Scotland’s Covid passport scheme comes into force with proof of double jab needed for larger venues

People in Scotland will be forced to show their Covid vaccine passports to enter large events from today, after the Government’s grace period came to an end. 

Those attending nightclubs and events such as football matches and concerts in Scotland will be required to prove they are double vaccinated.

The controversial scheme technically came into effect from October 1.

But the SNP-run Scottish Government was pushed into an 18-day grace period because of a backlash, including by Labour, who labelled the roll-out of the scheme a ‘shambles’.

Now the grace period – put in to give businesses time to prepare – has now come to an end today.

It means Scots will have to provide proof of double vaccination through either a paper copy certificate or a QR code on a new app to enter large-scale events.

The policy is enforceable for nightclubs, strip clubs and unseated indoor events with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor events with over 4,000 and any event with more than 10,000 people. 

Though the scheme is being introduced by the Scottish Governments, it will fall on councils to ensure venues and businesses are checking vaccine status.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: ‘The grace period allowed venues and businesses affected more than two weeks to test the scheme in practice and make suitable arrangements.

‘It has also provided the Government with helpful feedback from the sectors affected and we continue to liaise with them going forward.

‘This is a very limited scheme and we hope this will allow businesses to remain open and prevent any further restrictions as we head into autumn and winter.

‘This virus has not gone away and vaccine certification will have a role to play in keeping transmission under control as part of a wider package of measures.

‘It adds a further layer of protection in certain higher-risk settings.

‘I also want to ensure that as many people get vaccinated as possible and particularly to increase uptake in the younger age cohort, so anything to incentivise that is helpful.’

Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: ‘The shambles that followed the release of the vaccine passport app was a predictable disaster.

‘Weeks have passed and we have seen no change of plans despite concerns from the public, public health experts and businesses.

‘This whole debacle has happened because the SNP are arrogant enough to believe they are right and Scotland is wrong.

‘The First Minister is making this up as she goes along.

‘If we want to control the virus we must look at proper resourcing of our test and protect system which has collapsed in recent weeks.

‘If we want to drive up vaccination we should be going door-to-door to convince those we know are hesitant and making it easier to just walk in for an appointment.

‘Instead the Government is doubling down on this mess.’

It comes Scots blasted the ‘chaotic’ and farcical rollout of Scotland’s controversial vaccine passport scheme, and Nicola Sturgeon was forced into a grovelling apology over its tumultuous launch.

The NHS Scotland Covid status app was launched for Apple and Android devices last Thursday – just 12 hours before the vaccine passport requirements came into effect at 5am the following day. 

Ms Sturgeon said she was sorry for the ‘deeply regrettable’ problems, which left people unable to access their vaccination status just hours before new restrictions came into effect on October 1.

However, the First Minister pointed the blame at the NHS for the issues rather than the new £600,000 Covid passport app, and claimed high demand had crippled the new system.  

Speaking at the Scottish parliament in Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said earlier this month that information ‘wasn’t being sent quickly enough from the NHS system to the app’.

Admitting that this had caused ‘extreme frustration’, she said: ‘I apologise for that.’

There are currently no plans to introduce certification for the wider hospitality industry but this will be kept under review over the autumn and winter months, according to the Scottish Government.

Exemptions to the scheme include under 18s, participants in vaccine trials, as well as people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and people working or performing in the venues.

Ms Sturgeon previously insisted vaccine passports are a ‘proportionate way of encouraging people to get vaccinated, and also of helping large events and night-time hospitality to keep operating during a potentially difficult winter’. 

Unlike smaller venues, stadiums will be allowed to carry out spot checks to ensure there are no large queues or difficulties caused by the new system.

The row comes after claims made by the Scottish Government that it could not join a UK-wide Covid app were rejected.

The Mail revealed last week the SNP had snubbed an offer to be part of a UK vaccine passport app, saying it would have taken more than 12 months to join. 

Scottish Tory Covid recovery spokesman Murdo Fraser had said: ‘Instead of working with the UK Government to find a solution, the SNP has saddled us with a £600,000 app that is still broken days after it was first launched.