UK to trial COVID passports for mass events

The UK Government will trial a series of measures in England, including COVID passports, to allow the return of mass events and venues, such as sports matches and nightclubs.

The passes would show if a person has been vaccinated, had a recent test or has acquired a natural immunity by having recently had the virus.

This will be trialled in the coming months, at events including sports events like the FA cup final, cinema screenings, and at nightclubs. The trials will last until mid-May.

In addition, the UK Government is considering the impact of improved ventilation and testing before and after events as alternative approaches to allow mass gatherings and indoor events to continue.

The country’s National Health Service is said to be working on a system to allow people to demonstrate their COVID vaccination status through an app or paper certificate.

Similar proposals have been floated in Malta.

For example, Charles Pace, one of Malta’s leading aviation experts, recently called for the creation of a COVID wallet, that could be used both for international travel and for local events to verify an individuals COVID status.

Festivals, parties and events are big business to Malta, and events industry stakeholders will likely be watching the UK trials intently for ideas about how they might be able to reopen.

Otherwise, operators have warned that their businesses face threats to their survival as the lockdown wages on. In February, several stakeholders in the industry told BusinessNow.mt that they were hoping for at least a limited return of events in Malta by summer.