In a statement to the Scottish Parliament today, the First Minister indicated that her government would consider expanding the vaccine passport scheme to a larger group of businesses.
Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chair, said: “Today’s statement won’t have reassured many smaller businesses, even if no formal decision has yet been by the Scottish Government.
“As policymakers consider their next steps, they must avoid a situation where they place tough restrictions on the local and independent businesses hit hardest by this pandemic. It looks likely that an expansion of the current vaccine passport scheme would have a disproportionate impact on the local firms with the fewest staff.
“The condensed timescales for any possible extension to the covid certification initiative are a source of worry, not least because there are so many unanswered questions about the practicalities of a dramatically expanded scheme. It is unfortunate that the design and implementation of any new measures will now need to take place at breakneck speed.”
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Notes
• Read FSB’s survey work on this issue: https://www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/fsb-reveals-small-business-vaccine-passport-polling.html