The UK government’s “Plan B” restrictions started yesterday when the Prime Minister announced that vaccine passports could be required for admission to nightclubs and large venues. This past weekend, protests emerged in London‘s streets in opposition to those new regulations.
On Tuesday, a vote will take place on whether vaccine passports will be required for entering these venues. The passes require proof of vaccination, a negative test, or a recent recovery from COVID-19.
London’s protestants were not angry solely because of this, either. Apparently, the UK government wants to restrict nursing homes and make masks mandatory in pubs and restaurants. Those new regulations, part of Boris Jonhson’s “Plan C”, are still rumors to this date. Even though government officials denied having this type of plan in the books, citizens are not happy.
Obviously, the last thing the country wants is another lockdown. The pandemic hit the UK’s nightlife industry pretty hard. As a matter of fact, we learned in October that more than 86,000 jobs were lost due to the pandemic, with London at the center of it. It will take time for the industry to recover, and vaccine passports may not help to do so.
Boris Jonhson’s “Plan B” is the result of a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. According to the country’s data, 40 percent of new cases are omicron-related. However, government officials are confident that the plan will work. The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said, “We think the Plan B measures are the right approach and strike the right balance.”
Either way, protestants in London’s streets do not seem to agree with that statement. We will have to wait and see what happens next.
