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NTIA speak out over Government Chaos on Vaccine Passports

• 10th Nov 2021

NTIA speak out over Government ‘chaos’ on Vaccine Passports

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), commented on the Government’s unclear stance on vaccine passports:

“In June, the Government categorically ruled out vaccine passports. Then they announced in July that they would be going ahead for nightclubs. Over the summer, they briefed that the plans were unlikely to go ahead. Then, last week, the Vaccines Minister, confirming the Government would go ahead with policy to Parliament, said, ‘this is a precautionary measure to ensure that we can sustainably maintain the opening of all sectors of the economy.’ We were then very encouraged to hear the Health Secretary say yesterday, ‘I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.’ But this morning, No. 10 said checks on the vaccine status of people going to nightclubs and other crowded events remained a crucial part of the Government’s winter Covid plan due to be unveiled by the Prime Minister tomorrow.”

“I don’t think I have ever seen a Government reverse its position on one issue so many times. What chaos, and what an abhorrent way to treat a sector that has been one of the worst hit during the pandemic. We estimate vaccine passports will kill off about 30% of our trade. Yesterday, the sector was rejoicing that our campaigning efforts had paid off and that the policy was dead. Today, businesses up and down the country are once again thinking they may have to make an enormous and detrimental change to their operating model in the next couple of weeks. The idea too, that a vast and logistically challenging policy can be kept in ‘reserve’ – as if businesses can and will be able to, at a moment’s notice, have all of the training and technology in place to administer these systems – is absurd. Sometimes it feels like ministers have no idea what it is like to run a business.” 

“Tomorrow, we need a clear statement from the Prime Minister that he agrees with his health secretary that Vaccine Passports are not the Government’s policy. It really doesn’t seem like that clear communication should be too much to ask for – but regrettably, it seems to be.”