NHS app can be used to prove Covid vaccination status

With international travel back on the cards, Britons will be able to use it as a vaccine passport

The NHS app can now be used as evidence of vaccination. Bloomberg

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday urged Britons to download the National Health Service app because it now shows evidence of vaccination.

His plea came as Britain embarked on stage three of its Covid roadmap,with indoor hospitality reopening and holidays abroad once again permitted under the traffic light system for travel.

Mr Shapps was keen to highlight that the NHS app is different to its Covid proximity app.

He also reminded people not to let down their guards as the UK emerges from lockdown.

With international travel back on the cards from Monday, Britons will be able to use the NHS app as a vaccine passport. The app will also show whether someone has recently had a negative test result.

Vaccine passports are a key part of efforts to jump-start European tourism in time for the summer peak.

The European Union aims to introduce them by June after governments reached a deal on technical standards in April.

While vaccine passports represent good news for the embattled travel sector, the question remains of whether the growing threat of the Indian variant will prevent people from taking holidays in a few weeks' time.