(Newser)
– Employers will soon have to show certificates proving they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 before entering nightclubs in England. The government’s vaccine minister made the announcement Sunday in interviews. The notion has opposition, but Nadhim Zahawi said the plan will protect the economy, the BBC reports, even through future coronavirus surges. “The best thing to do then is to work with the industry to make sure they can open safely and sustainably in the long run, and the best way to do that is to check the status of the vaccine,” he said. The requirement will also apply to large events and spaces.
“The worst thing we can do for these places is to have some kind of open-closed-open strategy,” Zahawi said. The plan would go into effect later this month, Zahawi said, because everyone over the age of 18 would have had the opportunity to receive two doses of vaccine by then, for AP. Scotland, where COVID-19 cases are on the rise, also plans to require passports. However, the opposition is being built according to the BBC. Government data show that one in 75 people in Scotland had COVID last week, compared to one in 140 the previous week. Welsh officials said they do not plan to require vaccine passports, citing “ethical and equality considerations”. No decision has been made on Northern Ireland. (Read more stories about the coronavirus vaccine).