Gino Kenny calls for hospitality to remain closed until September
Gino Kenny criticised the proposed hospitality reopening and the vaccination certification legislation, calling it discriminatory and unworkable. He said hospitality should stay closed until a critical mass are vaccinated and warned the Delta variant could push infections higher if reopening proceeds.
Main argument
Gino Kenny argued the vaccination certificate plan creates a discriminatory two-tier system that unfairly excludes unvaccinated people and risks abuses of medical data. He warned it discriminates against young people and hospitality workers and described the scheme as ludicrous and divisive.
Public health warnings
Kenny highlighted the threat of the Delta variant and cited UK figures from the debate, saying Britain’s seven-day average was 31,000 cases a day and could reach 100,000 by mid-August. He warned that opening hospitality by 23 July would raise infections and suggested cases could reach about 2,500 per day by the first week of September, though vaccine rollout has loosened the link between infections and deaths.
Legislative and practical concerns
He described the legislation as a sop to vested interests such as the Vinter's Association and questioned practicalities around certification checks. Kenny said certificates could be easily forged, QR scanning in pubs would be unworkable, and the scheme risks undermining social cohesion gained during the pandemic.
Consequences and accountability
Kenny warned that if infections surge following reopening the government would face "very, very serious questions" over how the legislation was handled and the rollout. He said the proposal could force difficult reversals and recalled measures if the situation deteriorated.
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Minister, first of all I want to say that all of us want to see the hospitality industry open. We want, you know, to go back for, you know, what we had prior to the pandemic. You know, you could go home for a drink, you could go home for a meal, you know, all that stuff. We all want that. We all, you know, want to get back to a semblance of normality. We're not living in normal times. We're living in very abnormal times. And to say there is confusion and ambiguity in relation to this legislation is a complete understatement. And the polarisation that has happened because of this is pretty bad. You know, there was a huge sense of solidarity in relation to the start of this pandemic. And obviously, you know, people are very weary of it and they want to get back to a semblance of normality. But having a discriminatory kind of system, a two-tier system, whether you can go into indoor dining or not because you're not vaccinated or being vaccinated is ludicrous. And it's open to all sorts of abuses in relation to medical data and so forth. And it's discriminatory at its heart for those that haven't been vaccinated or even those that work in the hospitality industry that will be in that congregation setting. And that person that hasn't been vaccinated, that young person that hasn't been vaccinated, if they walk out of their premises and go across to another like a pub or a restaurant, they can't enter that because they haven't been vaccinated. So it's quite incredible that this has been allowed to manifest itself. So, Minister, there are all the facts. The other fact, which is probably the specter of this Delta variant, and you only have to look at what's happening in Britain at the moment, their average seven-day rate is 31,000 cases per day. They reckon that by mid-August, they will have 100,000 cases per day. 100,000 cases per day. Now, we all understand that the link between hospitalisations and death has been not largely broken, but has been kind of loosened. And that's good because of the vaccine rollout. That's very, very good. If we open up hospitality by the 23rd of July, there's no doubt that the rate of infections will increase. In fact, it's suggested that by the first week of September, we could have cases up to 2,500 per day. Now, hopefully that doesn't happen, but if it does happen and things go wrong, this government will have serious questions to answer. Very, very serious questions. Very, very serious questions in relation to the rollout of this legislation and the kind of how it was very, very done. And considering all the things that we've done in the last seven months, all the kind of gains and all the kind of social cohesion that has happened, I think it's ludicrous. It's ludicrous that we're having a situation where, you know, where open hospitality, I would be of the opinion and our party is of the opinion. And this is probably sometimes, it may be not a popular opinion, but I think hospitality has to close until September. Until the vast, vast majority of people are vaccinated, the critical mass, the critical mass that, you know, what we need. Just in relation to why was this legislation put together? I think it's a sop to the vested interests. You know, the sop and the vested interests are the Vinter's Association. And obviously they want to open. Now you understand, there's thousands and tens of thousands of jobs at stake here. And we all understand the dynamics. But we will have a situation, Minister, I hope I'm wrong. By the first week of September, we will have thousands upon thousands of people infected. And we will have a situation where we could possibly have to recall the doll. Because the situation could be so serious. Hopefully that doesn't happen. But that is down to this piece of legislation that simply is unworkable. When you really, really look at a minister, and I think you even don't believe it, this is not workable. It's not workable. You know, the cert itself is easily forged. You could forge it. You could actually print out thousands of them and just give them around to people. And just, I mean, how does a pub, think about it, how does a pub scan a QR code? You know, the QR code, I mean, are they going to scan it? But no, you know, I don't think it's workable. I don't think it's workable. And I think you even don't believe it, I have to say. I find it, I would find it hard to believe that you actually believe this legislation. Thanks.
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