A Norwich pub landlord received an onslaught of online abuse after introducing a “no vaccine, no entry” rule.
Phil Cutter, who owns the Norwich Murderers pub in the centre of the city, announced on Tuesday customers would banned from the establishment if they hadn’t received “at least one vaccination…within a minimum period of two weeks.”
The landlord said he had taken the decision after the business was forced to close due to a coronavirus outbreak among its staff, the fifth “enforced closure” the Murderers has had to endure in 18 months..
Weekly cases in Norwich are up some 61.2 percent, according to government data, but deaths are decreasing.
However, after announcing the decision in the Norwich Evening News, Mr Cutter began to receive abuse on Facebook, which he thinks came from “anti-vaxxers”.
He told the BBC: “At first there was a lot of support for my decision.
“But then I think the post was hijacked by anti-vaxxers and suddenly there were hundreds of really vile messages.
“People were threatening to smash the pub windows, and calling me a Nazi and a discriminator.”
One comment accused Mr Cutter of “trying to keep your pub white,” because “vaccine hesitancy is bigger in BAME communities”.
However, Mr Cutter has since clarified his decision on Facebook, saying the pub will now accept “a current, valid and registered lateral flow test result, as an acceptable alternative, to showing your vaccination status,” when it reopens on 17 July.
He added: “Our entry policy has been deemed NOT to be discriminatory, but simply a condition of entry to the establishment.
“Our intention is not to exclude or offend, but to protect vulnerable staff and customers, as well as the business.”
The British Beer and Pub Association told The Independent that rules on vaccine passports and test requirements for entry are “up to individual pubs and pub operators to decide.”
