A REVIEW will be held over whether 'vaccine passports' will need to be shown to allow people to enter pubs and theatres as lockdown restrictions start to ease.

The use of Covid status certificates could mean venues and businesses would be able to deny someone access if they could not provide evidence they had been vaccinated or tested negative for coronavirus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a study into the use of vaccine and testing certificates will be one of four reviews conducted as part of easing the current restrictions.

The government's roadmap for exit from lockdown suggested that foreign holidays could resume from as early as May 17.

Non-essential travel is currently banned.

The roadmap also revealed that a review will be carried out on whether Covid-status certification "could play a role in reopening [the] economy, reducing restrictions on social contact and improving safety."

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Monday (February 22), Mr Johnson said: "There are deep and complex issues that we need to explore, ethical issues about what the role is for government in mandating all people to have something or indeed banning people from doing such a thing."

He said senior minister Michael Gove would be leading the review - due to be published before June 21 - but admitted that some form of vaccine passport is "going to come on the international stage whatever" for foreign travel, as some other countries would be insisting on it. "We need to thrash all this out, and we've got time," he added.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday (February 23) that there would be a review published on April 12 into international travel before holidays would be allowed to resume.

Airlines and travel agencies reported huge increases of between 500 and 600 per cent on Monday on bookings as holidaymakers rushed to arrange trips.