Covid passes: Clubbers and Swansea and Cardiff City fans divided

Bethan Maunder

Bethan Maunder, 45, from Swansea and her daughter before the game against Cardiff

By Joe Langstaffe
BBC Wales News

On the first weekend since Covid passes were introduced in Wales, football stadiums and nightclubs received a mixed reaction from punters.

At the south Wales derby between Swansea and Cardiff City, fans were divided over the pass, which is now mandatory for over-18s at large events.

The pass proves vaccination, a negative lateral flow test in the last 48 hours, or having Covid in the past six months.

It applies to nightclubs and stadiums with a capacity of more than 10,000.

As fans headed to the Swansea.com Stadium for the derby - which Swansea won 3-0 - some said passes were open to abuse and a restriction on personal freedoms, while others said it made them feel safer.

Nightclubs reported some confrontations between customers and door staff over the checks.

Nick Newman of Cardiff Licensees Forum said reports he received suggested that generally the pass had had a negative impact on venues.

He said it was time-consuming to check passes, and the Welsh government website had crashed when customers tried to download them at the door,

'Better safe than sorry'

Shoppers have shared their views on vaccine passes in Wales

Swansea City fan Luke Davies said he did not have a problem with the introduction of the Covid pass, as fans attended the derby in person for the first time since January last year.

"Personally I think, if you remember back to last year, there was a long period where we couldn't go to games," he said.

"The game this weekend is a big one for the team. We missed out on that last year, it's the one everyone gets excited for.

"If [showing a Covid pass] means we can get back into the stadiums full time then I'm not bothered by the decision.

"I think it's a case of better safe than sorry. It helps the bigger picture really and helps get everything back to normal."

A fan has a Covid pass checked by an official before Sunday's game

But Mr Davies, who also hosts the Swans Cast supporters podcast, feared it could put others off attending.

"I think there's been a bit of a mixed reaction," he said. "I understand the frustration for those who chose not to have the vaccine.

"There's a little bit more effort involved there. They have to test proving they're negative to get in and that's a little bit more effort. Some people will be happy just to stay at home, especially if it's on TV."

He said some people had viewed the rule as an "extra control on society".

"I've not really heard anyone saying 'this is going to make me feel safer and now I'm happy to go,' but I've definitely seen some that are saying 'I don't want to go while this is a rule, I won't go back, refund my season ticket'. That sort of thing.

"It's a different way of living and I understand some people are not going to be able to adjust as easily as others, so it could definitely have an impact [on attendances]."

Fellow Swansea fan Cath Dyer said she was hopeful most fans would get behind the new requirements.

"It's got to be done, the legislation has been passed, so we've got to follow Welsh government rules," she said.

"People, hopefully, will feel a bit safer knowing either that they've either been double jabbed or had a lateral flow test.

"Safety is the top priority and that's what the club are working towards.

"The club wants everything to run as smoothly as possible, because at the end of the day, everybody wants to get into the ground to get all the excitement, the build-up, ready for the game."

Fan Cath Dyer said safety was the top priority as Swansea host rivals Cardiff

Some supporters have expressed concern that having to show Covid passes before going in could cause disruption, but Ms Dyer said she was confident the club was well prepared.

"The club was proactive before everything started," she said.

"They gave us plenty of warning to get ready before everything came into effect. Everybody knows they have to have their passports, passports will be checked."

Swansea fan Nicola Bennet: "I'd feel safer with Covid passes - it's good for mass gatherings"

But Mr Davies said he was worried some might not have got the message, which could affect what kind of reception the passes get.

"It might have an impact on how long it takes you to get into the stadium, how early you've got to go down", he said.

"That will be interesting, to see how many people miss kick-off, and to see if their reaction to the rules then might change after that.

"The club has actually communicated about this and said to bear it in mind and to factor that in to your timings and come down a bit earlier, but not everyone is going to see that.

"I'm not concerned because I'd make sure I account for that, but I can completely understand sometimes you might just get caught out."

'Makes you feel safer'

Bethan Maunder, 45 from Swansea, said she believed the Covid pass system was flawed, and easy to get around.

"I know there's a lot of people that have got issues with being dictated to, having that restriction of freedom," she said.

"The lateral flows don't work, because you self input the data. I do them in work and I can put down negative whether it's positive or negative.

"If you want to get in you're just going to put negative and put that result in."

Fellow supporter John Evans, 74, said he has had all of his jabs and had no issues with passes being required. "It makes you feel safer if someone hasn't had their jabs, they can't get in," he said.

Nicola Bennet, 57, from Swansea, said it was a personal choice whether people wanted to get the vaccine or not, but there were "consequences for that decision".

"I'd feel safer with Covid passes - it's good for mass gatherings," she said.

How have passes been received at clubs and pubs?

Door staff check passes outside the Philharmonic in Cardiff on the first Saturday since the passes where introduced

Gary Lulham, boss of venue Sin City Swansea, said most customers have been "really good" but trade had declined.

"We've seen around 25% fewer people than expected but that could have happened anyway," he said.

"We had a couple of people who didn't want to do it and were quite vocal about the fact they couldn't come in.

"There is an element of relying on people being honest.

"I have a Covid pass and it is valid until November - but what happens if I get Covid next week? I still have the pass on my phone."

Michael Kill, from the Night Time Industries Association, said checking Covid passes has led to "quite a divisive situation on the door" of clubs.

"We've heard of confrontations between customers and staff because the Covid passport has a poor reputation," he said.

"Businesses are picking up the flak from people who haven't had vaccines and not done lateral flow tests."

What does the health minister think?

Health Minister Eluned Morgan told Dewi Llwyd on BBC Radio Cymru that the pass system "isn't perfect".

"But we were also aware, for example, that nightclubs are places where lots of young people congregate, and that there were no other measures, or a very small number of other measures to keep people from coming into contact with another," she said.

"Therefore, this hopefully will make a difference, especially amongst young people," she said.

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