THE Scottish Government is considering the use of vaccine passports to access "certain higher risk venues", Nicola Sturgeon has said. 

The First Minister said a phone app is currently being developed to make access to Covid status certificates easier for international travel.

This could support the use of such certificates in domestic settings, she said.

However, Ms Sturgeon said she was "far from convinced" that vaccine passports are the right thing to do.

She also stressed she would be "passionately" opposed to their use in accessing public services. 

Ms Sturgeon said nightclubs have been mentioned in the debate around vaccine passports, but added that no decisions have been made.

Scottish Liberal Democrat interim leader Alistair Carmichael urged the First Minister to rule them out.

He said: "Just last week [Deputy First Minister] John Swinney said that wouldn't be the right approach.

"Now vaccine passports are not just back on the table, the app paving the way for them is coming to our phones.

"We all know that this government loves centralisation but such a scheme would be a massive imposition on people and on businesses.

"Instead of spinning the First Minister needs to rule them out for good."

In a virtual update to MSPs, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government continues "to consider very carefully the possible, albeit limited, use of Covid status certification for access to certain higher risk venues in future".

She said: "We are currently developing an app to make access to Covid status certificates – which will include vaccination details - easier for international travel. This will be launched next month.

"The app will have functionality to support the use of such certificates for domestic settings should we decide that this is appropriate.

"However, I can assure Parliament that we do not underestimate the ethical, equity and human rights issues associated with Covid status certification and will keep members updated and consulted on our thinking on this issue."

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "I’m concerned that there is still a worrying emphasis being placed on the idea of issuing Covid status certificates – so-called Covid passports.

"The First Minister referred to their use in relation to accessing higher risk venues, but without physical mitigations, the use of certification may risk giving people a false sense of safety and potentially make venues less safe.

"The introduction of vaccine passports also raises human rights implication if our ability to go about our daily lives is dependent on our health status, and presents inequality issues, particularly for those who work in those high-risk venues, but who may not themselves be fully protected.”