More than 2,860 people have signed a petition urging the Government to scrap the Covid-19 SafeKey requirement.

The petition, posted on the change.org platform, claims that the regulation is having a damaging effect on the economy.

Under current Covid-19 public safety regulations, anyone wishing to enter a public space where masks cannot be worn – such as bars, restaurants and fitness centres – must produce a government-issued SafeKey as proof that they are either fully vaccinated or have had a negative test result within the previous three days.

The petition - “Eliminate the SafeKey” - had gathered 2,868 by the weekend.

The petition site said: “SafeKey has been detrimental to the Bermuda restaurant industry and small businesses that have already been hit hard over the last two years. Restaurants are closing and others laying off staff due to lack of business.

“Gym owners have witnessed significant decreases in membership due to the requirement of SafeKey. Social/sports clubs and bars have also been hit hard.

“For the last two years, Bermudians have largely complied with mandates, restrictions and curfews in the name of flattening the curve, easing the healthcare system, and eliminating the spread.

“Measures such as SafeKey contribute to excessive testing that overwhelms testing sites and MDL.

“SafeKey does not guarantee that users are infection-free because vaccinated /boosted persons are not required to test in order to get one. Evidence is clear that Omicron, which is the dominant variant, is infecting persons whether unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted.

“So the SafeKey has run its useful course and is no longer a valid tool to limit the spread of the virus.

“The only logical thing to do is to eliminate the SafeKey requirements. This will ease testing resources and enable those who need testing due to infection, close contacts and travelling purposes to get tested and to receive their results in a timely manner.“