Vaccine passports could help bring back cultural life
Vaccine passports could revive live entertainment in Scotland without the need for social distancing, the Scottish Government's own industry expert has revealed.
Paul Bush said there was "no doubt" vaccine passports could help bring back events which could not operate viably if they had to impose physical distancing and restricted crowd numbers.
Mr Bush, chief executive of government agency Eventscotland, said he was sure the results UK Government trials of “Covid-status certification” at pilot events in England from this month would “prove to be a great tool for Scotland’s events industry.”
Mr Bush insisted there was "increasing confidence with each week that passes" about the return of events this summer, suggesting that the green light for the European Cham
pionship matches in Glasgow was “an indication of the likelihood for further high-profile events acting as a gateway for the return of the sector.”
But he admitted it was "critical" for the entire events industry to get clear guidance as soon as possible.
Venue operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have warned they are running out of time to programme shows for this year’s event, while Butefest has become the latest music festival to pull the plug on staging an event this summer.
However many venues, festivals and events are hoping to go return from May.
Writing on social media, Mr Bush said: “There is no doubt there is a pent-up demand for events to return and, as we’ve recently seen in England, I’d expect tickets to quickly sell out should events be permitted.
“But what will the summer look like for events in Scotland? Whilst there is still caution and pragmatism in abundance,themoodmusicismore positive than it was even a few weeks ago and I sense increasing confidence with each week that passes.
“To ensure we have a positive summer for events in Scotland it’s now critical that the industry receives additional guidance and information as soon as possible.”
The Scottish Government is considering vaccine passports, but cautioned that the idea raises significant “ethical and equality” questions.