Pub operators offer their sites as vaccination centres

United Kingdom | Scottish craft brewer BrewDog said that it is in talks with the UK government about using its closed bars as temporary coronavirus vaccination centres. It also said it would give anyone vaccinated at one of its bars a commemorative can of beer.

Coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns across the UK forced the company, which was founded in 2007 and is valued at almost USD 2 billion, to close its 50 or so UK bars.

They will remain shut at least until the middle of February, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on 4 January 2021, announced a dramatic new national lockdown for England, following the spread of a mutant covid strain. Under the new rules, takeaway alcohol sales will not be permitted in order to prevent people from congregating in the streets with drinks.

Prior to the announcement, BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt wrote on Twitter on 31 December 2020 that the firm is “in talks” with the UK minister in charge of Britain’s vaccine rollout, Nadhim Zahawi and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Mr Watt added: “We have offered all BrewDog bars to help with a quick rollout of the vaccine. For free.”

Pubs as vaccination hubs?

Several pub operators have suggested the use of their sites as vaccination centres, after it was revealed that one out of four Brits – or 13 million people – lives in an area with no vaccination centres.

On 4 January 2021 the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was rolled out across the UK. This vaccine is easier to store than others, including the Pfizer-BioNTech one, as it does not need to be kept at extremely low temperatures. Therefore, it can be distributed to a wider variety of places, including pubs, as long as they have a standard fridge for storage.

Whether BrewDog will be taken up on its offer remains to be seen.