AS THE idea of vaccine passports is floated across Westminster, the council is calling for clarity over what this could mean for business owners.
Charles Margetts, the executive member for health at the borough council and Conservative candidate for Finchampstead North in the elections, told Wokingham.Today the council is supportive of the idea “in principle” but has yet to see any detail on the proposal.
“We’re waiting for the full guidance on this,” he said.
“But it is my personal view that it is sensible to launch this after the large majority of the population has been offered their first or second dose of the vaccine.”
He quashed claims from The Daily Telegraph that passports could be rolled-out as soon as May, and said it makes “more sense” to introduce the system when “all the population has been vaccinated”.
He said many borough businesses may have concerns about the passports, particularly for bars and venues that cater towards adults under 30, who have yet to be offered the jab.
“We’re waiting to find out what’s happening, when we will see it, how it will work, and how it will affect businesses,” he said.
Over the past three weeks, the rate of infections in the borough has been slowly rising, and Mr Margetts said this was “natural”, as there was always an expectation for a small increase in covid cases as society reopened.
“There’s nothing to indicate that we will have a repeat of last year,” he said.
“We are in a vastly different place, with more than half of the population receiving their jabs.”
READ MORE: Candidates in Finchampstead South
Also standing in Finchampstead South are Martyn Foss, Green party; Alex Freeney, Labour; and Jordan Montgomery, Lib Dem