Covid vaccine passports will not be required for sports matches and concerts
Fans attending sports matches and concerts will not have to present a Covid certificate proving they have tested negative for the virus or received a vaccine.
"Vaccine passports" were trialled by a government research programme which allowed fans to use an app to show they were not infectious before attending large-scale events.
The event trials include Euro 2020 matches at Wembley Stadium and the forthcoming men's and women's singles finals at Wimbledon.
A Whitehall review of Covid certificates, overseen by Michael Gove, has concluded that they will not be needed for large events when they are allowed to go ahead from July 19.
MPs had previously questioned Mr Gove about how the passports might work for older people who do not have smartphones and how they could be protected from forgery – a problem in other countries that use them.
Some form of Covid certificate is still expected to be needed for international travel because they will be required by other countries. Boris Johnson said on July 5 that firms would be able to voluntarily use the scheme to admit customers to their venues if they wished to.
Vaccine passports are controversial, and some have argued that any form of mandatory certificate system could be discriminatory. Plans explored by the Cabinet Office under Mr Gove's auspices involved a "Covid status" for each person, incorporating vaccines received, tests taken or natural immunity received through contracting the virus.
Mr Gove has previously conceded that there would be no need for such a system if all eligible adults had the vaccine, raising questions about how long it would have functioned while the vaccine rollout continues.
Private software firms are also developing Covid apps that could be used by companies to monitor the status of their employees. The NHS App may be used as a free Covid certificate for any firms that wish to do so.
