Not our job to check patrons for Covid, hospitality bosses tell PM
MORE than 60 restaurant owners, nightclub operators and other hospitality figures have told Boris Johnson they will not force customers to show Covid passports.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, which has been seen by The Daily Telegraph, the signatories make clear their opposition to Covid-status certification being used in hospitality settings.
“We will not be forcing our patrons to show us any documentation referring to health status to gain entry,” one line in the letter reads.
The intervention is a shot across the bow of the Government as ministers consider whether to require restaurants and pubs to check the Covid status of customers.
Among the signatories are the CEOS of Rekom UK, which runs 42 nightclubs, and Tokyo Industries, which runs dozens of nightclubs, festivals and bars. Others backing the letter include senior figures in venues such as the Hippodrome Casino, Electric Star Pubs, Bocca di Lupo, Proud Cabaret, Brindisa and Burger & Lobster.
Alan Miller, the co-founder of Night Time Industries Association which organised the letter, said: “The British people have been diligent and remarkable over this last year and we’ve all waited for so long to get back to normal.
“We were told in January that vaccines were our way out, and that we were on a one-way road to freedom. It is a far cry from freedom if we are put in the position where pubs, clubs, festivals, shows and venues of any kind are forced to demand health papers. We won’t be doing it.”
Covid status certification, as envisioned by the Government, would see people having to show proof of a Covid jab, negative test, or natural immunity through antibodies.
Ministers have said they are interested in the checks being used to reopen mass gathering events such as football matches, nightclubs and concerts. They have also left the door open to their use in other smaller settings such as pubs and restaurants, but are yet to reach a decision on that front.
Trials this month and next are looking at how Covid status checks – dubbed Covid passports – could be used. The earliest Government rules in this area could change is June 21.
The new pledge is being made under what has been dubbed an “Open for All” charter. Other restaurant and nightclub owners could add their names to it over the coming weeks.
Part of the letter to Mr Johnson reads: “We do not believe it is right that we as premises and promoters should demand to see proof of medical records or health status.
“There are many practical and logistical issues for us alongside civil liberty and discrimination considerations more broadly for society if venues or events insist on seeing health documents.”