The Government’s recent reduction on the size of events that can happen needs to be rescinded and professional venues that have made their venues Covid Ready allowed to function at capacities suitable to their size.

The Coronavirus Bill of 2020 states that the government can do such changes when:
"3.1
(b)the powers conferred by this Part of this Schedule will be an effective means of—
(i)preventing, protecting against, delaying or otherwise controlling the incidence or transmission of coronavirus."

Events, Exhibitions, Music & Sports venues & hotels (and suppliers) have put controls in place to  prevent the spread of Covid and the move to stop venues having larger numbers is  unlawful as it does not constitute an effective means of preventing, protecting against, delaying or otherwise controlling the incidence of transmission.

We have moved on from earlier lockdowns in our knowledge of how to control the spread of Covid-19. Leaders within the hospitality and events industry have spent millions ensuring their venues, crowd controls and operations are prepared for Covid Prevention.

This includes:

• Increased hand sanitisation points
• Mandatory wearing of masks 
• Increase in space allowed per visitor
• Reduction in touch points
• Increase in touch and go and cashless infrastructure
• Re-routing and single directional trafficking of people
• Anti-Covid Misting and fogging of rooms and touch points
• Temperature checking of guests on arrival
• Increased Health Hosts & Hygiene Stewards
• Staff Bubbles restricting staff interaction
• Track and trace of all guests

This has been supported by training their teams in safe practises.

The above are all in line with the changes made in restaurants, bars , cinemas and bowling alleys all of which have a mandated total limit on the number of guests they can have based on their capacity not on a one rule fits all basis.

The new rules do not take into consideration any of the controls put in place and should be challenged on it’s effectiveness in preventing, protecting against, delaying or otherwise controlling the incidence of transmission. In the words of former Supreme Court Justice Lord John Sumption the laws are “pointless, arbitrary and unnecessary”.

Venues must be allowed to operate to limits conducive and reflective of their size and capability to safely host guests.This needs to happen now before millions more jobs are lost.