The NHS Covid Pass was reported to have been experiencing difficulties on Wednesday, December 8. These issues occurred just hours after the Prime Minister announced England would be moving to Plan B restrictions.

On social media, users reported that they were unable to download their domestic or travel passes on the NHS England app.

Users were faced with a loading screen before being diverted to a page outlining how to get the pass.

Others wanting to download their travel pass were presented with a message which said: “An unexpected error has occurred.”

Some users said they got a message which said: “Please try again later. There are currently issues with accessing the Covid Pass on the NHS app and website. We are investigating the issue and will update as soon as we can.”

This came only hours after Boris Johnson announced England would be moving into Plan B after an increase of Omicron variant cases.

The NHS Covid Pass, which can be obtained by having two vaccines or a negative lateral flow test, will be introduced for entry into nightclubs and other large venues from December 15.

The passes can be downloaded from the NHS app and saved onto mobile phones or saved as a PDF and printed off. They last for 30 days.

A statement from NHS Digital said: “We are aware of an issue affecting access to the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS App and website. We are investigating this as a priority and will update as soon as we can.”

A further statement issued later added: “We are continuing to investigate the current issues with the NHS COVID Pass and will provide an update as soon as possible. We apologise for any issues this may have caused and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve it.”

What are the new Plan B Covid restrictions?

On Wednesday, December 8 the government confirmed England would be moving to Plan B restrictions. This sees a number of regulations being brought back into effect.

Those who can should resume working from home from Monday.

Face masks are now required in most indoor settings, with hospitality being exempt.

The NHS Covid pass is now to be made mandatory in England in a week’s time for nightclubs and venues where large crowds gather, Boris Johnson has announced.

These are unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people.