The British Government has revealed details of its plan for requiring vaccination proof in order to enter venues and nightclubs, which although shelved for now, may come into effect if COVID cases rise.

Nightclubs, indoor settings with 500 or more attendees, outdoor crowded settings with 4k or more attendees, such as festivals, and any settings 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 on Sunday, could be introduced at short notice. It forms part of an autumn and winter ‘plan B’ that could come into force if the National Health Service comes under “unsustainable pressure.”

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

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, isn’t happy with the vaccine passport reserve plan and 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.”