Northern Ireland's First Minister has said mandatory Covid-19 passports should be withdrawn in "all" settings.
Paul Givan made his comments on Friday night as Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced the lifting of most of the Republic of Ireland's Covid rules in an address to the nation.
Mr Martin confirmed that customers would no longer need to show proof of their Covid status to enter hospitality and entertainment venues.
Mr Givan has previously said it is the DUP’s position that vaccine passports could be scrapped in Northern Ireland.
His party has consistently questioned the scientific evidence underpinning the introduction of Covid certification here.
In a tweet on Friday night, shortly after the changes in the Republic of Ireland were announced, the DUP MLA said the measure should also be withdrawn on this side of the border.
“It is my continued view that Mandatory Covid Passports should be withdrawn in ‘all’ settings. As RoI withdraws its use NI should not be disadvantaged," he tweeted.
“I stand ready to remove it completely in Northern Ireland with the support of other parties in the NI Executive.”
At its Executive meeting on Thursday, Stormont ministers agreed a swathe of relaxations of the restrictions.
From Friday rules on table service in pubs and restaurants were relaxed and the requirement to prove exemptions on wearing face masks was removed.
Pubs, restaurants or cinemas will no longer be legally required to request Covid certification for entry from January 26, although it will continue for nightclubs and indoor events with more than 500 people, as well as international travel.
Ministers are set to consider the remaining restrictions on February 10.
While the Covid certification scheme has previously sparked differences of opinion in the Executive, earlier on Friday Health Minister Robin Swann said it had kept some hospitality businesses open over Christmas.
"We were able to utilise it to keep some of our hospitality sector open where other areas were actually closing theirs down or having curfews," he said.
"Covid certification is an international requirement when it comes to travel, so it's not something that is going to disappear overnight, so people should not get into the mindset that that's it, over and done with."
A further six people who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said on Friday.
Another 3,568 confirmed cases of the virus have also been notified in the last 24-hour reporting period.
On Friday there were 398 Covid-19 inpatients in hospital, 24 of whom were being treated in ICU.
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