Vaccine passports will be required for entry to many large events in Scotland from later this month.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the plans, which will apply to indoor and outdoor events and will have to be passed by MSPs next week.
Everyone over the age of 18 will need to show proof that they have had both doses of the vaccine to gain entry to:
• Unseated indoor live events with more than 500 people
• Unseated outdoor live events with more than 4,000 people
• Nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
• Any event with more than 10,000 people
Sturgeon said that while events covered by the scheme "matter to our economy, and to our cultural and social life", they bring "many people together in relatively small areas" and are "not essential services".
"By ensuring that people entering these settings are fully vaccinated, we would be taking a proportionate step to help make these settings safer for everyone attending and, by extension, for all of us," she said.
She added that vaccine passports are not currently being considered for the hospitality industry as a whole, and that there were no plans to include key services or settings where people have no choice over attendance - such as shops, public transport, education and medical services. Children and adults with certain medical conditions will be exempt from the scheme.
People in Scotland will be able to download a QR code showing their vaccine status from Friday 3 September.
Sturgeon said the move was part of an effort to help stem the current Covid-19 surge in Scotland.
Cases north of the border have increased rapidly in recent days following the return to schools. The number of people in hospital has doubled in the past 10 days, and several areas of Scotland are among the regions with the highest rates of the virus in Europe.
Sturgeon added that she hoped not to have impose any further restrictions.
She said: "I fervently hope that - vaccine certification aside - we do not have to impose any further legal restrictions.
"But that depends on all of us making a concerted effort now, through our own behaviours, to stem transmission.
"What we do know is we cannot let cases continue to rise at the pace of recent weeks. We must slow it down."
Boris Johnson has announced a similar scheme will be introduced in England by the end of this month, details of which are yet to emerge.
Similar certification schemes have also been introduced in several other European countries, including France, Italy and Ireland.
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
