Enforcement of scheme will commence on 18th October, says first minister
Guidance now published on the Scottish Government website
PREMISES required to implement the Scottish Government’s vaccine passport scheme will have a fortnight’s ‘grace period’ to implement the system before facing enforcement, the first minister has said.
Speaking in the parliament today (28th September), Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government “remains of the view that a targeted certification scheme does have a part to play in driving vaccination rates up as high as possible and providing an additional layer of protection over the winter months”.
However, the cabinet agreed this morning that there will be a two-week grace period to allow businesses to introduce the certification scheme, with no enforcement until 18th October.
“The new staged approach we are proposing now is designed to help businesses adapt to the requirement that the scheme will place upon them and give them a period in which they can operationalise and test their arrangements in practice,” said Sturgeon.
“I can therefore confirm that after the legal obligation comes into force at 5am on Friday this week, we intend to allow a further period of slightly more than two weeks until the 18th of October before any business could face enforcement action for non-compliance.
“This period – effectively a grace period – will allow businesses to test, adapt and build confidence in the practical arrangements they will need to put in place to be compliant with this scheme.”
Guidance for businesses on how to implement the scheme was published this afternoon.
Sturgeon also announced a £25 million fund to help businesses to introduce improved ventilation systems, with priority given to sectors including hospitality. Eligibility criteria will be published at a later date.
