The owners of Pryzm nightclub this week announced they would not be bothering with the 'vaccination passport' advised by the Government when coronavirus regulations are lifted.
Peter Marks, chief executive of Pryzm's owner REKOM UK, was confident about the measures his club will have in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
He believes ventilation, sanitisation stations, cleaning and his highly trained staff will mean the hurdle of the passport scheme - having someone to check that customers have had two jabs or a recent negative test - is unnecessary.
Read more: Watford's Pryzm set to defy Covid passport guidance
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We hope he is right. Pubs, bars and clubs and live music venues especially have been hit hard by the virus. But this is no reason to abandon sensible constraints as soon as possible.
Anyone who has ever been to a nightclub will know the risks. People have been drinking, they may get breathless, shout or lean in to be heard above the music.
It takes one person who has ignored a test and trace request to self-isolate - or does not know they are infected - and even the best-equipped club or bar can only do so much.
Many have called for more guidance from the Government rather than leaving it to individuals’ sense of responsibility. Perhaps giving the industry help to administer the passport scheme would have been a way to help it get back on its feet.
And maybe people will vote with their feet and go where they feel safest - although that might not be at the top of your mind when you hit the town.
Hertfordshire's director of public health Jim McManus says he will still be wearing a mask in shops "to protect the staff and to show respect and courtesy". Maybe we should do the same in clubs - how different are they from a crowded shop?
Read more: Hertfordshire public health chief says he'll keep wearing a mask after July 19
However we may feel after a year of masks, hand gel and self-isolating, they are still preferable to risking an illness that leaves some unharmed but others living with long Covid symptoms months later.
The Government has also warned that if “sufficient measures are not taken to limit infection, it will consider mandating the NHS Covid Pass in certain venues at a later date”.
So if the worst happens, infections rise and they are linked to clubs, those passports may end up happening whether owners want them to or not.
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