‘Dangerous and selfish’ clubbers in London are using a loophole to get into venues without even taking a Covid test.
Most events in the capital since July 19 freedom day have required entrants to have a so-called Covid pass through the NHS Covid-19 app proving either a negative test, double vaccination or immunity in order gain entry.
Lateral flow tests which can be ordered in the post through the NHS allows punters to take a test and record a negative result in order to fulfil one possible criteria for entry.
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But this is being exploited by some of the capital’s clubbers because no proof of having tested negative is actually needed – all that is required is the batch number of the lateral flow test.
Once that has been entered, users are then simply asked whether they tested positive or negative without having to provide any evidence.
You then get a confirmation text and email which allows entry to nightclubs, sporting events, festivals and other mass gatherings.
William O’Connor, 21, from Barnet, went to Fabric the first time the famous venue in Farringdon opened again on the night of July 18/19.
He said: “I was worried about gaining entry to a nightclub as a few of my mates had been confirmed as having Covid and been pinged.
“I obviously didn’t want to miss out on the first night clubbing but we had to have a negative result to go.
“This could have been via a PCR test or a lateral flow. I was told by my mate we didn’t actually need to do the test and instead could just say we had a negative one.
“This came through on text and email and all I needed was the batch number on the top of my lateral flow test. I was shocked but actually just pretty happy I could gain entry to the event.
“Everyone I went with did the same thing and we all have tickets for a festival later this year.
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“We’ve waited so long for clubs to re-open that we just want to get out there as soon as possible.”
New bar Salt and Pepper is set to open in Soho a few weeks.
Manager Anna Valentine, 38, said: “We are set to open our bar which will also turn into a club space at night. We will be asking for a negative test in order to gain entry to our venue.
“To hear that people are being allowed to get negative test results without actually doing a test amazes me.
“It’s dangerous and selfish and as a new bar threatens our closure and financial difficulty if we have to close due to staff and customers getting the virus or being pinged.”
London festivals such as Field Day, Return to Dance and Pendulum Trinity are all accepting negative lateral flow test results to gain entry.
But new rules are being drawn up by the Government which mean that clubs and festivals will only be allowed to admit fully-vaccinated people.
But so-called vaccine passports are unlikely to be brought in until September.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is imperative that everyone completing a lateral flow test takes responsibility to register the correct result and follow the guidance and use them in the appropriate way to ensure we can slow the spread of Covid-19 and manage the virus as we begin to cautiously ease restrictions going forward.
“Around one in three people with Covid-19 experience no symptoms and rapid testing with lateral flow devices tests helps us track down positive cases that would otherwise go under the radar.”
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