Cop26 delegates will not need to use Scotland’s vaccine passports

30,000 are expected to attend the climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland

Around 30,000 people are expected to visit Glasgow in November

(Rex/Shutterstock)

People attending the Cop26 summit next month will not need vaccine passports to enter the conference.

The climate conference in Glasgow is expected to welcome 30,000 people in November from around the world.

But instead of having to use the Scottish government’s vaccine passports, delegates have been asked to take a daily lateral flow test instead to access the events.

Events in Scotland with more than 10,000 attendees - plus nightclubs and unseated indoor events with audiences of over 500 people - all required proof of vaccination from visitors.

Many hospitality businesses have expressed anger at the Cop26 exemption from vaccine passport rules.

Stephen Montgomery, a spokesperson for the Scottish Hospitality Group, told The Scotsman newspaper: “Hard-pressed hospitality businesses yet again have to suffer restrictions whilst understaffed and failing to recruit people to partake in implementing this policy even on October 18,” which is when Scottish vaccine passports will start being enforced.

He added: “To have thousands of people descend on Glasgow from all around the world with no need for vaccine certification, it undermines the reason why we are doing this in the first place.

“Are the Government in the same situation as we are in that they cannot find the staff to police it or are they finally realising there is no point?”

First minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said there are arrangements around testing and other mitigations that people attending the summit will have to follow.

“We of course are working with UK Government, with the United Nations, in terms of the overall mitigations in place around Cop26,” she said.

“There are arrangements around testing and other mitigations that those attending Cop will be required to comply with. These are arrangements in which we are cooperating with others and I know all of us, for all sorts of reasons, want Cop26 to be a success.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish government also said that enhanced coronavirus measures, such as social distancing and the wearing of face masks unless seated, will also be enforced at the conference.