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Subject: Oppose Covid Passes

Dear [MP’s name]

I am writing as your constituent to ask you to oppose the Government’s plans for mandatory vaccine passports, or indeed any type of domestic Covid pass.

Covid passports sacrifice equality, privacy and liberty, with no public health benefit. They would turn the UK into a two-tier, checkpoint society.

I am asking you to oppose Covid passes because they are:

Unevidenced: The only parliamentary committee to analyse Covid passes in detail, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), concluded that there is “no justification for them in the science and none in logic”. The Government’s own Covid certification review in July concluded that Covid passes would be “disproportionate” and should not be mandated. Since then, vaccination rates have only increased – so it is unclear what the Government’s policy change is in aid of. After months of nightclubs and large events being open to all, there can be absolutely no justification for this authoritarian, divisive and discriminatory move to impose vaccine IDs.

Discriminatory: Internal health passes would socially and economically exclude millions of disproportionately marginalised people. Vaccine IDs discriminate against young people, where uptake is lower and slower due to reduced risk; ethnic minority groups and migrants, particularly black and Asian people, where vaccine access may be lower, hesitancy higher, and the risk of exclusion higher; religious groups where hesitancy is higher or where beliefs (such as for Christian Scientists) typically reject medical interventions; disabled people, as some medical conditions may prevent individuals from being able to receive a vaccination; and pregnant or breastfeeding women, where hesitancy is particularly high.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told PACAC in late May 2021 that vaccine-only passes were not being considered, citing the “risk of either direct or indirect discrimination”. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi called vaccine passports “discriminatory and wrong” in a Westminster Hall debate earlier in the year, and as recently as July stated on Twitter that Covid passes would be discriminatory if vaccine-only.

Harmful to jobs and workers’ rights: Millions of people who work in night-time industries, events, or who attend conferences face being questioned about their personal medical choices and many risk losing their jobs if they decline or delay vaccination. The effect is likely to spillover to other sectors, reversing long-held protections for employees’ medical privacy.

Counter-productive: A major study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that vaccine passports would cause many people, particularly those in marginalised groups, to reject vaccination. Far from encouraging uptake, coercive measures harden uncertainty, breed distrust and deepen alienation.

Intrusive: Covid passes would lead to a checkpoint society. The purposes of such passes would inevitably expand and endure beyond the pandemic.

We know there are no silver bullet solutions. But there are far more proportionate, effective and inclusive measures than excluding healthy people without Covid IDs from society. Free and fair access to vaccines and healthcare; serious self-isolation support; an improved test and trace system; and proportionate safety measures are all needed to protect public health and get the country back to normal. But we can never get back to anything like normal as a checkpoint society that leaves people behind.

Please oppose Boris Johnson’s Covid IDs.

Thank you,

[Your name and address/postcode]

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Subject: Oppose Covid Passes

Dear [MSP’s name]

I am writing as your constituent to ask you to oppose the Scottish Government’s plans for mandatory vaccine passports, or indeed any type of domestic Covid pass.

Covid passports sacrifice equality, privacy and liberty, with no public health benefit. They would turn the UK into a two-tier, checkpoint society.

I am asking you to oppose Covid passes because they are:

Unevidenced: The Scottish Government has provided no evidence base for vaccine passports, nor stated what their desired purpose is. In Westminster, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) analysed Covid passes in detail and concluded that there is “no justification for them in the science and none in logic”. Whilst the Scottish Government has not, to my knowledge, conducted or published any kind of review into vaccine passes, the UK Government’s Covid certification review in July concluded that Covid passes would be “disproportionate” and should not be mandated. Since then, vaccination rates have only increased – well over 90% of adults in Scotland have received one dose and over 80% have received two - so it is unclear what the Government’s policy change is in aid of. After months of nightclubs and large events being open to all, there can be absolutely no justification for this authoritarian, divisive and discriminatory move to impose vaccine IDs.

Discriminatory: Internal health passes would socially and economically exclude millions of disproportionately marginalised people. Vaccine IDs discriminate against young people, where uptake is lower and slower due to reduced risk; ethnic minority groups and migrants, particularly black and Asian people, where vaccine access may be lower, hesitancy higher, and the risk of exclusion higher; religious groups where hesitancy is higher or where beliefs (such as for Christian Scientists) typically reject medical interventions; disabled people, as some medical conditions may prevent individuals from being able to receive a vaccination; and pregnant or breastfeeding women, where hesitancy is particularly high.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told PACAC in late May 2021 that vaccine-only passes were not being considered, citing the “risk of either direct or indirect discrimination”. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi called vaccine passports “discriminatory and wrong” in a Westminster Hall debate earlier in the year, and as recently as July stated on Twitter that Covid passes would be discriminatory if vaccine-only.

Harmful to jobs and workers’ rights: Millions of people who work in night-time industries, events, or who attend conferences face being questioned about their personal medical choices and many risk losing their jobs if they decline or delay vaccination. The effect is likely to spillover to other sectors, reversing long-held protections for employees’ medical privacy.

