U.K. GOV'T TAKES ANOTHER SHOT AT COVID PLAN

The British government has revealed details of its plan for requiring vaccination proof to enter venues and nightclubs, which though shelved for now, may go into effect if COVID cases rise.

Nightclubs, indoor settings with 500 or more attendees, outdoor settings with 4k or more attendees, such as festivals, and any setting with 10k or more people, such as large sports stadiums, would be affected.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has advised businesses to make contingency plans as the measure, which health secretary Sajid Javid said wouldn't be brought in imminently, could be introduced at short notice. It forms part of an autumn and winter ‘Plan B’ that could be enacted if the National Health Service comes under “unsustainable pressure.”

Plan A focuses on five pillars the government hopes will prevent further restrictions: an enhanced vaccination program covering people aged 12-15 and a booster dose for those over 50; isolation for those who’ve tested positive or come into contact with someone who has; restrictions on travel (though some testing requirements are expected to be eased for low-risk countries soon); a £5.4b cash injection into the NHS; and the promotion of self-protection measures.

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, unhappy with the vaccine passport reserve plan, is urging the government to scrap it completely. “The idea that a vast and logistically challenging policy can be kept in ‘reserve’ and implemented at one week's notice, as has been reported, is absurd,” he said. “It is no way to treat a sector that has already been so badly hit. Sometimes it feels like ministers have no idea what it is like to run a business, let alone the types of businesses we represent.”