Mandatory Covid passes to be introduced in Welsh nightclubs

It will mean clubgoers will have to show evidence of being double jabbed or have a recent negative Covid test.

Covid passes in Wales will also be required for indoor no-seating events with more than 500 people, outdoor no-seating events with more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people.

The Labour-led Government also stated the pass, which is set to come into force next week (Monday 11 October), was required to push increasing rates of Covid-19 infection in young people, and said it would ease the pressure on the NHS.

Operational barriers

The Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) said it had long campaigned against the introduction of Covid passports due to the operational barriers these measures will cause.

The trade body added it was pleased to see the number of MSs that listened to its concerns and voted against these proposals.

However, the NTIA also went on to criticise the fact one MS was unable to vote due to issues with the Zoom link and called for a new vote.

Future clarity

A spokesperson added: “It is a democratic outrage that one MS who wanted to vote, and who would have voted against the proposals, could not, due to a mere technical error. This shambles will cause even more uncertainty for our businesses.

“There must be an urgent revote so that the will of the Senedd can be fairly expressed and businesses have some clarity about the future.”

This comes after the NTIA blasted the vaccine passport roll out in Scotland​, labelling it “a shambles”.

The trade body claimed that most people experienced problems registering their vaccine status to the app. Furthermore, the public were confused about the scheme due to the lack of information given by the Scottish Government.

The rules will not be enforced until 18 October, the Scottish Government stated, in a bid to provide venues with more time to test their systems.