The Scottish Government’s vaccine passport scheme faced its first major test at the weekend – and was dubbed an “unmitigated disaster”.
There have been fresh calls for the scheme, which requires people to show proof of full vaccination before they can get into nightclubs and large events, to be scrapped.
The Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) said staff have faced “intolerable levels of abuse” and some venues experienced a drop in footfall of up to 40%.
The group which represents many of Scotland’s popular restaurants and venues claimed the government failed to provide enough guidance for the scheme, which has been legally enforceable since October 18.
New evidence found that there were 550 incidences where staff had to reject people due to having no vaccine passport, an ineligible passport, or potentially fraudulent passport.
Long queues built up as staff checked each person’s vaccine passport, adding to the frustration, particularly for those at venues closing at midnight.
System ‘undermines’ enjoyment of night-time venues
Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland today, Stephen Montgomery, from the Scottish Hospitality Group, said: “The first weekend of the vaccine passports scheme has been one of unmitigated disaster – and that responsibility lies entirely at the door of the Scottish Government.
“The experience of this weekend shows that the result has been intolerable levels of abuse of our staff, and the creation of an atmosphere that will totally undermine anyone’s enjoyment of our night-time venues.
“How can we rebuild customer confidence when we are the ones being faced with the customer anger and confusion, whilst being made to enforce this policy in law, which has been made simply to increase vaccination levels in the younger demographic?
“The reality is that it’s not vaccine passports that will end this health crisis – Government themselves have acknowledged that the solution is an acceleration of booster vaccinations.
However, the Scottish Government insists the system is a “proportionate” way of encouraging people to get vaccinated while allowing venues to remain open.
A spokeswoman said: “Covid-19 certification is a proportionate way of encouraging people to get vaccinated, and also of helping large events and night-time hospitality to keep operating during what will potentially be a very difficult winter.
“This means many businesses will not have to close and can continue to trade whilst making necessary adjustments to ensure their premises are as safe as possible for staff and customers.
“Officials continue to engage regularly with the sector to discuss implementation of the scheme.”
Explainer: How would Covid vaccine passports work in Scotland?