People who have received COVID-19 vaccines should have more freedom returned to them than those who haven’t, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.
It comes a week before the UK government makes its final decision on whether or not to go ahead with the plan to remove all legal restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, on June 21.
Since March 2020, most governments around the world imposed unprecedented restrictions on people’s freedom of movement, social interactions, and protests in an effort to reduce the spread of the CCP virus.
The UK’s first national lockdown started on March 20, 2020, when schools and public venues were ordered to close.
Asked if the government would delay the removal of restrictions if the Delta (Indian) variant of the CCP virus “gets bad,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show” on Sunday that the government is “absolutely open” to the option.
Speaking on the same show, Blair said people who are vaccinated and not vaccinated for COVID-19 should be distinguished both domestically and with regard to international travel.
The former prime minister was talking about a paper published on Sunday by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which calls for a “globally interoperable system of health passes” that is “usable both by national border authorities and other organisations within countries.
“The paper we’re putting out today is saying we should really distinguish between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated,” Blair said.
“So both here at home, if we do have to adjust some of the freedoms because of the rising pressure from new variants, then it’s important, at least to ensure that those people who are vaccinated, have the maximum freedom they can. I think that could also be done for travel as well.”
Asked if he thought it was acceptable to turn down a vaccine, Blair replied, “Unless you’ve got a good medical reason, my view very clearly is no,” adding that it’s important to give people “a real incentive to get vaccinated.”
The new paper called for the government to allow businesses and organizations to operate with no restrictions if they restrict entry to those who have been fully vaccinated or have had a recent negative lateral flow test.
Asked if this would create a discriminatory “two-tier society between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated,” Blair said that “discrimination” is a loaded word, “but really when it comes to risk management, it’s all about discrimination.”