THOUSANDS of people in Berkshire have backed a petition which states that no restrictions should be placed on people who refuse a Covid-19 vaccine.

More than 264,700 people, including 2,767 in Berkshire (780 in Reading), have signed the petition so far, but the government insists it will not "penalise" anyone who does not take the jab. 

It was launched before the UK became the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for widespread use.

The petition calls on the government to “prevent any restrictions being placed on those who refuse to have any potential Covid-19 vaccine”.

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It adds: “This includes restrictions on travel, social events, such as concerts or sports. No restrictions whatsoever. You cannot force someone to have a vaccination, and should not be able to coerce them into it by way of restrictions.”

In November, Nadhim Zahawi, the government minister responsible for the vaccine roll out, said people who receive the jab could be provided with “immunity passports”.

He also suggested that people may be refused entry to pubs, restaurants theatres and sport stadiums if they turn down a vaccine, during an interview with the BBC.

But Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove then insisted the government had no plans to introduce any form of identification for people who receive the jab and said unvaccinated people will not be barred from any venues.

The government has repeatedly stated that no one will be forced to take a Covid-19 vaccine.

Responding to the petition, the government wrote: "We believe it is everyone’s responsibility to do the right thing for their own health, and for the benefit of the wider community.

"There are currently no plans to introduce a Covid-19 vaccine in a way that penalises those who do not take up the vaccine. However, the government will carefully consider all options to improve vaccination rates, should that be necessary."

The roll out of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine in the UK will begin next week, after it was approved by an independent safety regulator.

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The government reserved 40 million doses of the jab, after clinical trials found that it is 95 per cent effective against the virus.

A government spokesman said: “The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week.

“The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination.”

American firm Moderna has applied to regulators for emergency approval for its vaccine, after it was found to be more than 94.1 per cent effective.

A British regulator is also assessing the vaccine from AstraZenca and Oxford University following advanced clinical trials and the government has pre-ordered 100 million doses.