After much speculation surrounding Covid passports throughout the pandemic, the government has announced that they will be mandatory for entering nightclubs from September.
Due to concerns of rising infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stated that Covid vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and other large indoor venues once all adults have been offered the chance to be fully vaccinated.
Mr Johnson said: “I should serve notice now that by the end of September, when all over-18s will have had their chance to be double-jabbed, we are planning to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather. Some of life’s most important pleasures and opportunities are likely to be increasingly dependent on vaccination.”
In addition, No 10 has not ruled out the prospect of extending domestic vaccine passports to pubs or other sectors from September as they are opting to look at the data relating to their effectiveness from other countries across the globe.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister talked about the sort of areas we were considering, and nightclubs are where there is significant evidence we have at the moment. But we’re going to use the coming weeks to look at the evidence, particularly both in the UK and globally before making a specific decision.”
The announcement has since been met with resistance from nightclub owners, backbench Conservative MPs and both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties which raises the possibility of the proposal being defeated in parliament.
However, if these plans do go ahead, what exactly is a Covid passport and what could it mean for businesses in certain sectors?
What is a Covid passport?
This passport is the ‘NHS Covid Pass’ which is used to prove your coronavirus status when either travelling abroad or attending domestic events and venues in England.
In terms of domestic use, organisations may choose to ask for the NHS Covid Pass to prove your status upon admission. Although this is currently voluntary for individual organisations, it is encouraged by the government that the NHS Covid Pass is used in facilities and events where people are likely to be within close proximity to a large number of people from other households for an extended period of time.
Organisations that will have this safeguarding measure in place are:
- Crowded indoor settings including nightclubs and music venues
- Large unstructured outdoor events including business events and festivals
- Very large structured events including business events, music and spectator sport events
Additional information regarding how to access the Covid NHS Pass can be found on gov.uk.
What could this mean for your business?
If you’re an organisation that adopts a Covid passport system, quality management will be imperative in ensuring that they are regulated correctly.
Applying this safeguarding method will require robust policies, processes and procedures for managing crowds. Additionally, Track & Trace must also be prioritised which will involve collecting and storing your customer’s contact details to allow for notification when required.
With a growing appetite for returning to some form of normality, winning the trust of your customers is the minimum requirement for your business to be profitable.
While your business continues to operate during the pandemic, you and your customers may feel safer with this system in place. For this approach to be a success, it is essential that the management of this safeguarding measure is flawless. Failing to implement the correct approach could lead to inconsistencies and a loss of trust among your customers.
A sensible approach to successfully manage a Covid passport system is to introduce a QMS to your work practices. Ideagen’s Q-Pulse is made up of a variety of modules that allow you to have a clear view of your entire business. This centralised information provides the opportunity to run audits and make insightful decisions for when obstacles arise to ensure your business runs smoothly.