"either several senior members of the Government were unaware of the Government’s policy direction in this area, or there was an effort to downplay to the public the seriousness with which the introduction of a Covid-status certification system was being considered."
"success of vaccination programme makes a Covid-status certification system unnecessary"
"we have not seen a convincing scientific case"
"we do not see how it would aid in the decision to remove and prevent reimposition of social distancing requirements."
"A Covid-status certification system would, by its very nature, be discriminatory... likely disproportionately... against people on the basis of race, religion and socio-economic background"
While "temporary infringement of rights may need to be weighed against public health or other emergency considerations, these occasions should only ever be when there is an overwhelming case of necessity and should, in all situations, be proportionate..."
"While it may not be the Government’s intention for the potential introduction of Covid-status certificates to be a route to introducing ID cards into the UK, there are clear similarities and legitimate concerns that this could occur."
"The decision to launch the Covid-status certificate function on the NHS app for international travel, without notifying and consulting Parliament, could be construed as contempt for Parliament and this Committee."
"We are also not clear that a (Covid status) certification system would provide any tangible increase in the public’s confidence in returning to pubs, restaurants, comedy clubs, theatres or sports stadia..."
"It is however clear to the Committee that the introduction of a Covid-status certification system would place new burdens and costs on those industries which have already suffered significantly"
Take action now to stop Johnson and Hancock moving the goalposts on you yet again - here’s how.
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2. Just as we’re looking forward to the lifting of restrictions to our way of life on June 21st - 15 months on from '3 weeks to flatten the curve' remember...
...it is now under threat from the Campaign of Fear surrounding the latest in a long line of variants...
3. The Government, supported by most of the media, is pumping up fear again and drawing on harrowing news from India...
- a developing country, with very limited health system, and few vaccinated -
SAGE committee SPI-B notoriously recommended in March last year that ministers needed to increase "the perceived level of personal threat" from Covid-19 because "a substantial number of people still do not feel sufficiently personally threatened"...
Now, Gavin Morgan, a psychologist on the SAGE team, admitted to Laura Dodsworth @BareReality for her new book A State of Fear: "Clearly, using fear as a means of control is not ethical. Using fear smacks of totalitarianism. It’s not an ethical stance for any modern government..."
"I've gone from being a successful entrepreneur employing 120+ staff to practically bankrupt, and likely to lose my home.
There was little or no support for the company - furlough + bounce back loans nowhere near sufficient, + zero support for me individually...
"I was a major shareholder and director of a large Event Production company...
We had turned it from a loss-making £2 million turn over business in 2009 to a £45million turn over profitable business employing 120 permanent and many more part time staff...
"Inevitably the business hit a brick wall in March 2020.
We spent all last summer trying to save the company but when it was clear that there was going to be no recovery last Autumn, we were forced to close down making everyone redundant...