A popular bar in Cardiff said the expansion of Covid passes is the “final nail” for bars and restaurants.
Sticky Fingers on Richmond Road said the hospitality industry was “crippled” and the passports meant that staff were being placed in “an impossible moral position”.
First Minister Mark Drakeford urged the hospitality industry to use the next three weeks to prepare for the introduction of Covid Passports to reduce the number of cases.
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The First Minister has already announced that from November 15th you will also have to show a Covid passport to go to the cinema or theater.
Matt Connolly, who has owned Sticky Fingers Food since it opened in 2019, says checking covid passports in bars will “have a devastating impact” on his business. He added that hiring qualified door staff to verify passports could cost him at least £ 10,000 a month.
He said, “It’s not like asking for ID at the bar because at least that person is already there. The point of the Covid Passes is to stop people at the front door.
“It means you have door staff every minute and every hour of every day that you are open. For security reasons, you will always have two door staff. If you have more than one entrance, you can double that.
“It’s a huge amount of money that will put pubs and bars out of business immediately.
“I know people have this misconception that owning a bar is a license to print money, but it isn’t. Most places are struggling to make a profit even without the pandemic.
“If the passes are implemented, we’re screwed. We have to lay off your staff, our suppliers are losing business, the impact on the supply chain will be huge – we’re talking about the hospitality shutdown.
“We have independent kitchens that we work with and a dealer – so it’s not just my business, I have five other companies that rely on me.”
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Matt has also questioned the moral ramifications that verifying passports could have.
He said, “W How should we ask people to report their health? What if for some reason people choose not to get the jab? These can be religious reasons or health reasons.
“In the end we create a segregation in society – where does that end and why is it our job to do that?
“If you’ve got the trick, it still doesn’t stop you from transferring Covid, so ruining the idea of effective passports. There is no positive benefit to implementing it.
“I’m an open-minded person and if I thought there was value in a health, business, or moral point of view, I’d be exaggerating.
“But there’s not a single thing that we have had to reach the Welsh government through our legal team – which we can’t afford but have to do – to ask them why they are doing it.”
Since October, the Welsh Government has decided to renew the passes in places where large groups gather for an extended period of time, e.g. people and any event with more than 10,000 people.
The use of passports in Wales has raised concerns and even some Welsh politicians have been divided over their introduction.
In the Welsh Government’s recent meeting on the coronavirus, Mr Drakeford warned that Covid Passports may need to be introduced into the hospitality industry if cases don’t go back.
New figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) released today show that the total number of Covid-related deaths in Wales now stands at 6,177 – despite the seven-day infection rate from 558.9 on Monday to 548.2 today has decreased.
Matt described the support from customers, employees and other companies as “massive”.
He said, “A lot of my employees went out on Sunday and couldn’t get to places because their phone was dead and they couldn’t access the Covid Pass, or we had another employee who didn’t have the jabs because of medical reasons Reasons. It’s discriminatory.
“If it’s put in place, it will potentially create hot spots at the door. We’re going to have large groups of people who have had a few drinks and want to come in and if they don’t have Covid passports someone will get a slap in the face.” .
“Public safety is paramount, but not if you create a position where you would fuel tension. I don’t know a single employee who works for someone I know who wants to.
“There are companies in town and on Mill Lane with the same mindset and if we need to take legal action, it’s not just me.”
Matt also pondered how his business had fared over the past 18 months due to Covid and vacation.
He said, “On a personal level, it has taken my toll. I am absolutely exhausted, exhausted and mentally exhausted. It was tough.”
“The damage to the hospitality industry has been catastrophic. We’re a big venue and we need to be busy all the time. I own Sticky Fingers but have trouble paying myself a salary – so where can I find ten grand a month? ? “
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Matt said his lawyers asked the Welsh government for a formal government consultation on Tuesday to explain the rationale behind the Covid passport expansion.
Matt said, “If they introduce Covid Passes into the hospitality industry, I would have to close. The government does not consider that thousands of jobs will be lost.
“We’re in the business of giving people a good time. We’re one of the most regulated companies out there.
“If that happens, Sticky Fingers has no future. A lot of the big chains could survive, but the smaller independent family businesses won’t. We’re done. I could lose my livelihood, business and everything I’ve worked.” difficult because someone didn’t think something through properly.
“We hope there is a voice of common sense somewhere in the Welsh government that understands it, but the intimidation tactics and constant threats are not accepted.”
Economy Secretary Vaughan Gething said earlier: “Our fantastic immunization program is getting stronger, but the pandemic is not over yet.
“Cases remain high across Wales and, unfortunately, families across the country are losing loved ones to this terrible virus.
“The clear advice from our scientific advisors is that we need to act early now.
“The COVID passport is just one of a series of measures designed to help prevent the spread and infection of people with the coronavirus while keeping the economy open. None of us want to see more lockdowns and companies having to close their doors again.
“Showing a COVID passport is already part of our collective effort to keep businesses open, with some major events like the successful Green Man Festival using it.
“Together, if we all continue to follow the clear guidelines that we are all used to, we will do everything we can to keep Wales safe.”
You can find more instructions on how to use NHS Covid Passports here.
What do you think of expanding the use of Covid passports?