‘Like no man’s land’: Vaccine passports for nightclubs would be ‘financial disaster’
Plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs are flawed and will be a “financial disaster”, according to leading voices in the industry.
Despite the government insisting that it was “working closely with organisations that operate large, crowded settings”, Luke Laws, who runs superclub Fabric, says nobody can explain how it will work.
“We have no idea about the detail or how it’s meant to be implemented, how you check, how it’s enforced, what records you need to keep. We haven’t had any anything,” Mr Laws said.
While in Scotland, MSPs voted to introduce vaccine passports, in England there’s been no debate.
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Fabric’s operations director says he would like to hear the scientific justification.
“I would argue that a 200-capacity bar with no ventilation is far more dangerous than a 1,500-capacity club venue with strong ventilation, enhanced cleaning that’s asking for people’s COVID status on the door, I would say is far less risk of transmission.
“People go to the pub, to another bar, to end up at a club. So if you go to two venues before to potentially infect people, the damage is done. If the goal is to reduce transmission, keep people safe, then that has to apply across all settings of the night-time economy.”
Nightclubs were one of the last sectors to reopen after the pandemic. Rather than convince unvaccinated young people to get jabbed, the fear is it will drive people away.
The government introduced a campaign this summer, trying to encourage young people to get vaccinated and highlight the disadvantages of failing to get a jab. Pic: Department of Health and Social Care
“This is an industry that was shut throughout all of COVID, had no industry-specific support. I’d say it isn’t struggling to get to its feet, it’s struggling to get onto its knees. I imagine financially this will be a disaster,” Mr Laws said.
Over the summer, festivals used QR code scanners to check people’s NHS COVID passes. If clubs are expected to do the same, they would need to be given equipment and train up staff within a matter of weeks.
If extra bouncers are required to carry out the checks, Michael Kill from the Night-Time Industries Association says clubs will struggle.
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“At the moment we can’t supply the basic level of security, therefore anything post-September, a requirement for COVID passports needing additional security is going to be a huge challenge… we have got a big deficit in security resources that needs to be considered,” he said.
In a statement, Downing Street said: “The prime minister has been clear that by the end of September, when everyone aged 18 and over will have had the chance to get fully vaccinated, the government plans to make full vaccination the condition of entry to a number of venues where large crowds gather. Further details will be set out in due course.”
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With few details forthcoming, nightclub workers are frustrated.
David Vickery, from XOYO, said: “I don’t think the government realises the anxiety it puts on people, we need information so that we can carry out proper planning to keep people safe.”
“It’s like going into no man’s land, we need to know as soon as possible because this is weeks away.”
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Dame Joanna Lumley warns of ‘crisis hidden in plain sight’ – with 1.5 million older people set to spend Christmas alone
Dame Joanna Lumley has warned of a “crisis hidden in plain sight”, with 1.5 million older people set to spend Christmas alone.
Age UK spoke to more than 2,600 people and found 11% will eat dinner alone on 25 December, while 5% will not see or speak to anyone the whole day.
Applied to the overall population, the findings suggest 1.5 million people will eat alone at Christmas, according to the charity.
Dame Joanna said the “silence can be deafening” for those left isolated and called it “a crisis hidden in plain sight”.
The actor and campaigner is now joining other luminaries including Dame Judi Dench, Brian Cox and Miriam Margolyes to back Age UK’s campaign against loneliness.
The charity says its volunteers made more than 70,000 minutes’ worth of calls to people during Christmas week last year and is urging people to donate.
‘A tragedy we don’t talk about enough’
Age UK said it also supports coffee mornings and festive lunches to give lonely people the chance to enjoy in-person interaction.
Dame Judi said: “For so many older people, Christmas can be a time of silence – days without conversation or company.”
Succession star Brian Cox called the issue “a tragedy we don’t talk about enough”.
He said: “Far too many older people are left spending the season in silence, when it should be a time of warmth, connection and joy.”
Brian Cox is another of the campaign’s high-profile backers. Pic: PA
Margolyes, of Harry Potter fame, added: “Growing older shouldn’t mean disappearing into the background, we need to be seen, heard and celebrated.
“That’s what Age UK is striving for – they’re changing how we perceive age.”
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The charity’s chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: “Your donation could bring comfort, friendship, and care to an older person facing loneliness this winter.
“From friendly, weekly calls to local lunch clubs, we’re here to make sure no one spends winter alone. But we can’t do it without you.”
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