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Covid vaccine passports ridiculous, say pub owners

BBC Landlord John Turner in his pub The DolphinBBC
Landlord John Turner said he "totally disagrees" with the use of vaccine passports in pubs

Vaccine passports for the hospitality sector in Wales would be "ridiculous," two pub owners have said.

A review is taking place to see whether they could be used to help reopen hospitality in England.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said he was in "conversations" with the UK government and other devolved nations over vaccine passports.

Opposition parties have said they do not support the rollout of vaccine passports in Wales.

Bob Headley and John Turner, who both run pubs in Llanymynech on the Wales-England border, said both opposed the use of vaccine passports in pubs.

Pubs are scheduled to open outdoors in England on 12 April, but not until 26 April in Wales.

PA Media The Bradford ArmsPA Media
Mr Headley, who owns the Bradford Arms, said trying to police vaccine passports would be a "nightmare"

Mr Headley, whose pub sits on the English side of the border in Shropshire, said: "Why should we be penalised?

"It seems to me that we in the hospitality trade get targeted all the time.

"It was track and trace last time, which will be put back in place, but you can go down the supermarket, where there are a lot more people, and they aren't asking for a vaccine passport to get in there, are they?

"And how do we control it? It's going to be a nightmare. It's another thing we will have to check."

The village of Llanymynech
Pubs in Wales, such as Mr Turner's The Dolphin Inn, will be able to reopen outdoors from 26 April, if cases remain low

Mr Turner, whose pub is in Powys, said the responsibility to check on people's vaccination status should not fall on pub owners.

He said: "I don't know if it's something that we should be policing, I don't agree with it at all.

"If they are going to do anything, it should be started when you are going abroad or something, but for us to actually have to try and police people's vaccinations is ridiculous.

"I totally disagree with it. Plus, is it going to be a legal thing? Nobody has told us anything. Am I going to get fined because I let somebody in because they haven't got a vaccine passport?"

Vaccine passports 'divisive and discriminatory'

A group of more than 70 cross-party MPs have railed against the use of vaccine passports in England, while, ahead of May's Senedd election, parties in Wales have said they oppose their use.

Mr Drakeford previously said there were "prizes to be won" by using the passports in Wales, but there were also "practical and ethical issues".

The Welsh Conservatives said it was "unnecessary" to discuss the use of vaccine passports in Wales while the UK government was conducting a review.

Plaid Cymru said there were "possible merits" in introducing vaccine passports for international travel, but there were "ethical and practical" issues in using them domestically which could leave people who are ineligible for jabs, such as pregnant women, "marginalised".

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said vaccine passports were "divisive and discriminatory".