UK's Johnson set to reveal road map to avoid more lockdowns

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce how his government plans to control the coronavirus during the fall and winter — hoping vaccinations, rather than restrictions, will keep COVID-19 in check.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Johnson is expected to say that mask-wearing, work-from-home advice and social distancing rules that were lifted in July could return if cases climb.

But his Conservative government is resisting tougher measures, unexpectedly shelving a plan to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded venues.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Sunday that the passes, which have been introduced in many European countries and were due to start in England at the end of September, were a “huge intrusion into people’s lives.” He said the government would keep the plan “in reserve” but would not proceed with it right now.

Johnson's spokesman, Max Blain, said nightclubs hadn't been linked to “significant cases or hospitalizations” since they reopened in July after more than a year of closure.

“We are not seeing the exponential increases that some had expected," he said.

Some experts have argued for vaccine passports as a way to encourage young people to get vaccinated, though others say compelling vaccination, rather than encouraging it, could increase hesitancy. The measure was opposed as a burdensome imposition by many in the nightlife industry, and met political resistance on civil liberties grounds from some Conservative lawmakers and the opposition Liberal Democrats.

The government’s decision applies in England. Scotland, which sets its own health policy, plans to introduce vaccine passports for crowded venues next month.

Britain is currently inoculating people 16 and up, and almost 90% of those eligible have...