Scottish Vaccine Passport Scheme’s Enforcement Delay
Scotland's new vaccine passport system, where people attending nightclubs and many other large events, including sports matches, will need to prove they have had two doses of vaccine from 05:00 on Friday 1st October, will now not be enforced until more than two weeks after its introduction.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said there would now be a "grace period" until 18th October, so businesses that do not comply with the rules before that date will receive no enforcement action against them.
Ms Sturgeon said the delay would allow businesses to "test, adapt and build confidence in the practical arrangements they will need to put in place to be compliant with the scheme".
The scheme has proven to be controversial, and many businesses which will be affected by it have complained about a lack of detail from the government about how it will work in practice.
Holyrood Leader Douglas Ross said the delay showed that the "botched" scheme was "still not ready" just days before it is due to be introduced, and called for it to be scrapped completely, saying: "It is more of the same last minute, rushed, chaotic planning we have seen time and time again from this government".
The Night Time Industries Association in Scotland is planning a legal challenge to block the plans.
From Friday, 1st October, anyone over the age of 18 will be required to show that they have had both doses of the vaccine before they are allowed entry to certain venues and events. They are:
- Nightclubs and adults entertainment venues;
- Unseated indoor events with more than 500 people, even if some are seated;
- Unseated outdoor events with more than 4,000 people;
- Any event with more than 10,000 people in attendance.
Everyone in attendance at clubs and smaller events will have to checked, while for larger events such as major football matches, the organisers will instead be allowed to do spot checks of a "reasonable" number of people.
However, on Tuesday Ms Sturgeon confirmed that a "staged approach" would now be taken to the enforcement of the rules. She said the government still believed that a Covid certification scheme will help "mitigate the risk the virus poses to us over the winter", while also driving up vaccination rates. However she added that their "pragmatic compromise" around enforcement "demonstrates that we are listening to business about the practical challenges they face, and that we are determined to work with them to overcome these."
The England government did have similar plans although they were subsequently dropped. Wales is to introduce a system where people can provide either proof of vaccination or of a recent negative test result to enter certain venues.
