Pubs slam 'shambolic' and 'damaging' Covid passports

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that pub landlords could be allowed to refuse people entry if they haven't had both doses of the Covid vaccine. 

Pub owners across Bournemouth have slammed the government's U-turn on the issue after previously stating there would be no such scheme. 

Speaking to the media in South London just last month, Mr Johnson said: "“What I don’t think we will have in this country is – as it were – vaccination passports to allow you to go to, say, the pub or something like that."

However, the Prime Minister said on Thursday that the Government will say more on the possible use of vaccine passports in early April and suggested they could also be based on negative tests, antibodies and vaccinations. 

READ MORE: Pubs could get powers to ban customers who haven’t had Covid jab

Publicans and punters across Bournemouth have been seething at the possible notion of a vaccine certificate or passport calling it "grossly unfair".

The garden at Chaplin's on Christchurch Road in Boscombe (Chaplin's).

Harry Seccombe, owner of Chaplin's & The Cellar Bar said: "It's another turn-around from the government, it's just a bit of a shambles like everything else.

"We're a well-established and inclusive community venue - the vaccine passport would discriminate against people culturally, based on health and against those who choose not to have it. It's just not what we do.

" If we had to go down that line to be able to open up quicker, then I'm happy to wait until I can trade in a more reasonable fashion." 

Enforcing yet more restrictions on punters comes at a price and ends up costing the mental health of the licensees, according to one New Forest landlord. 

Phil Hoyle, owner of The London Tavern said: "We're trying to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to socialise again safely. 

"To insist that everyone has a record of a vaccine is a little proletarian for me and I don't think I'll be capable of doing it. 

"If they told me tomorrow I can only open if I saw vaccine passports from everybody, I don't think I'd bother. 

"It would cause my mental health too much damage - it would just be a constant battle. 

"The substantial meal thing was incredibly bad to enforce we did the right thing but I just can't go through that again, it was painful."

Phil Hoyle runs The London Tavern in Poulner, Ringwood

The prospect of imposing more restrictions is pushing landlords to their limit - Mr Hoyle explained that the passport scheme would be "obsolete" as nearly all staff members are under-40 and will not have been vaccinated.

Owner of The Goat and Tricycle, Pat Rigbey said: "Right now it would be utterly pointless because the under-50s aren't getting vaccinated so that's two-thirds of my customer base gone. 

"I don't see the point of it, I wouldn't ask people and also we'd be excluding people for some reason or another and that's grossly unfair." 

Managing the potential roll-out of a passport or certificate scheme is also a worry with people stating documents would be easy to forge.

The garden at The Goat and Tricycle will reopen on 12 April (Facebook)

Mr Rigbey said: "What's more, if it's some sort of paper document it will be easy to forge and if it's another app people would get around that too so it would be very difficult to manage."

We asked our followers on social media what they thought of the passport scheme and received more than 700 responses. 

Concerns over discrimination were echoed through most of the comments and lots of people feared what pubs would become without the younger generation. 

One person said: "It won't work. It is the older generation that will be protected by the vaccine and it is younger people who tend to go to the pub regularly. The pubs are in danger of having very few customers at this rate."

Readers worries about the future of pubs with more restrictions

A handful of people commented they would gladly welcome a vaccine passport if it meant they could safely socialise once more. 

One person said: "Fantastic idea, those that don't want the jab can crack on and enjoy the back garden and those who've had it can enjoy a nice pint in a pub that's not overly packed.. Happy days."

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is reviewing the possible use of coronavirus status certificates under plans to ease England’s lockdown.

The use of certificates may not be as straightforward as vaccine or no vaccine, as recent negative test status may also be considered.

Under the suggestions being considered, those who did not want to enforce the checks would be allowed to reopen but would have to ensure social distancing is upheld.

The British Beer and Pub Association said the requirement would not be “appropriate or necessary”.