THE BITTER BACKLASH
Bar bosses rage at ‘bonkers’ plan for jab passports – amid fears it may lead to fraud
PUBS, bars and nightclubs were in open revolt yesterday against controversial Government plans that could see customers turned away without a ‘vaccine passport’.
More than 20 landlords and industry chiefs, from individual village pub owners to the bosses of some of Britain’s largest chains, damned the idea as ‘unworkable, costly and discriminatory’.
Pub chiefs labelled it as ‘un-British’, saying it was ‘like carrying an identity card’ and infringed on civil liberties.
The ferocious backlash erupted after Boris Johnson suggested on Wednesday night that pub landlords may be able to demand proof of a Covid vaccination as a condition of entry.
However, the idea – immediately labelled ‘papers for the pub’ – yesterday drew outrage from Tory MPs and industry leaders, left furious by the prospect of extra costs and administration just as they are finally getting to reopen
‘This is not needed to go in supermarkets’
following months of closure. One boss described the vaccine passport scheme as the ‘maddest thing they’ve come up with yet’, while another labelled it ‘completely bonkers’.
The system would be open to fraud and faked passports, they warned, while staff at the door would have little power to actually enforce such a scheme.
The move also would discriminate against younger people, pregnant women and ethnic minorities, who are less likely to have had the vaccine, they added.
The proposals form part of the ongoing official review of ‘vaccine passports’ and follow months of battles over tight restrictions imposed on the hospitality sector.
A final decision over how the system would work has not been reached, but it could ultimately affect businesses including theatres, bingo halls, bowling alleys, ice rinks and cinemas.
The Mail understands that ministers want a scheme based around the NHS mobile phone app which would allow people to produce a virtual ‘ certificate’ proving they have had a Covid jab, a recent negative test or antibody immunity from having had the virus previously.
In a bid to diffuse the row yesterday, the Prime Minister hinted the vaccine passport would not be required for entry until ‘absolutely everybody’ had been offered the jab. But senior figures across the hospitality sector were not convinced, and demanded the Government allow it to stick to its roadmap and lift all restrictions in June.
Clive Watson, boss of City Pub Group, which has 48 pubs, said: ‘ This proposal is completely bonkers and unworkable. It would create a scramble for the relevant paperwork and would be extremely difficult for door staff to enforce.’ Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Britain’s biggest pub group Greene King, which has 3,100 pubs, said: ‘It would be devastating for pubs. Barring entry to customers who haven’t had a vaccine would be totally unworkable, add significant cost and make pubs unviable.’ Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Shepherd Neame, which has 30 pubs, said: ‘We should not be putting up new barriers just as our freedom is restored and society starts to reconnect.’
Some have questioned whether a vaccine passport could enable the roadmap out of lockdown to be accelerated.
Most areas of hospitality will be able to open indoors from May 17, before being released from all restrictions from June 21.
But anger at the vaccine passport scheme was shared by landlords running small businesses.
Gareth Dore, owner of two venues including the Cellar Club bar in Leamington Spa, said: ‘After a year of no profit and mounting costs, I will not be turning more people away by asking for a vaccine passport at my venues.
‘None of this is needed to go in supermarkets or shops. The industry is on its knees and we’re all fed up of being unfairly picked on.’
Lauren Hawes, landlady of The Great Northern Pub in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, said: ‘Pregnant women might not have had a vaccine. Imagine someone going out with their partner for an evening out and she gets rejected purely for being pregnant.’
Unions raised fears of a black market for doses fuelled by demand from the under-50s.
Dan Shears, a director at GMB, which represents hospitality workers, said: ‘This will lead to pressure on GPs to fast-track younger patients, false certificates, potential violence for pub workers and even a black market for vaccine doses.’
Businesses in the leisure sector also raised their opposition. John O’Reilly, chief executive of Rank, which runs 152 casinos and bingo halls, said: ‘Our customers know our venues are safe and the last thing they want to see are more hurdles which will prevent them from having a good time.’
Some businesses, especially in international travel, have already indicated they will require their customers to be vaccinated.
Saga has said that passengers on holidays or cruises must be fully vaccinated, while British Airways will let people register whether they are jabbed on a smartphone app.