The British Government has done a U-turn on its plans for requiring proof of vaccination to enter venues and nightclubs—news that has been welcomed by the industry.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the plan, which was due to be introduced at the end of September, is no longer going ahead. He told the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that he had “never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers" to "do what is just an everyday activity,” reports the BBC.
"We just shouldn't be doing things for the sake of it or because others are doing, and we should look at every possible intervention properly,” Javid said. He didn’t rule out introducing the option in future, saying that it will be kept in “reserve.”
Mark Dayvd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, welcomed the new decision, saying that the program “contained a number of challenges around deliverability, practicality, equality and potential discrimination.”
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, which has been a fierce opponent of the plan, also welcomed the news. "We hope that businesses will now be able to plan for the future with some degree of certainty, regain confidence from customers and the workforce and start to rebuild a sector that has consistently been at the sharp end of this pandemic."