Covid: People in Scotland can now download a QR code showing vaccination status

As plans to require vaccine passports for nightclubs and large events are announced

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Wednesday plans for vaccine passports to be required for entry to nightclubs and many large events (PA Wire)

People in Scotland can now download or receive a paper QR code that shows their Covid-19 vaccination status.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the codes would allow people without smartphones to show they had been vaccinated and can be downloaded from the NHS Inform website.

It comes as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Wednesday plans for vaccine passports to be required for entry to nightclubs and many large events from the end of September.

The plans, which will go before the Scottish parliament next week, would apply to indoor and outdoor events.

The move was necessary to stem the recent surge in the number of Covid cases in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon said, which she described as “extremely concerning”.

The scannable QR codes or 2D barcodes are being added to all vaccination records requested from Friday, and can be posted to people requesting them by phone.

Vaccinated children over the age of 12 will only be able to request a copy of their vaccination status by phoning the Covid-19 Status Helpline.

Ms Sturgeon, who recently emerged from self-isolation following a negative PCR test, has also urged the public to consider reducing contact with people and said it would be “grossly irresponsible” to rule out reimposing restrictions.

She said an 80 per cent rise in infections over the past week means the “next few days will be crucial” in informing a decision on whether to reimpose restrictions.

Covid-19 cases in Scotland – where most schools returned two or three weeks ago – have hit several new all-time highs in recent days, with the most recent figures suggesting the seven-day average had hit 5,724 by 29 August, up from 3,374 a week earlier.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Scotland now stands at 624, having more than doubled in under a fortnight, while daily reported deaths hit a six-month high on Wednesday, exceeding 200 for the first time since 9 March.

Scotland removed most restrictions on 9 August, when it moved “beyond level zero” but it has kept some measures in place, such as mandatory face coverings, and plans to introduce vaccine passports later this month after the Holyrood vote.

The scheme will apply to nightclubs, unseated indoor events with more than 500 people in the audience, unseated outdoor events with more than 4,000 in the audience, and at any event with more than 10,000 in attendance.