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Britain's government is examining the role that
certifying the COVID-free status of people attending shows and
other events could play in its plans to lift most pandemic
restrictions by June 21.
On Friday, groups including gig organisers and indoor sports
venues published a letter supporting the use of such a scheme.
"We would support a blanket, industry-wide introduction of COVID-status
certification on a temporary basis, to permit the full
relaxation of capacity limits from 21 June," the letter, signed
by over 50 organisations and institutions, said.
"(It) could be a pragmatic solution that would enable events to
resume at commercially viable attendance levels and will also
give further confidence to customers that events are safe to
attend."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that any such scheme
would look beyond vaccination status, suggesting that proof of a
negative test or prior infection would play a role in the
system. Senior minister Michael Gove is leading a review to see
how the system could work.
Some lawmakers, including some from Johnson's Conservative
Party, have said such a scheme could be discriminatory and have
questioned how practical they are.
But the signatories of the letter said that without COVID-19
certification, re-opening venues would not be financially
viable.
From May 17, the government aims to let venues reopen with
social distancing and a maximum indoor capacity of 1,000 people
or 50% capacity, whichever is the lower number.
"However, given the economic threshold for most business and
music events is around 80% of maximum capacity, activities under
these limits will be far from sufficient to end the sector's
financial crisis," the letter said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by William Schomberg)
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