England announced last week that it would officially be making vaccinations mandatory for entry into nightclubs and live music venues. The decision, which was originally proposed as early as May, has seen a huge amount of back and forth from the government concerning its enforcement. The choice to move forward with these rules was ultimately made with concern to the new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
Addressing the public on Wednesday, December 8th, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test would now be mandatory to enter nightclubs and any indoor venues with a capacity of over 500, as part of a new programme called Plan B which has been designed to slow the spread of the new variant. This will go into effect from December 15.
The announcement comes three months after England decided to do away with all restrictions on nightlife and music venues. These were officially lifted on July 19th amidst increasing public scrutiny on the government’s response to the country’s nightlife sector, a day which became known as ‘freedom day” in the UK. Plans to enforce a vaccine rule for venues were scrapped by England in September, while Wales and Scotland went ahead with enforcing a vaccine policy in October.
