Vaccine passports will be introduced at big venues in England to avoid winter closures, the vaccines minister has said.
Nadhim Zahawi said that the government wanted to avoid a situation where businesses continually had to open and close at short notice and stressed the need to ensure venues can open safely in the long term.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “We are looking at, by the end of September when everyone has had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, for the large venues, venues that could end up causing a real spike in infections, where we need to use the certification process.
“The worst thing we can do for those venues is to have a sort of open-shut-open-shut strategy because we see infection rates rise because of the close interaction of people, that’s how the virus spreads, if people are in close spaces in large numbers we see spikes appearing.
“The best thing to do then is to work with the industry to make sure that they can open safely and sustainably in the long term, and the best way to do that is to check vaccine status.”
Zahawi added that he would do everything in his power to avoid another lockdown.
Boris Johnson first gave notice in July that vaccine passports would be introduced for nightclubs and some other settings by the end of September.
The plans have faced criticism from nightclub owners, with the Night Time Industries Association claiming that vaccine passports could “cripple the industry” and see clubs facing discrimination cases.
Politically, the prime minister has faced opposition to the plans from MPs in his own party in the Covid Recovery Group, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey described them as “divisive, unworkable and expensive”.
The Welsh Government has said it is considering the case for the use of Covid passes for entry into higher risk settings, but is yet to commit to any plans.
A spokesperson said: “We continue to assess the latest evidence and rationale for their introduction, alongside the latest public health position.”
Last week, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that vaccine passports will be required for entry to many large events in Scotland from later this month.
Everyone over the age of 18 will need to show proof that they have had both doses of the vaccine to gain entry to:
• Unseated indoor live events with more than 500 people
• Unseated outdoor live events with more than 4,000 people
• Nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
• Any event with more than 10,000 people
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
