and we know that when we look at the south that the introduction of Covid passports acts as an incentive for that age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo for me, it is a no brainer and it\u2019s actually very frustrating that we\u2019re still sitting having this discussion and not getting down to making the decisions on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Mallon added: \u201cThe CMO (chief medical officer Michael McBride) and the CSA (chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young) have provided advice to the Executive that said in terms of the remaining restrictions around social distancing for example, that needs to be mitigated and one of the mitigations is lateral flow tests but also Covid passports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe health advice is there, we need to, as an Executive, take a decision on this. We can\u2019t be fudging or delaying any further.\u201d<\/p>\n

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