Barring travel 'justified' if vaccine passport is introduced, professor tells LBC

12 February 2021, 16:30

The Government would be "justified" in barring travel for those who refuse to be vaccinated if immunity passports are introduced, a professor has told LBC.

Bioethics professor Dr Jonathan Ives made the remark in response to LBC's Tom Swarbrick asking him if the Government requiring vaccine passports for travel would be "unfairly discriminatory".

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi, has before said the Government is "looking at the technology" to create vaccine passports.

However, on Sunday Mr Zahawi told the BBC the introduction of vaccine passports would be "discriminatory" and that the Government would not introduce them.

Dr Ives told Tom: "Any discrimination that's based on safety, particularly concerning things that limit your own freedoms to injure the safety of others, I think are prima facie justified and justifiable.

"So I wouldn't see immunity passports as unfair per se. But there are I think legitimate concerns in the way that they might be used and enacted.

"So I think there would be caveats that they have to be used properly."

Speaking of those who would refuse to get vaccinated in light of such a restriction, he added: "Yes, effectively it would mean that without the passport you're not allowed to travel.

"In my view that would be a justified restriction on your freedom so long as you've taken the decision not to do it..."

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove late last year told LBC he does not support plans that could see restaurants, bars and cinemas turning customers away if they have not had a Covid jab.