The Superior Court of Justice of the Basque Country decides today whether to authorize the compulsory covid passport in restaurants and certain nightlife activities, including concerts.

This certificate was created by the European Union to facilitate the mobility of people within member states during the pandemic, but its use has been expanded, it is valid in Northern Basque Country, and now there are countries and autonomous communities such as Galicia, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands that basically ask for it to access nightlife venues.

In the case of the CAV, it is mandatory to enter into restaurants with capacity for more than 50 diners and also in discos, dance halls, party rooms with shows, music bars and karaoke bars. In pubs and special bars (at night) it will be required from 22:00 hours.

The regional government, which already has the endorsement of the Basque Prosecutor’s Office, wants the certificate to be mandatory when the incidence rate of accumulated in 14 days exceeds 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the whole of the autonomous community, and trusts that it will serve to stop a new wave of transmission of covid-19 and encourage “even more if possible” vaccination.

The certificate, which can be obtained from the Health Department website and Zuzenean offices By appointment, it proves three situations: that the person has been vaccinated, that he has recovered from the disease (the validity in this case is 6 months) or that he has tested negative in an antigen test in the previous 48 hours or in a PCR in the preceding 72 hours.

Other communities

In recent days, the pressure of the autonomous communities has increased in favor of the implementation of the covid-19 passport and there are already twelve autonomies that demand it or even ask the Executive of Pedro Sánchez to deploy it throughout the Spanish State.

In addition to the CAV, Navarra, Aragón, the Canary Islands, Murcia, Castilla y León and the Valencian Community are in favor of displaying this health certificate, which is already in force in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Galicia, linked above all to nightlife activities, although in Galicia It is also requested in pilgrim shelters and from Friday it is necessary to access hospitals.

Despite this favorable position on the covid-19 passport, last Thursday the director of the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies, Fernando Simon, considered that asking for it to access the hotel and catering establishments makes no sense with almost 90% of the target population vaccinated with the full schedule.