Call for evidence outcome

Proposal for mandatory COVID certification in a Plan B scenario: call for evidence

From:: Department of Health and Social Care
Published: 27 September 2021
Last updated: 13 December 2021 — See all updates

Applies to England

Detail of outcome

On Wednesday 15 December, if approved by Parliament, the coronavirus (COVID-19) rules on attending certain venues and events in England are changing. From this date, to enter those venues and events, people aged 18 or above must either:

be fully vaccinated
have completed a negative PCR test or negative lateral flow test within the past 48 hours, or
be exempt

Please see:

Original call for evidence

Call for evidence description

We are asking for responses by 11 October, although we encourage stakeholders to submit views as quickly as possible in case there is need to introduce certification, as part of Plan B, at short notice.

The COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021, published on 14 September, sets out the government’s aims to sustain the progress made and prepare the country for future challenges, while ensuring the National Health Service (NHS) does not come under unsustainable pressure during this period. If the data suggests the NHS is likely to come under unsustainable pressure, the government has prepared a Plan B for England.

Under Plan B, in certain settings:

mandatory vaccine-only certification could be introduced for all visitors aged 18 or over
members of the workforce aged 18 or over in these settings could then be required to test regularly, if they are not fully vaccinated

The proposal for mandatory COVID certification in a Plan B scenario sets out further detail on the proposals.

The government intends to take a proportionate approach, balancing the impact on public health with the economic and social impacts by focussing on settings where crowds mix and come into close contact. Mandating vaccine-only certification could allow settings that have experienced long periods of closure to remain open, compared to more stringent measures which may severely reduce capacity or cause them to close entirely.

The government will engage on certification proposals with affected businesses and civil society to ensure measures are proportionate and effective. From February to July 2021, the government conducted a review into COVID-status certification, including a public call for evidence that received 52,450 responses. We are again seeking stakeholders’ views on certification proposals and invite submissions of evidence.

The government is particularly interested in views from businesses, event organisers and venue operators, including from those that have experience of using certification on a voluntary basis over the summer, and on the proposals for the workforce. The government invites submissions of evidence, and is also engaging with stakeholder representative groups.

The call for evidence is open to everyone aged 18 or over.

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