Comedy club cancels pilot event after ‘hate campaign’ over Covid passports

A comedy club has cancelled a pilot event after it said it was subjected to a “hate campaign” online following reports it would trial Covid-19 vaccine passports.

The Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool said the government had failed to clarify whether the trial to test how venues can operate safely would involve Covid-status certification.

Club co-owner Binty Blair said he had tried to contact the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to clarify whether Covid-19 vaccine passports will be trialled in the pilot event, to no avail.

The club has cancelled its event - which was due to be the first to be trialled - on 16 April at the M&S Bank Arena Auditorium, which would have had an audience of 300 people.

“The reason for us backing out is the government wasn’t clear about the Covid passports,” Mr Blair told the PA news agency. “The problem is we don’t know what we signed up for.”

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On Tuesday evening, the government confirmed there will be no requirement for participants in the initial pilot events to have received a vaccination in venues like a comedy club.

DCMS announced over the weekend that a series of trial events are planned for the coming months as officials look to find a way for venues such as football grounds and nightclubs to reopen without the need for social distancing.

It said Covid-status certification will also be trialled as part of the programme, while detailing a number of events on an initial list of pilots, including Hot Water Comedy Club.

But critics of the certification have claimed it would be “discriminatory,” and Boris Johnson is facing a battle to introduce the system after running into fierce opposition from Tory backbenchers and Labour.

Mr Blair said he had agreed to take part in the pilot in March but only learned of the government’s plans to trial Covid-19 vaccine passports two days ago.

He said four acts have lost £300 each as a result of the cancelled event.

Speaking on the online abuse, he said: “Most of them have been mental.

“Some have accused us of being backhanders.

“I’m not really fussed about the backlash from keyboard warriors but some have emailed us with genuine concerns.”

He said the club has been “significantly damaged” after receiving more than 4,000 angry messages.

It comes after Liverpool City Council said on Sunday that events taking place in the city to trial how venues will operate safely will not involve vaccine passports.

The council said the Events Research Programme (ERP) will explore how different approaches to social distancing, ventilation and test-on-entry protocols, including the use of lateral flow tests, could be used ahead of Step 4 of the road map out of lockdown in June.

A government spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn the online abuse that Hot Water Comedy Club has received.

“Our initial pilot events will be based on proof of a negative test result and there will be no requirement for participants to have received a vaccination in venues like a comedy club.

“Our ambition is to help the British public get back to the mass events they enjoy safely - such as going to sport, live music and cultural events - in a way that ensures the risk of transmission is sufficiently low while maintaining commercial viability.”