Ranvir Singh questions mandatory vaccine passports to return to work: ‘You lose your job?’

Ranvir Singh questioned the potential fallout of mandatory vaccine passports in the workplace, fearing employees may lose their jobs if they’re forced to be jabbed in order to return to the office.

She was joined by Dr Amir Khan on Lorraine today to dissect the contentious subject, and, feeling there was a ‘long road ahead’ the presenter – helming the show in Lorraine Kelly’s absence – felt the issue ‘won’t go down without a fight’.

It comes after nightclubs and other indoor spaces were allowed to reopen on July 19 without the need for people to present any certification as a condition of entry, but days later Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned clubbers and businesses alike that ministers were minded to make the passes mandatory by the end of September.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said on July 12 that businesses and large events would be ‘encouraged’, but not required, to use the NHS Covid Pass in ‘high risk settings’.

Ranvir said: ‘The issue is, that it could be required in all workplaces. Now that is a problem, isn’t it?

‘If you don’t agree to having both jabs, then what, you lose out financially? You lose your job?’

Ranvir wondered what would happen to those who weren’t vaccinated (Picture: ITV)

Dr Amir said: ‘I’m always in favour of educating people about having the vaccine rather than making it mandatory or putting things in place.’

He conceded he didn’t believe it would be legally enforced, but Ranvir felt such rules on the public ‘can make it so difficult on the rest of their lives, to conduct their life normally’.

He said: ‘I think that is difficult for individual people – there are a small number of people who can’t have the vaccine for legitimate medical reasons,’ but added getting vaccinated ‘protects you and protects other people too’.

There is a conversation around vaccine passports being made mandatory (Picture: Getty Images Europe)

Ranvir replied: ‘There is a long road ahead. I don’t think it will go down without a fight.

‘People are strong on that issue.’

Government ministers are continuing to ramp up the rhetoric on vaccine passports, despite having seemingly gone cold on the policy a matter of weeks ago.

Recently Michael Gove also said he thought ‘some form of certification’ was ‘the right way to go’ to try to curtail Covid spread at ‘certain venues and certain events’.

He said: ‘Ultimately, if you can be vaccinated and you refuse to, that is a selfish act.

‘You’re putting other people’s health and lives at risk, you should get vaccinated.’

In recent days it has also emerged the government is considering setting double-vaccination as a requirement for students entering lecture halls or halls of residence.

The PM reportedly suggested the policy himself and is ‘raging’ at relatively low uptake of the vaccine among younger people.

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Vaccine appointments have been open to all adults for several weeks but uptake among 18 to 24-year-olds is at 66.5%, well below older age groups.

At present, an NHS pass can be obtained via the app if you’ve had two doses of the vaccine or submitted a negative test result, but the PM has previously signalled entry requirements for clubs this autumn will require two jabs.

Lorraine returns Monday, 9am on ITV.