First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed in an address to Holyrood that vaccine passports will be required for entry to nightclubs and many large-scale events in Scotland from later this month once it is signed off by MSPs next week. She also confirmed that wider hospitality will not be affected but that this will be kept under review.
She said the move was needed to help stem the recent surge in the number of cases and that the plans will apply to indoor and outdoor events, and that the certification scheme was needed to ‘help protect individuals and the country as a whole and reduce the risk of further restrictions being necessary.’
She added, “Many of the events and venues that are covered by the certification scheme are important – they matter to our economy, and to our cultural and social life. That’s why we want to enable them to stay open safely – but they are not essential services.”
The new vaccine certification rules mean people over the age of 18 will need to show they have had both doses of the vaccine before they are allowed entry to:
Nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
Unseated indoor live events, with more than 500 people in the audience
Unseated outdoor live events, with more than 4,000 people in the audience
Any event, of any nature, which has more than 10,000 people in attendance
Said UKHospitality Scotland Executive Director Leon Thompson, “Today’s announcement that the Scottish Government plans to introduce vaccine certification for access to nightclubs and events is a move which will cause dismay amongst businesses which have only recently been able to reopen.
“The fact that there has been no attempt to engage with the sector ahead of this announcement is extremely concerning. 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.”
People can already request a paper copy of their vaccination record for travel, and from Friday they will be provided with a QR code so they can download a copy of the record to store on their phone.
A similar scheme will be introduced in England at the end of this month, with people needing to have a passport for nightclubs, while several other European countries – including France, Italy and Ireland – have already introduced similar schemes.
A further 6,107 people have tested positive in Scotland, with the number of people in hospital doubling in the past 10 days, and several areas of Scotland are among those with the highest rates of the virus in Europe.
Normally, up to 150,000 people would attend the three-day event, which was was moved from its traditional July slot to September and has not been held since 2019, with the 2020 event cancelled in April last year..
Geoff Ellis told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, “We’re so excited, we can’t wait to welcome 50,000 people at Glasgow Green non-socially distanced and with a great line-up.”
He said that it was “logical” to assume that fans would be required to take a lateral flow test and provide evidence of a negative result before being allowed into the festival, and that following talks with the Scottish government, he said he did not believe vaccination would be a requirement to attend events or clubs because of the legal ramifications despite health Secretary Humza Yousaf refusing to rule out introducing vaccine passports in Scotland.
He said, “I don’t think the Scottish government will insist on vaccination for clubs because I don’t think they believe in that.
“But I think they want to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated and I would say the same. I’ve even suggested to the Scottish government if they want to put a vaccination bus into TRNSMT we’d be happy to host that, it’s on the table.
“But I don’t think it’ll become a condition of entry in Scotland. It’s fraught with legal conditions.”
Hospitality businesses across Scotland are extending the Eat Out to Help scheme themselves in September after the government-backed initiative ended yesterday.
These include The Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group, the Ayrshire-based Rad Hotel Group and Cawley Hotels.
Edinburgh –based Signature Pubs’ venues has also elected to extend the discount scheme, likewise Montpeliers in several of its venues. Other Edinburgh participating Edinburgh venues include Brewhemia, The Black Bull, The Barologist, Hector’s, The Queen’s Arms, Copper Blossom, The Boozy Cow, 56 North, The Voodoo Rooms, Paolozzi and Aurora in Leith. Down the Hatch in South Queensferry is taking part too.
In Glasgow, The Di Maggio Restaurant Group, The 13th Note and The Stag and Thistle and The Butterfly and Pig are all to run similar discounts, plus Chaophraya, The Botany, The Bungo, Celino’s and Tuk Tuk and all Finsbay venues.
Dundee’s Porters, Duke’s Corner, plus The Townhouse Hotel and Andreou’s Bistro in Arbroath are among the Tayside businesses doing their own versions of the scheme. Achray Restaurant in Perthshire is also on board, as is The Kinloch Arms in Carnoustie.
Meanwhile, The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen has launched its own version of Eat Out to Help Out after the city lockdown meant it wasn’t able to offer the scheme to its customers.
Elsewhere, there have been commitments made from The Jolly and Sportsters in Falkirk, The Swan Inn, Eaglesham, The Auldhouse Arms East Kilbride, The Cardross Inn, Dumbarton, and The Townhead Hotel Lockerbie.
David Tracey, Managing Director, Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group, said of its decision to keep it going, “The EOTHO scheme has been a successful initiative. We have welcomed many customers, old and new, into our venues and our team has a renewed sense of purpose.
“We have noted a nervousness among some people as they venture back outside. This has made us appreciate the efforts our customers have made to support us. As a result, we have decided to extend the EOTHO offer. We want to offer something extra to our customers to thank them and to help them enjoy the benefits of this scheme a little while longer.”
Scotland’s MSP’s are lending their support to Scottish Pub Month, the initiative supported by Media Scotland, the newspaper group behind the Daily Record, and Scotland’s top drinks company’s, Belhaven, Diageo, Heineken UK, McEwan’s, Molson Coors and Tennent’s, as well as the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and industry magazine DRAM. The aim of the initiative is to drive footfall this September, and remind people how good their locals
are.
Already MSP’s including Willie Coffey, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; Sandra White Glasgow Kelvin; Richard Baker, North East Scotland; Annabel Ewing, Mid Scotland and Fife; Gordon Macdonald, Edinburgh and Pentlands; Christina Mckelvie, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse; Mike Mckenzie, Highlands and Islands; Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilysth, and Tavish Scott MSP for Shetland, have pledged their support.
Says DRAM Editor Susan Young, “The aim of Pub Month is to get people to revisit their locals and check out what pubs have to offer throughout Scotland. Now publicans have to do their bit and get involved.”
Newspapers in the Media Scotland group, which includes the Ayrshire Post, Kilmarnock Standard, Perthshire Advertiser, Hamilton Advertiser, East Kilbride News and some twelve others will be carrying
editorial features on Scotland’s great pubs and they are looking for stories. The Daily Record is also promoting the campaign with editorial and with a dedicated website. And publicans are urged to register (for free) at www.dailyrecord. co.uk/pubmonth.
Participating pubs will get special promotional packs which will include posters to promote what they are doing for Pub Month, and beer mats.
Allan Rennie, Editor in Chief at Media Scotland, comments, “Pubs are as important to local communities as libraries, and we will back Scotland’s pubs all the way.”
So if you want to be part of the biggest PR drive ever to get people back into Scotland’s pubs register now.
Your local community needs YOU!
Bombay Sapphire is helping consumers to enjoy the Ultimate G&T Experience with the launch of its new balloon glassware. Backed by a £1.5m campaign, the glassware will enable consumers to enjoy a heightened, premium drinking experience, while offering full enjoyment of Bombay.
“With 95% of flavour coming from your sense of smell, aromas trapped by the glassware’s balloon design are allowed to linger, offering consumers a more intense, fuller flavoured experience,” say the company, while the stemmed design keeps the liquid cooler for longer. The new balloon glasses will be seeded nationwide with over 30,000 glasses going into the on-trade alone. Sharon Reid, Bombay Sapphire Marketing Controller said, “Now consumers can enjoy both a heighted experience of both the brand’s taste and unique sense of style with our equally iconic glassware.”