British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a backlash over his plans to make coronavirus vaccination mandatory for nightclubs and other crowded places in the fall.
Clubs, the Conservative Party and opposition MPs criticized Johnson’s announcement yesterday – the day clubs in England were allowed to open their doors for the first time since March last year.
He was also asked to explain the easing of isolation rules for some fully vaccinated critical workers who are in close contact with Covid-19 cases, following a government statement that said it would not be «a blanket exemption for any sector or role».
Speaking of self-isolation on so-called «Freedom Day», Johnson warned places with large crowds that they should make full vaccination a requirement to enter from the end of September.
Senior scientific advisor Patrick Vallance said Downing Street press conference clubs have the potential to cause «super-spread events».
Johnson refused to rule out extending vaccination passports to bars as he attended the briefing virtually from his hometown of Checkers.
Night Time Industries Association CEO Michael Keel accused the government of «utter chaos».
«So, the nightclubs’ Freedom Day lasted about 17 hours,» he said.
“80% of nightclubs said they did not want to implement Covid passports, worried about difficulties in implementing the system and reducing the number of spontaneous consumers, as well as being at a competitive disadvantage with pubs and bars not subject to the same restrictions while providing similar environments.”
Mark Harper, the former Conservative Whip chief who heads the Covid Recovery Group of Tory insurance skeptics, criticized the plans as «effectively moving into compulsory vaccination».
Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, has questioned why the government is delaying plans until the fall.
Labor’s shadow health minister Justin Maders said: «How can it be safe to go to nightclubs now, without preventive measures, if a double whammy is to be put in place in September? It doesn’t make sense.»
This proposal is further confusion and inefficiency from overthrowing the government at the expense of public health. They need to be in control.»
Quarantine rules
Johnson has resisted calls to announce a broader change to quarantine rules to reduce the number of people in isolation amid the so-called «pandemic» as Covid cases rise and bosses warn of a severe staff shortage.
He said it was necessary to keep the rules largely unchanged until August 16, when the testing regime would replace the requirement to completely isolate vaccinated contacts.
The prime minister has argued self-isolation as «one of the few snapshots we have left in our closet», on the day he rescinded most remaining legal restrictions and defended the timing of the move.
But he announced a limited change to a «very small number» of fully vaccinated essential workers who would be able to leave isolation for their roles.
Johnson suggested it would cover some in hospitals and nursing homes, or work on food, electricity and medicine, transportation, defense and borders.
The Minister of Vaccinations, Nadim Al-Zahawi, said the change would involve police, air traffic controllers, train signals and others in «conditions where there is a grave risk of harming the public interest if people in important positions are unable to go to their places of work».
But neither went further in deciding who to submit to, and a subsequent government statement said departments would write to employers to explain their next steps.
“This is not a blanket exception for any sector or role. Decisions to inform the employer that the assigned VIP workers have a reasonable excuse to attend work will be made by the relevant department responsible for critical service,” a spokesperson said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance during a media briefing in Downing Street yesterday
Source: Alberto Bezzali via PA Images
Health spokeswoman Lieb Deem Munira Wilson accused the government of «a chaotic late-night intervention in self-isolation standards» that would «sow more confusion».
«The government must stop undermining all the sacrifices we’ve made through its continued inefficiency and issue immediate and clear directives to everyone affected by these changes,» she added.
The British Retail Consortium also called for clarity on who would be exempted, said retail workers and argued that suppliers should be included in the «vital role» they have played in the pandemic.
Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said: “While it is good that the government acknowledges the problems created by excessive tracking and the tracking system, it remains unclear who will be covered in the new list of critical staff.
«As the number of community cases rises, the number of healthy retail employees who have to self-isolate is rapidly rising, threatening to disrupt retail operations, possibly closing stores or distribution centers.»
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Self isolation
The Prime Minister was self-isolating at his official residence in the country after Javid tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.
Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak initially tried to avoid quarantine after they were contacted by NHS Test and Trace, saying they had been participating in a beta test.
But in the face of mounting public anger they made a quick diversion, meaning that three senior ministers were among those who were in quarantine on «Freedom Day».
Johnson insisted he did not believe he was above the rules, following the aborted plan that would have allowed him to continue operating from Downing Street rather than isolate himself.
«I didn’t think so at all,» he said at the press conference. «Today I’m on Zoom or Teams or whatever great system we use.»
«Lector profesional. Jugador galardonado. Aficionado a los zombis. Adicto a las redes sociales. Experto en tocino. Erudito en Internet»