ARCHIVED - Galicia courts overturn regional government requirement for Covid passports in bars and restaurants

Covid certificates are no longer required for entry into hostelries and nightlife venues in Galicia as the regional government falls foul of the courts for the first time

The High Court in the north-western Spanish region of Galicia has overturned regional government measures to make Covid passports obligatory for entry into bars, restaurants and nightlife venues, renewing the debate over the uses for which the health and vaccination certificates should be used.

The Spanish government has already resisted pressure to introduce such measures on the grounds that this is not the purpose for which the EU passport scheme was devised, and instead prioritizes vaccination as the key strategy in combating the coronavirus pandemic. The reason given by the court for overturning the requirement in Galicia, though, is that no approval was ever given by the court in the first place, and that the regulation therefore lacks validity.

It seems that the Galicia government only requested approval for other measures presented on July 21, but not for the Order issued on July 22 in which the obligation to present Covid passports was contained. This “anomaly” effectively nullifies the second Order, according to the ruling.

Since then various groups have expressed their opposition to policy, including Lugo Monumental in the city of Lugo and the hostelries association of Santiago de Compostela.

It had been the regional government’s intention to drop the requirement in any case on August 14 in both Santiago and Orense due to decreasing Covid incidence rates, but the measure was to be maintained in the cities of A Coruña, Ferrol, Lugo, Pontevedra and Vigo as well as other municipalities. This will now no longer be possible as the regional government has fallen foul of the High Court for the first time in its management of the pandemic in Galicia.