Coronavirus Passport Scheme launches in Northern Ireland

By Q Radio News/PA

A Coronavirus vaccine passport scheme kicks off in Northern Ireland today.

Anyone going to a nightclub, restaurant, theatre or big indoor event will need to demonstrate evidence of Covid-19 vaccination, a negative lateral flow test result or proof of a coronavirus infection within the previous six months.

There will be no enforcement on the regulations, through fines for non-compliance, until December 13.

There are calls for the Stormont Executive to urgently provide financial support to businesses that will be affected by the Covid certification scheme.

Coronavirus Passport Scheme launches in Northern Ireland.https://t.co/m0pwzphtXo

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) November 29, 2021

On Sunday, the Belfast Chamber called on the Executive to urgently consider and quickly introduce financial support to assist businesses who will incur additional costs as they implement the scheme.

Chief executive Simon Hamilton said:

“Ministers must immediately turn their attention to the need to compensate the affected businesses for the cost they will now inevitably incur as they implement the certification scheme.

“Hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses have had an absolutely torrid time over the past 20 months.

“They are only now starting to get going again yet here they are about to be hit by more Executive-enforced measures that will cost them money they can ill afford.

“Without adequate financial support in place quickly, jobs will be in jeopardy. Indeed, many businesses are already seeing cancellations of bookings so this, and speculation about closures and lockdowns, is already having a negative effect on trade.”

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party remains opposed to the Covid certification scheme, preferring instead what the Party are calling an “evidence-led policy”.

Addressing party members on Saturday, Sir Jeffrey said the stance is “not because we dismiss the threat posed by the virus, but because the focus should be on evidence-led policy and measures which will make a real difference”.

It will not be mandatory in unlicensed premises “at this stage”, the department said, but would be required at nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and conference halls.

Meanwhile, Sir Jeffrey also called on Mr Swann to bring forward a long-term plan for hospitals, highlighting the impact on bed numbers due to pressures in the domiciliary care sector.

He said:

“Astoundingly there were 513 people in the Southern Trust alone waiting on a care package.

“It would be more prudent to pay our domiciliary care workers better wages, make the career more attractive and have more carers employed than pay massive sums for step-down facilities when most patients just want to be back in their own bed.

“Whilst the Health Minister has responded to our campaign by announcing a few days ago that he is allocating more money for domiciliary care, this will run out in March and won’t deliver the reform needed. Our hospitals need a long-term plan.”

On Sunday, the deaths of a further two patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19, and 1,405 cases of the virus, were reported in Northern Ireland.

(Covid testing generic photo)