VACCINE passports faced their first major test in hospitality this weekend.
Revellers attended hospitality venues for the first weekend since the scheme became legally enforceable on October 18.
The Scottish Hospitality Group has issued a fresh call for the scheme to be scrapped after a “weekend of unmitigated disaster” for the hospitality sector.
The group has previously been vocal in its criticism of the implementation of the scheme and the level of support the Scottish Government has failed to provide to the hospitality sector to ensure the scheme runs smoothly.
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There were more than 550 incidences where venue staff had to reject entry due to the customer having no vaccine passport, an ineligible vaccine passport, or a potentially fraudulent vaccine passport.
Some venues reported that a number of staff had struggled with the stress of a “charged atmosphere” and had to go home early from their shifts.
Stephen Montgomery, spokesperson for 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.”
He continued: “The Scottish Hospitality Group has been warning the Government for weeks that their vaccine passports scheme is not ready – but the Government’s attitude has been to tell us to ‘get on with it’ whilst offering no safety net of support for businesses or our hard working staff.
“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.
“The Scottish hospitality industry as a whole has paid enough for government failures in this pandemic, and it’s time to scrap this scheme.”
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