Nightclub owner’s vaccine passport concerns
The owner of a West Lothian nightclub says he fears vaccine passports will have a detrimental impact on his business.
People in Scotland will need proof they have been fully vaccinated before they can enter nightclubs and many large events from October 1 after Holyrood approved the measures last week.
People attending a nightclub or other adult entertainment venues will have to show their passport, while proof will also be needed for outdoor events of over 10,000, unseated indoor live events with more than 500 people and at unseated outdoor events with more than 4000 people.
Alan Russell, who owns the Dreadnought Rock Club in Bathgate, said how it will be applied is “throwing up questions, doubt, debate and division which he said will “no doubt impact business in some way”.
He continued: “How much effect and when it could hit us is another bridge we have to cross when the details are known to the venue.
“It should be viewed as a positive so everyone knows all that are attending are double vaccinated but I fear it will equally act as a switch off for just as many with a different view point and be unfair.
“Regardless of how it’s viewed it’s yet another extra task that is likely to be asked of us knowing it will cause problems and potentially more confrontations for our staff through no fault of our own.
“Yet another thing we will have to deal with at the sharp end and absorb without any support to an industry already at breaking point.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said last week the system would reduce the risk of transmission and help prevent venues from having to close again due to Covid.
The proposals were opposed by the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats and many businesses have complained of a lack of detail about how the scheme will work in practice.
Meanwhile, this week Nicola Sturgeon said there will be no new restrictions in West Lothian despite the recent spike.
The latest Public Health Scotland data revealed that there were 132 new cases in West Lothian reported on September 14.
Across the week between September 5 to 11 there were another 1462 people who tested positive for the virus.
This means the weekly test positivity in the county of 795 infections per 100,000 residents is above the national average of 705.
And the 1462 weekly infections are roughly five times higher than the previous records in West Lothian, recorded last winter when there were 300-400 infections per month.
All of the 37 neighbourhoods in West Lothian continue to record high amounts of Covid-19 infections.
Fauldhouse is the most infectious area with 72 new infections among the 4876 residents living in the village.
However, speaking at parliament on Tuesday the First Minister said there were early signs from the most recent numbers that the recent spike is beginning to slow down.
She said: “The most recent data underpins the cabinet decision this morning not to reintroduce any restrictions.
“I am very grateful to everyone – organisations, businesses and individuals – who has taken extra care in recent weeks to try to stop this spike.
“It does seem that these efforts are making a difference. That said, of course, our position does remain challenging. Even though new cases have fallen they remain five times higher than the start of August.”
Ms Sturgeon said that secondary school pupils will need to wear face masks in class until the October holidays.
She continued by reiterating the importance of the vaccination programme in saving lives, and that although the latest data is very encouraging, people must follow guidelines and keep new cases on a downward trend.