If you’re going to a gig in NSW in 2021, you might want to pack ‘proof of vaccination’ with your ticket. New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian has suggested music venues be able to refuse entry to people who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19. The NSW Premier made the suggestion as part of a proposed plan to incentivise vaccination. “I don’t ever like to force anybody to do anything… But we’d like there to be an incentive system where people are encouraged to have it because it means they can do all these things which they may otherwise not have been able to do.”
Berejiklian made the comments to Nine Radio on Monday, hinting that venues and other businesses may be able to set their own COVID-19 vaccine entry requirements. “We will also consider whether we allow venues to [have a similar policy] — and venues do that already, people make up their own rules if they run a business or have a workplace about what they feel is COVID safe.”
“Whilst it’s the Federal Government’s responsibility in terms of the vaccine and the rollout, all workplaces and state governments will have a say in encouraging people to take it.”
How venues would implement these types of systems is still to be determined, but given Gladys previously suggested that the NSW Government may enter into a data-sharing policy with the Federal Government, that would provide proof of vaccination information, it seems likely that information would be made available to the check-in service.
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is expected to commence in Australia next month.
