Last night I voted in favour of the introduction of the Government’s ‘Plan B’ measures.
As you are aware, in light of the increased threat of the Omicron variant, the Government has decided to enact the ‘Plan B’ measures set out in the summer and designed to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. This decision is based on three key reasons - the dramatically increased transmissibility of the variant, the unknown severity of Omicron, and the likelihood that there is lower immunity from vaccination when compared to past variants.
‘Plan B’ mandates the use of COVID-status certification, through the NHS COVID Pass or a negative lateral flow test, to provide a means of ensuring venues can remain open throughout the winter. These ‘Plan B’ regulations will make the NHS COVID Pass or a negative LFT mandatory for entry into nightclubs, and venues where large crowds gather including unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people.
The Government has already been encouraging voluntary use of the NHS COVID Pass and over 200 events and venues have already enacted it as a condition of entry including Premier League matches, Reading and Leeds Festivals and the BBC Proms. Having personally experienced this in action, I am satisfied it is the easiest and least intrusive way to keep these venues and events open whilst managing the obvious risk posed by new variants.
I am glad that currently the NHS COVID Pass can still be obtained with two doses of a vaccine and the Government will keep this under review as boosters continue to be rolled out. Further, a negative lateral flow test will be sufficient evidence to demonstrate COVID-status which ensures that those who have not been vaccinated, for whatever reason, will not be unfairly disadvantaged.
I appreciate the arguments against the use of COVID-status certification, but I believe that certification is a valuable tool in helping to manage the spread of Covid-19 – I do not support the unilateral use of passports with no alternative.
As it stands, the highest rates of COVID-19 in the Rochdale Borough Council area are all located in the Heywood and Middleton constituency with rates well above 500 per 100,000 in the 5 worst affected areas. It would irresponsible to ignore this. For this reason I also welcome the rapid roll-out of the booster programme, with the new target to give boosters to all adults who want one by the end of the month.
I believe that the relatively proportionate measures outlined in ‘Plan B’, including COVID-status certification, will allow us to protect ourselves and our loved ones this winter – and to reduce the pressures on our NHS. They will ensure we take control of our response and stay a step ahead of the virus as we continue to rollout booster doses and strengthen our defences.
The NHS COVID Pass allows people to safely and securely demonstrate their Covid-19 status through vaccination or a negative lateral flow test. I fully appreciate that those who are vaccinated can still be infected and may still transmit Covid-19 to others but I believe the vaccination plays an important role in slowing the spread of the virus. This is particularly the case in settings where large numbers of people are likely to gather for prolonged periods.
I have been reassured that these regulations will be reviewed on the 5th January, when the Government will provide an update to Parliament.
We do not want to be in a situation like much of Europe where people are being mandated to stay at home and a genuine passport system exists to access even basic services. Taking these limited steps now will give us time to assess the new threat of Omicron, understand the data and ensure our response is based on the facts, not a guesswork and blind faith.
