UK cinemas looking at vaccine passports in order to reopen
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Cinemas across the UK could consider using vaccine passports to reopen their doors during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Telegraph, David Chadwick of Verifiable Credentials has confirmed the electronic certificate creators have discussed a deal with one theatre and cinema complex in the UK to trial such technology.
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Chadwick explained that Verifiable Credentials would create these electronic certificates with which people could prove they have been vaccinated, by showing them on their smartphone.
The certificate would have to be shown alongside the booking confirmation in order to be allowed into the theatre or cinema.
The trials are still in progress, in order to assess the efficacy and technical feasibility, but Chadwick said that “checking people’s vaccination certificates might help cinemas to reopen in the future.”
Yesterday (February 15) Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that he did not think people would need such passports to “allow you to go to the pub, or something like that,” per Sky News.
He added: “I think inevitably there will be great interest in ideas like can you show that you’ve had a vaccination against Covid in the way that sometimes you have to show you’ve had a vaccination against yellow fever or other diseases in order to travel somewhere.”
Elsewhere, music venues across the UK are set to trial digital “health passports” in order to reopen doors for live gigs safely.
The new digital health passport app, designed by start-up company You Check, will connect with test, track and trace software.
“We’re working, not exclusively, with Innova in terms of testing – technology that looks for a viral load high enough to be contagious with 97 per cent plus accuracy,” You Check COO Fred Krefting told Event Industry News.
“With COVID the incubation period is two to five days. For the honeymoon phase after the test, it’s the shorter the better, which means you’re good to go to a show for 48 hours.”
