Eric Clapton, 76, the 'god of the guitar', has announced that he will not be performing on a stage where he can enter only if he proves he has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"When I heard Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement, I thought I should have an opinion," Clapton said. "If it's a show where everyone can't be together, I have the right to cancel the show." He then made it clear that he would refuse to perform on any stage where “a discriminatory audience exists”.
It seems to be a remark after Prime Minister Johnson announced that from September, only those with passports (certificates) for the COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed to enter events where crowds gather, such as clubs and live performances. In the UK, most quarantine rules have been lifted since the 19th, but the quarantine rules for concert halls with crowds were announced late.
Clapton is one of those pop stars who have made it clear that he is anti-vaccine. He said he experienced a "serious" reaction after receiving his first dose of AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine in May. “His limbs were frozen, paralyzed and hot, which was a major inconvenience for two weeks,” he said.
Clapton is planning a tour in eight cities in the United States, including Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, in September. Vaccine certification is not required in most parts of the United States. A performance at London's Royal Albert Hall is also scheduled for May next year, but as it is now, this stage will be the stage where you must present a vaccine certificate to enter.
Experts stress that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the odds of putting a wide range of people at risk. However, some people experience mild to significant side effects after vaccination. Thrombotic side effects are reported very rarely, and their relevance to the AZ vaccine has not been clearly established. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) still recommends this vaccine for all age groups.
There was a time when Clapton made clearer its objection to COVID-19 quarantine measures. Northern Irish singer Van Morrison released "Stand and Deliver" in December last year, following a trilogy of songs against lockdown measures, with Clapton playing guitar and singing. The title of the song means "Stay still and give everything you have" uttered by street robbers, and it contains the sarcasm that the quarantine authorities are trying to control everything in such a way as "Stay still, do what you're told".
