Faith Minister Says COVID-19 Passports Will Not Be Required for Entry into UK Churches
The U.K.’s faith minister has denied reports that the government is requiring COVID-19 passports in order to enter churches.
According to Premier Christian News, faith minister and House of Lords member Stephen Greenhalgh rejected a tweet by Talk Radio, a British radio station, implying that nightclubs, cinemas and churches would require proof of vaccination from attendees.
“As faith minister I would like to make clear to everyone that the government is not going to make being double-jabbed a condition of entry to a place of worship. Talk Radio has got this wrong,” Greenhalgh wrote on Wednesday.
As faith minister I would like to make clear to everyone that @GOVUK is NOT going to make being double-jabbed a condition of entry to a place of worship. @talkRADIO has got this wrong! https://t.co/ApiDGHWWf0
— Stephen Greenhalgh (@team_greenhalgh) July 22, 2021
Talk Radio has since deleted the initial tweet and posted a new one, excluding the reference to churches requiring vaccine passports.
‘Glad to see the @talkRADIO tweet which makes a reference to churches has been deleted,” Greenhalgh tweeted.
Glad to see the @talkRADIO tweet which makes a reference to churches has been deleted. https://t.co/l9MG5Ji10z
— Stephen Greenhalgh (@team_greenhalgh) July 22, 2021
At the present time, the British government has lifted its mask requirement on churches and has allowed congregational singing again.
Greenhalgh’s comments come after vaccine minister Nadhim Zawahi outlined plans for the use of COVID passports, which will be required in late September.
“Although we do not encourage its use in essential settings such as supermarkets, other businesses and organisations in England can adopt the pass as a means of entry, where it is suitable for their venue or premises and when they can see its potential to keep their clients or customers safe,” Zawahi said during his address to the House of Commons.
“For proprietors of venues and events where large numbers are likely to gather and mix with people from outside their household for prolonged periods, deploying the pass is the right thing to do,” he continued. “The pass has an important role to play in slowing the spread of the virus, so we reserve the right to mandate its use in [the] future.”
According to Sky News, Zawahi added that “proof of a negative test will no longer be sufficient” once the mandate for vaccine passports goes into effect.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Chuang Tzu Dreaming
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
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