NHS Covid pass mandatory for all adults for nightclubs and large events in Wales

First Minister Mark Drakeford admitted the new rules were vulnerable to abuse but said it was the best way to ensure nightclubs could remain open over the winter

All adults must show an NHS Covid pass to get into nightclubs and large events in Wales.

Proof of vaccination status or a negative Covid test is compulsory for all over-18s under new measures to keep the virus at bay.

The new rules apply to nightclubs, indoor non-seated events for more than 500 people such as concerts, outdoor non-seated events for more than 4,000 people, and any event with more than 10,000 spectators.

People will be asked to demonstrate they are fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative later flow test within the last 48 hours.

Anyone who fakes a test result or vaccination status will face a fine.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford admitted the system could be “vulnerable” to abuse but most people would follow the rules.

Asked whether people would fake test results, he told Good Morning Britain: “We have created a specific offence which will mean that if someone deliberately falsifies the result of a lateral flow test they will be breaching the law in Wales .

“The broader point for me is that we have literally thousands and thousands of people taking lateral flow tests in Wales every day of the week – they’re not doing it in order to evade the law, they’re doing it to make sure they themselves are safe from coronavirus and they’re keeping other people safe as well.

“I’m quite sure that the huge bulk of people who are attending a rugby match or visiting a nightclub will use the lateral flow devices in exactly this way – not to get round the rules, but to make sure they’re keeping themselves safe from this dreadful disease.”

He added: “Is it vulnerable to people who want to abuse the system, that’s why we’ve created an offence to make sure people understand if that’s what they try to do, the law will be there and there will be a reckoning.

“The offence is there to deter people – that is the main impact of it. It says to people: ‘This is a serious matter and you you need to take it seriously.”‘

Ministers hope the new system will help nightclubs stay open during the winter months – which were closed for the bulk of the pandemic.

“If we see rising numbers of coronavirus in Wales – and we have high numbers already in the community – then the first places that will have to close will be the highest risk venues,” Mr Drakeford said.

“Having the Covid Pass there will help them stay open during the autumn and winter.”

The legislation was passed in the Senedd last week despite opposition from the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.

Wales is facing some of the highest infection rates since the beginning of the pandemic, particularly among young people.

Staff working at venues will not have show Covid passes but they are encouraged to do regular lateral flow tests.

Workplaces that do not abide by the rules can be handed fines of up to £10,000 or shut down.

Boris Johnson ditched plans for vaccine passports in England, handing responsibility instead to venues to determine their own Covid policies.

Scotland will demand people prove they are double jabbed to go to nightclubs and large events from October 18.

Nightclubs in Northern Ireland are still closed but are set to reopen on October 31.