Covid-19 Passes to be Introduced in Wales

The First Minister first announced the plan to introduce Covid passes for specific venues and events in mid-September and, along with other unions, WTUC, and other organisations, we have been engaging with Welsh Government on the proposals for several weeks.

The regulations were agreed in the Senedd on Tuesday 5 October so will now come into force from Monday 11 October, and introduce the requirement in Wales to show a Covid pass to attend:

• Nightclubs
• Indoor non-seated events of more than 500 people, where people are mixing closely for prolonged periods
• Outdoor non-seated events of over 4,000, where people will be mixing closely for prolonged periods
• Any event, of any nature, which has more than 10,000 people in attendance.

You can find further guidance on Alert Level Zero in Wales on the Welsh Government’s website.

We will continue to raise our concerns with Welsh Government

We have raised concerns with the Welsh Government about various issues relating to the introduction of Covid passes, and will continue to do so, including the definitions of the venues and events where Covid passes will be required (that seem likely to include most grassroots music venues as well as nightclubs), the need for further support if members’ work and incomes are affected by the introduction of the scheme, and the importance of clear communication about the new requirements.

However, it is positive that (unlike in Scotland) the Covid pass system will allow people to prove that they have received a negative lateral flow test result from within the previous 48 hours and/or been fully vaccinated, while significant planning has gone into the scheme and technology, which continues to be developed.

We also understand it will be possible for larger events and venues to use their discretion on whether to check a sample of passes rather than for every person in attendance, which should mitigate the potential issues that could arise at larger events and venues.

Members who are working or due to work in Wales

The guidance from Welsh Government is clear that this pass is intended and will be required for customers and audience members, not workers, so it should not be necessary for members to show a valid Covid pass to work at gigs, events, and venues where Covid passes will be required.

However, we would urge members working, or due to work, in Wales to:

• Take up the offer of the vaccine if you haven’t already
• Register for the Covid pass in advance of needing it - the system requires personal ID verification that can take some time to be processed and we understand the pass currently has to be refreshed/downloaded every month for users that have been fully vaccinated
• Consider getting and taking lateral flow tests
• Read the guidance on the Covid pass scheme
• Share official information/guidance on the Covid pass scheme with their fans and with the booking information for any gigs/events where a Covid pass may be required, in conjunction with the venue/promoter;
• Tell us if your work has been affected by this scheme and/or if you come across issues with the scheme being applied/enforced.

We realise that some members may be nervous about the introduction of this scheme, but we hope that it won’t affect members’ work or income directly and will help to keep venues and performances open as the Welsh Government intends.

If you find that your work is affected by the introduction of Covid pass, or that there are issues with the scheme being applied/enforced, please get in touch to let us know, to inform our ongoing engagement on this issue and Covid-19 more broadly.