Oil and Gas workers should never have been treated as an ‘afterthought’ say Scottish Tories

The Scottish Government’s “lacklustre” approach to Covid vaccine QR codes has cost a number of oil workers work and money, an MSP has claimed.

It was announced on Wednesday so-called vaccine passports are to be introduced in Scotland, with workers in the oil and gas industry to given QR codes showing they have been vaccinated, to help them into countries abroad for work purposes,

If the Scottish Government’s plans are approved by parliament, coronavirus vaccine passports would be required in nightclubs and at large events from the end of this month.

We revealed in August a lack of digital plan was causing issues for workers trying to get overseas to countries like Norway, because Scotland was not producing online proof of vaccination, only paper.

‘Long overdue’

Scottish Conservative North East MSP and shadow secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Liam Kerr, said: “This announcement from Nicola Sturgeon is long overdue but is still a temporary measure that should have been addressed well before now.

“Other parts of the UK have had access to QR codes for weeks while Scotland has dreadfully lagged behind.

“Oil and gas workers have been left out of pocket by the SNP’s lacklustre attitude towards the rollout of QR codes.

“Some staff have told me they have lost work or missed out on contracts in places such as Norway because of the unforgivable delay.

“Others have had to spend money on PCR tests and quarantine in a hotel at the cost of almost £1,000.

“While I welcome QR codes being available from Friday, oil and gas workers should never have been treated as an afterthought at a time of such need.”

‘No plan’

Responding to Wednesday’s announcement, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the government’s tools to control the pandemic are not working and that the virus is now “out of control”.

He said: “The virus is now out of control and the SNP seems to have no strategy at all to deal with it.

“I welcome the news of more mobile vaccination centres but we need to see these rolled out across Scotland, including in our schools.

“And if vaccine passports are to be introduced, we need the SNP to be willing to work with and support our hard-hit hospitality sector.

“More restrictions cannot be a fall-back for the failures of this SNP government.

“Winter is looming and the government has lost control.

“The government clearly has no strategy, it’s tools are not working and they have lost control of the virus.

“We need a proper strategy to tackle this pandemic, not more knee-jerk reactions and short-term thinking.”

Liberals oppose

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said his party firmly opposed the passport introductions.

He said:  “This Government has moved effectively to a position where people will now be compelled to show evidence of their medical records in order to access certain freedoms. This is an illiberal step and a dangerous precedent.

“Big systems for scheduling tests, contact tracing, travel and more haven’t been up to the task. They are creaking at the sides.

“Domestic Medical ID cards present real risks to the management of our personal information and could be easily expanded to include other aspects of life. The First Minister told me she wouldn’t even put a time limit on this.

“Liberal Democrats have always opposed medical ID cards and, unlike the Greens, we will continue to oppose them.”

‘Never for public services’

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We do not want to reimpose any of the restrictions that have been in place for much of this year as we all know how much harm they have caused to businesses, to education and to people’s general wellbeing but we must stem the rise in cases.

“In addition to measures such as free testing and the installation of CO2 monitors in schools, we believe that a limited use of vaccine certification in certain higher risk settings, could help us to keep businesses open and prevent any further restrictions as we head into autumn and winter.

“They will be for use in very limited settings and never for public services such as transport, hospitals and education. This is a significant step forward and not a decision we have taken lightly but it is in line with certification in other European countries.

“The original protective measures such as wearing a face covering, physical distancing, hand washing and isolating when necessary are still key to reducing prevalence of the virus but getting vaccinated remains the single most important step that any of us can take to keep ourselves and others safe.

“Ensuring that as many people as possible get vaccinated remains a key priority and the Scottish Government will continue to do everything we can to improve on the already high up take of the vaccine. We continue to urge anyone aged 16 and over to get vaccinated, please find your local drop-in clinic by visiting NHS Inform.”