Nicola Sturgeon has defined what a nightclub is for the covid passports scheme which is to start next month.

There had been confusion over what was and was not a nightclub and the hospitality industry wanted clarification on the status of 'hybrid' pubs with dance floors open after midnight.

The First Minister said there were four tests that had to be met for venues to require proof of vaccination.

The criteria is a venue which is open between midnight and 5 am, serving alcohol, and which has a designated area for dancing and provides live or recorded music for this purpose.

The scheme will start on October 1 and also includes: Unseated indoor live events, with more than 500 people in attendance.

Unseated outdoor live events, with more than 4,000 people in the audience. Any event, of any nature, which has more than 10,000 people.

Sturgeon said that nightclubs and smaller venues would be required to check all who enter and larger events like football matches would be able to check a number of people. She said under 18s would not be included in the scheme.

The First Minister gave the latest statistics and said that numbers were bigging to fall.

However, she said the NHS was facing pressure, dealing with Covid, a backlog since lockdown and the upcoming annual winter pressures.

 

She said: "New cases remain higher than we want them to be and higher than previous peak in early July.

"As we move into Autumn and winter the re is a risk cases will rise again.

"NHS is under considerable pressure. Vaccination has weakened the link between cases and serious harm to health but it has not broken it."