Plans for vaccine passports at nightclubs labeled 'disappointing' by GM Night-Time Economy Advisor

Plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs from the end of this month have been met with disappointment by industry figures who fear they could lead to a spike in house parties and embroil clubs in discrimination cases.

Downing Street confirmed the Government intends to press on with plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs, which had also previously met with criticism from MPs in both parties.

The scheme would see members of the public required to show proof they have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in order to gain entry to clubs and other large-scale events.

But Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester and co-founder of Manchester's Parklife festival, said: It's disappointing that despite the calls from all sides, including the industry and customers themselves, the Government is continuing to move ahead with this.

The measures will cause enormous disruption to an already struggling industry.''

Mr Lord said he believes the measure has the potential to be harmful by encouraging a surge in indoor parties which will be arguably less safe in terms of security and monitoring alcohol consumption''.

He added that he thinks clubs are no less safe than other spaces where crowds may develop, saying: Why should an open plan nightclub with outdoor terrace, for example, be classed as any less safe than an enclosed 1,000-person office, and where the current wording states 'large gatherings', does this include weddings, churches, or even Parliament?''

Urging the Government to have a rethink'' in order to avoid an economic blow in October, Mr Lord said:We already have sensible, safe precautions across the hospitality sector, and with nightclubs already open we have proof that the current set-up is working safely and effectively.''

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said he believes the plans will cripple the industry'' and could lead to clubs facing discrimination cases as well as staffing and supply chain shortages.

He said: Confirmation that the Government will continue to press on with the Covid passport strategy for nightclubs and indoor gatherings, even against a furious backlash from MPs across the House of Commons and industry leaders, is disappointing as it will cripple the industry.

The challenges are endless, and the sector will be hit extremely hard by this decision, embroiled in discrimination cases, staffing and supply chain shortages, tourism and so on.''

Mr Kill is urging the Government to listen to industry feedback as otherwise these policy decisions will have a catastrophic impact on people's livelihoods and careers''.

Surely the Government can see this is not workable,'' he added.

The Government has repeatedly urged young people to get vaccinated over the summer and last month popular clubs in London such as Heaven hosted a pop-up vaccination centre, while other venues and social media firms have amplified the message.

But the approach towards vaccine passports for nightclubs varies around the UK.

On Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was planning to introduce vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs and larger live events later this month, subject to Scottish Parliament approval.

The First Minister revealed that proof of vaccination will be required for people to enter nightclubs, indoor live events with more than 500 unseated people, outdoor live events with more than 4,000 unseated people and any event with more than 10,000 attendees.

She said such passports could help protect public health, reduce the necessity for any further restrictions, and also boost vaccine take-up''.

In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford last month said there were no plans'' to introduce mandatory vaccination certificates for venues due toethical and equality considerations''.

He told the Senedd in Cardiff on August 6: If we thought it was a practical and proportionate way of protecting people in Wales from coronavirus, then the case would probably be made for it, but it's quite a high threshold to get to.''

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said further details on vaccine passports will be set out in the coming weeks''.

It comes as The Guardian reported that new data showed some people would be more reluctant to be vaccinated if such passports were introduced.

Analysis was conducted of 16,527 people, 14,543 of whom had not yet had both vaccine doses.

Almost 90% of this group (87.8%) said their decision to receive a second dose would not be affected by the introduction of the passport scheme.

The study's lead author, Dr Alex de Figueiredo from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said these percentages become significant when scaled up to the whole population, according to The Guardian.

Boris Johnson also previously faced a backlash within his own party over the possibility of domestic vaccine passports, with 43 Conservative MPs signing a declaration opposing them.