Pubs Could Ask For Blood Test Results Before Serving Customers

Pubs could ask customers to provide the results of blood tests in order to get served when they reopen.

The government is reportedly considering the plans, which would mean punters will have to prove they have Covid immunity in order to get into their local.

Reports in The Times claim landlords could ask regulars to have had an antibody test, with the NHS app potentially being turned into a digital Covid certificate.

This could mean customers will be able to use their mobiles to prove that they have either had the virus, been vaccinated or recently had a negative test.

It's been reported that Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, is backing the idea in a bid to help the country get back to some sort of normality.

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This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed landlords or pub owners could force drinkers to prove they've received the Covid-19 jab before they enter.

Speaking during the Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson said: "I do think that the basic concept of vaccine certification should not be totally alien to us."

And when asked whether that could apply to restaurants and pubs, he said: "I think that that's the kind of thing - it may be up to individual publicans, it may be up to the landlord."

Beer gardens and outdoor restaurant spaces in England are set to reopen from 12 April, however, it won't be until mid-May when landlords will be allowed to welcome punters back indoors.

And it won't be until 21 June when they will, hopefully, be able to operate without any type of restrictions.

The possibility that pubs will require customers to provide some kind of 'passport' or evidence of vaccinations/immunity has been criticised by some.

Speaking about Mr Johnson's comments, Greg Mulholland from the British Pub Confederation's said he was disturbed by the idea of leaving it up to individual pub owners or landlords to police vaccine passports.

He said: "We were very happy pubs were doing their bit to help with test and trace.

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"But for the government to abdicate responsibility and ask pubs to make a moral judgement - it's just not acceptable.

"Pubs can't open with any sort of normality until June. So on top of having to take on extra staff to serve people at tables, the idea pubs can take on staff to act as door staff for vaccine passports is absurd."

Mr Johnson said his government is also still trying to work out the blueprint for larger vaccine passport measures like for travel and things like festivals and sporting events.

"This is an area where we're looking at a novelty for our country," he said during the committee hearing.

"There are complex issues we need to work out."

Downing Street declined to comment on the claims made regarding blood tests.

Topics: covid, UK politics, vaccine, Pubs, Coronavirus, Boris Johnson, Politics, Health, Covid-19

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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