Scottish Deputy First Minister and Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney said recently that vaccine passports would be in place in Scotland until 16th November, when ministers would review whether they would remain in place depending on Covid-19 cases. Swinney said the scheme could be extended to other sectors, including workplaces, following the review. He also warned the Scottish Government is considering imposing additional restrictions if the situation with the virus worsens. Swinney continued: “obviously there may well be impact on night-time industries as a consequence, but there could be an even greater impact of closure and that’s what we’re trying to avoid by the measures that we’re taking.”
In a strange twist, Swinney also admitted that the Scottish Government does not have any evidence to show if the measure is reducing the spread of Covid-19 and encouraging people to get vaccinated. He said it is “impossible to segment” data on coronavirus to determine whether it is working but reiterated that he believes it is “delivering a positive benefit to the suppression of the virus”.
However, some accurate data has been acquired, with public health expert Professor Jason Leitch saying that up to 20% of people were turned away from late night venues in Scotland for not having a valid vaccine passport. Leitch expressed support for continuing with the use of vaccine passports, saying, “I hear the night-time industry over the weekend saying, ‘we turned away 10 to 20 per cent of people’. That sounds to me like Covid certification is working.”
