After vaccinating more people than any other European country, Gran britain prepares for a partial return to normality. From the 12th April a first cycle of reopening will begin and economic activities considered "non-essential" such as pubs and restaurants will be able to return to serving outdoors. This stage should finish on 21nd June, the date on which the definitive return to pre-Covid life is expected. But to achieve the goal, it is necessary to prevent the easing of restrictions from triggering a new wave of infections. To this end, Downing Street will launch two measures: an internal health passport and a mass rapid testing campaign.
The first, which in the UK they now call “vaccination certificate”, will contain not only information on vaccinations carried out, but also the results of any swabs and serological tests. The document will be used to travel, to participate in public events and even to drink a beer in the pub. The novelty could be tested next month at two popular sporting events in Great Britain: the football FA Cup final and the snooker tournament World Snooker Championship.
The controversy was immediate: the project was defined “dangerous” for privacy and “discriminatory” against those who do not want or cannot get the vaccine for medical reasons. Pointing the finger at the vaccination certificate is a bipartisan front ranging from the socialist Corbyn to the former conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith. Approval in Parliament, therefore, is by no means a given.
The second measure is less controversial and provides two quick and free swabs a week for all British citizens. So far, state-sponsored screening has only covered students, their families and people forced to work outside the home. From 9 April, however, the tests will be offered to everyone and can be done in dedicated centers or pharmacies. Alternatively, it will be possible to receive the do-it-yourself test equipment at home by post.
Even if the most heated clash concerns the vaccination passport, some protest voices have also risen against the expansion of mass rapid tests. According to Allyson Pollock, professor of public health at Newcastle University, it is "a scandalous waste of money: when the Covid infection rate drops as much as it does now, an increasing percentage of cases are likely to be false positives, the which will lead to unnecessary self-isolation".
The London government, however, is going straight. After a "very difficult year", Britain is about to experience "brighter days", Johnson said in his Easter video message on Twitter: "It has been a very difficult twelve months but, as always, the arrival of Easter it brings with it new hope and this year, as never before, brings the promise of brighter days ahead of us all.”
