Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia urge Darias to regulate the use of the ‘Covid passport’

Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia urge Darias to regulate the use of the ‘Covid passport’ to access leisure venues.

Valencia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid have requested that Carolina Darias, the Minister of health regulates the use of the EU’s Covid passport at a national level to access public spaces and leisure venues. At the moment the three regional governments have not gone the way of Galicia which requires a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test to allow access to hospitality venues.

The regional governments have instead decided to call on the Spanish government in the hope they will provide a legal framework.

One expat EWN reader said: “I’m all for getting vaccinated but not everyone has had the chance yet. Using the Covid passport to control access to facilities could mean that some people are left out which would be unfair”.

Darias was approached first by the Comunitat Valenciana in the hopes that legislation could be adopted similar to that which has only just been approved in France. It is hoped that using a vaccine passport to access leisure venues would encourage anti-vaxes to get vaccinated against the potentially deadly coronavirus.

Ximo Puig, the president and health councillor Ana Barcelo want to wait for the Ministry of health to take measures rather than acting on their own, as reported 20 minutes.

Barcelo believes that “it is up to the government” to introduce measures and that Valencia will instead wait to see “what other activities it would affect or how it could be used”.

“It is not going to be implemented because we are waiting for the Ministry to regulate it in a way that gives us all the legal guarantees.”

Puig is worried that using the passport would be unfair for those who have not yet had the call to be vaccinated. “We have to look at it from a perspective of equity, of people’s equality,” said Puig.

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