The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a short consultation on mandatory COVID certification.

The government’s Autumn and Winter COVID plan contains Plan A and a Plan B – Plan B being the fall-back position if the number of COVID cases spikes. In the plan, if this happens, the Government proposes to introduce mandatory certification would be required for the following venues and events:

• all nightclubs, and other venues open after 1am with alcohol, music and dancing
• indoor, crowded settings with 500 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as music venues or large receptions
• outdoor, crowded settings with 4,000 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as outdoor festivals
• any settings with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large sports and music stadia

(There are some settings that will be exempt.)

In order to develop this contingency plan, DHSC has launched a consultation which includes the following questions:

1. Do you think that the list of settings is too narrow or captures too many settings?
2. To what extent do you agree or disagree that visitors to venues and events where certification would apply should be required to be fully vaccinated to enter, unless they are exempt?
3. To what extent do you agree or disagree that people working at the venues and events where certification would apply should be required to be fully vaccinated or test regularly to enter, unless exempt?
4. Do you think that everyone working in venues to which certification would apply, or only those in customer-facing roles, should be required to show they are vaccinated, exempt or being testing regularly?
5. Do you think other groups should be exempt from requirements?
6. Are there any groups, particularly those with protected characteristics, that you think would be placed at a disadvantage from vaccine certification becoming mandatory in the settings listed?

The consultation ends on 11 October – members can respond directly or if they have views they would like to share with the NCC, please email policy@thencc.org.uk.