A number of groups – including the Museums Association, WhatNext? and David Tovey from Arts and Homelessness International – have drawn attention to the risks of exacerbating inequalities through the process of covid certification to access venues. Making Music has pointed out that the government's consultation process extended over only a fortnight, and
the short window of opportunity to respond may not lead to the government’s stated aim ‘to ensure that the [resulting] recommendations reflect a broad range of interests and concerns.
The UK Disability Arts Alliance has put together a response to the government's rapid turnaround consultation, however, and
outlined considerable concern that vaccine passports could be discriminatory and exclude disabled artists, workforce and audiences.
The Royal College of GPs has also responded to the government's consultation and has highlighted digital and socio-economic equality concerns, including the following:
Given the lower rates of vaccine uptake amongst some BAME communities and lower income groups as compared to the national average, we would have significant concerns about the equalities implications of domestic use of vaccine certification for access to venues and services for example.
The Royal Society has also suggested that
There are potentially undesirable outcomes if vaccine status were used to compound already disadvantaged characteristics (e.g., age, ethnicity).
The Open Rights Group has pointed out that
There are real risks that migrants whose data rights are already diminished will be obliged to carry a digital passport, and to potentially upload data to it, with the aim of further curtailing their rights and liberties without the recourse available to others. The virus does not recognise citizenship or nationality, and neither must the routes away from it.