As the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts continue across the nation, the United States and European Union are among those exploring the possibility of implementing vaccine passports. The passports could be used to verify an individual’s vaccination status in situations involving international travel to mitigate the risk for subsequent COVID-19 outbreaks, and a variety of places including New York City, Ibiza, and the UK have already begun to consider requiring these passports for entry.
However, Nighttime Industries Association (NTIA) CEO Michael Kill recently went on the record to say that these plans may be “discriminatory” and “unworkable.” In a statement, Kill expressed that the use of vaccine passports to facilitate event entry would “cause further anxiety for [event/venue] operators”:
“As the government suggests, there needs to be some levelling up, as we are clearly the subject of cross sector discrimination. The additional barriers around mandatory certificates to gain access to businesses within the sector is unworkable, and would cause further anxiety for operators, creating more barriers to businesses, and potential conflict between staff and customers, as well as being discriminatory, given that the core of our market will not have been given the opportunity to have the vaccine by the time the roadmap engages the sector.”
Restaurants and bars that have remained open throughout the pandemic have required temperature checks while the music venues and events that have been permitted to resume activity, depending on the area, have required proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Boris Johnson is said to be heavily considering the use of vaccine passports in order to help London nightlife make its return.
H/T: mixmag
Featured image: Sarah Ginn
