Vaccine passports "cannot be the thin end of the wedge" says UKHospitality Scotland

Under the proposals, vaccine passports will be required for people to gain entry to nightclubs and large-scale indoor and outdoor events, as the Government tries to reduce the level of Covid infections escalating before the autumn.

MSPs will be asked to vote on the plans next week after first minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Holyrood chambers that vaccine passports in certain situations could help to protect public health and reduce the need for further restrictions.

“By ensuring that people entering these settings are fully vaccinated, we would be taking a proportionate step to help make these settings safer for everyone attending and, by extension, for all of us,” said Sturgeon.

UKHospitality Scotland’s executive director Leon Thompson has called for two-way communication with industry on the plans, describing the Government’s lack of dialogue with the sector as “extremely concerning”.

“The fact that there has been no attempt to engage with the sector ahead of this announcement is extremely concerning,” he says.

“Nightclubs and event organisers will be on the frontline of implementing this policy and representatives need an opportunity to ask questions of the Scottish Government’s plans before they are put to the Scottish Parliament for approval.

“Whilst the introduction of certification is envisaged as limited for now, if extended, the impact on wider hospitality could be immense. This cannot be the thin end of the wedge, especially when no evidence has been produced to indicate that nightclubs, events or indeed any other hospitality settings are responsible for the rising number of Covid-19 cases.”

If voted through, the passports will be introduced later this month.