Government needed to give more time on Covid vaccination passports
Coffee Break
AS WE APPROACH the reopening of pubs on April 12 for outside service, a late complication has been thrown into the mix with the suggestion that pubs and bars may choose to operate a Covid-19 passport policy so that customers could show that they’d had either a vaccination or a negative test.
As the possibility of Covid passports has been discussed for months, I don’t see why the government is raising the matter only now – so soon before reopening.
Pubs need more notice to help them plan staffing levels and how much drink to order, especially after a year of lockdowns.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has calculated that up to 87 million pints of beer – equivalent to £331m in sales – will have been thrown away in the UK as a result of Covid lockdowns.
If pubs operate a passport policy, whether voluntary or mandatory, they would have to pay for a bouncer on the door to check passports before admitting people. Many pubs, smaller ones in particular, would struggle to pay for the extra staff member, especially after a year of lengthy closures interspersed with restricted trading due to Covid regulations.
The BBPA has expressed concern that passports will lead to confrontations between disappointed customers and staff. While this is distinctly possible, my view is that such incidents will be more likely if passports are voluntary because licensees will not be able to argue that they are simply enforcing the law.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “It is crucial that visiting the pub and other parts of hospitality should not be subject to mandatory vaccination certification. It is simply unworkable, would cause conflict between staff and customers.”
Both organisations have pointed to the millions spent by the sector on ensuring a safe environment for customers and staff, and to the fact that, when pubs could open, no surges in infections have been linked to them.
CAMRA is opposed to vaccine passports because pubs have suffered badly over the last twelve months and could do without unnecessary restrictions. Furthermore, passports could prevent younger drinkers going to pubs while they wait for the vaccine rollout to reach their age group.
Visit your local CAMRA website, southport.camra. org.uk, covering Southport, Merseyside and Ormskirk, West Lancashire.