London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Covid passport plan is chaotic, nightclubs say

Covid passport plan is chaotic, nightclubs say

Nightclubs say government plans to only let people with Covid passports into venues are "chaotic and surreal".

The government has said people's Covid status will be a condition of entry for clubs and some other indoor venues by the end of the month.

But industry figures say there are still lots of unanswered questions and little information about how clubs are supposed to enforce the rules.

The government says it will provide more details soon.

Michael Kill is from the Night Time Industries Association and says it's "almost surreal" that ministers expect venues to be ready for the changes when they still don't have answers to many questions.

It's not clear, for example, exactly which venues will be affected - the government says it's nightclubs and other places where large crowds gather.

At the moment, people can get an NHS Covid pass by having two jabs, proving they're immune to the virus, or showing a recent negative Covid test.

Festivals, gigs and other large events have been using QR code scanners to check people's NHS Covid passes before letting them into events.

But clubs say they need to be sent scanners and to train up door staff if that's how it's going to work for them.

Clubs reopened in England in July

Aaron Mellor, from Tokyo Industries, says he's had "no indication" from the government about what the process of checking Covid passes would involve.

Michael Kills adds: "Staffing, technology, everything's got to be put in place. So it's a real concern that they're leaving this 'til the last minute.

"It's just so little so late for something which is quite a considerable impact on our sector - way too little too late in terms of information and communication.

"There's so much work to do in terms of defining who and what needs to be done... the list's endless, so for me it's surreal that we're sat here in the second week of September, and we're still guessing."

The government argues that the NHS Covid pass will ensure the economy will stay open.

A spokesperson told Newsbeat: "As the prime minister said, we reserve the right to do what is necessary to protect the public and reduce transmission of the virus, including mandating the NHS Covid pass in certain settings.

"We are working closely with organisations that operate large, crowded settings, where people are likely to be in close proximity to others outside their household, to encourage the use of the NHS Covid pass."

But some MPs, including those in Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, have criticised the idea of making it mandatory to get a vaccine to go clubbing.

Radio 1 Newsbeat tried to get clarity from the government about whether or not it's considering altering the requirements for clubbing, so that only fully vaccinated people will get in - and not those who have tested negative, or proven their immunity.

The government didn't provide an answer.

Scotland's government is planning similar requirements to those in England, but there's growing opposition to the idea of Covid passports.

In Wales there are no plans for them and Northern Ireland is yet to decide what to do.


By the end of September, full vaccination will be required in order to enter nightclubs, says the PM

Hot Since 82, Jax Jones, Yousef and Arielle Free look at the future of clubbing



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×