Counter-productive: Health Secretary Humza Yousaf suggested that vaccine IDs would “incentivise vaccination” - but this is completely contradictory to decades of research on vaccine confidence. A recent major study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that vaccine passports would harden vaccine rejection among many people, particularly those in marginalised groups. Far from encouraging uptake, coercive measures increase uncertainty, breed distrust and deepen alienation.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently said, “I do not think that we should say that we will allow a negative Covid test” on a Covid pass as it would “effectively let people off the hook of getting vaccinated”. This language is inflammatory and wrong. Vaccination is not a “hook” – it is a public health measure that is being widely adopted through encouragement, not punishment.

Intrusive: Covid passes would lead to a checkpoint society. The purposes of such passes would inevitably expand and endure beyond the pandemic.

We know there are no silver bullet solutions. But there are far more proportionate, effective and inclusive measures than excluding healthy people without Covid IDs from society. Free and fair access to vaccines and healthcare; serious self-isolation support; an improved test and trace system; and proportionate safety measures are all needed to protect public health and get the country back to normal. But we can never get back to anything like normal as a checkpoint society that leaves people behind.

Please oppose divisive, discriminatory and unevidenced Covid IDs.

Thank you,

[Your name and address/postcode]

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Subject: Oppose Covid Passes

Dear [Senedd Members’ name]

I am writing as your constituent to ask you to oppose the Welsh Government’s plans for mandatory domestic Covid passes, coming into effect from 11/10/21.

Covid passports sacrifice equality, privacy and liberty, with no public health benefit. They would turn the UK into a two-tier, checkpoint society.

I am asking you to oppose Covid passes because they are:

Unevidenced: The Welsh Government has provided no evidence base for Covid passes, nor stated what their desired purpose is. In Westminster, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) analysed Covid passes in detail and concluded that there is “no justification for them in the science and none in logic”. Whilst the Welsh Government has not, to my knowledge, conducted or published any kind of review into Covid passes, the UK Government’s Covid certification review in July concluded that Covid passes would be “disproportionate” and should not be mandated. Since then, vaccination rates have only increased – well over 90% of adults in Wales have received one dose and over 80% have received two - so it is unclear what the Government’s policy change is in aid of. After months of nightclubs and large events being open to all, there can be absolutely no justification for this authoritarian, divisive and discriminatory move to impose vaccine IDs. Throughout Mark Drakeford’s September announcement on mandating Covid passes in Wales, the First Minister failed to outline a single scintilla of evidence for how they will reduce the risk of contracting or spreading coronavirus.

Discriminatory: Lateral Flow Tests, particularly during low prevalence, produce an unacceptable number of false positives. False positives would pose a significant threat to the people who depend on the night-time industries for employment, who could suffer socio-economical exclusion and be wrongly denied rights, work, travel or paid-for products, services, or events in the interim.

Internal health passes would socially and economically exclude millions of disproportionately marginalised people. Vaccine IDs discriminate against young people, where uptake is lower and slower due to reduced risk; ethnic minority groups and migrants, particularly black and Asian people, where vaccine access may be lower, hesitancy higher, and the risk of exclusion higher; religious groups where hesitancy is higher or where beliefs (such as for Christian Scientists) typically reject medical interventions; disabled people, as some medical conditions may prevent individuals from being able to receive a vaccination; and pregnant or breastfeeding women, where hesitancy is particularly high.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi called vaccine passports “discriminatory and wrong” in a Westminster Hall debate earlier in the year. He also said “that’s not how we do things in the UK, we do them by consent.”

Harmful to jobs and workers’ rights: Tens of thousands of people who work in night-time industries, events, or who attend conferences face being questioned about their personal medical choices and many risk losing their jobs if they decline or delay vaccination. The effect is likely to spillover to other sectors, reversing long-held protections for employees’ medical privacy.

Counter-productive: Lateral flow tests (LFTs) suffer from inaccuracy and miss the majority (60%) of asymptomatic infections – the very purpose they are being deployed for in the use of Covid passes.

A major study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that vaccine passports would cause many people, particularly those in marginalised groups, to reject vaccination. Far from encouraging uptake, coercive measures harden uncertainty, breed distrust and deepen alienation.

Intrusive: Covid passes would lead to a checkpoint society. The purposes of such passes would inevitably expand and endure beyond the pandemic.

Announcing plans for mandatory Covid passes in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "The reason we are doing this is to avoid having to take any more intrusive measures to deal with Coronavirus." This incredibly vague statement fails mention that mandating health IDs, which include some of our most intimate information, is an invasive leap towards a checkpoint Cymru.

We know there are no silver bullet solutions. But there are far more proportionate, effective and inclusive measures than excluding healthy people without Covid IDs from society. Free and fair access to vaccines and healthcare; serious self-isolation support; an improved test and trace system; and proportionate safety measures are all needed to protect public health and get the country back to normal. But we can never get back to anything like normal as a checkpoint society that leaves people behind.

Please oppose divisive, discriminatory and unevidenced Covid IDs.

Thank you,

[Your name and address/postcode]