Brits 'won't need a Covid passport to watch gigs or sports events' after Freedom Day

Covid passports will not be needed at mass gatherings when final lockdown restrictions are lifted from 19 July, it’s claimed.

This means Government vaccine certificates will not be required for sports events, mass gatherings and music festivals, The Daily Mail reports.

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At a glance: 5 key points

- Although Government certificates will not be needed, organisers shall reportedly be made to devise their own scheme to prove attendees pose no threat of Covid

- Despite ongoing trials at Wimbledon and Wembley - passports might not be needed for domestic use

- Boris Johnson has said people should bear in mind that he doesn’t see any prospect of certificates to get into pubs

- But Covid passports will still be needed for international travel to show whether a person has had a vaccine, a recent Covid test or recovered from the virus

- It comes as the number of Covid patients on ventilators in England’s hospitals has climbed to its highest level for more than two months on 30 June - standing at 245 people - having dipped to 113 on 29 May

What’s been said

A Downing Street spokesman told the MailOnline: “Cabinet agreed that once we have completed the road map, we will be able to live with Covid in the future – even if cases continue to rise – thanks to the protections provided by the vaccine.”

A source said: “It is looking unlikely that we will have to make Covid certification compulsory, even for mass events.

“It will be needed for foreign travel and some events may choose to run their own schemes, but it does not look like we will need legislation at this stage.”

Background

Twenty events across sport and entertainment have been chosen as Covid pilot schemes – with Wimbledon and European Championship the big winners.

The research programmes aims to gather data on how live events impact the spread of Covid, and how the Government can safely begin to reopen more venues.

For those events which are not part of trials, the rules will remain as they have since May 17, and stay in place until July 19 at the earliest.

The MailOnline claims the Premier League could be among those expected to introduce some form of certification to keep football stadiums safe from the virus.

The new Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said the Government planned to lift all restrictions on 19 July.

He said no date the Government chooses for ‘Freedom Day’ comes with zero risk for Covid as he told the Commons “we know we cannot simply eliminate it, we have to learn to live with it.”