How vaccine passport rules could affect Celtic fans from outside Scotland

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Amidst all the uncertainty over vaccine passport rules and their implementation, some questions remain, chiefly: what about Celtic supporters from outside Scotland?

Vaccine passports, passed by the Scottish Government on the 1st of September [BBC], will dictate that those who wish to attend an array of public venues require evidence of two Covid vaccinations.

This will obviously include football stadia. And while the infrastructure issues involved may require more ad-hoc solutions, it’s only Scotland from the UK countries that have put vaccine passports into law.

That could cause complications for supporters from further afield. A large contingent of fans come from Ireland, England and Poland. On match days, you’ll certainly have seen the Polska No1 CSC represented [Celtic Wiki].

Well, it might not be too much of a worry. The European Union has introduced the EU Digital Covid Certificate. Member states have agreed on a common design for both paper and digital versions of the Covid vaccine certificate.

For those in the UK, but outside of Scotland, there’s the NHS Covid Pass. While it’s not mandatorily enforced in England and Wales, the use of the Covid pass can ensure entry to events where vaccine status is deemed necessary. A Government spokesperson said that all bodies involves are working on a solution [Sun].

Both should be available to supporters outside of Scotland. And, both should be accepted in Scotland.

Great news on vaccine passport rules for Celtic fans outside of Scotland

We’re in a bit of a strange situation, with Scotland being the only country legally enforcing the vaccine passport for entry to large-scale events.

However, with cases continuing to panic health officials and put strain on the NHS, it’s no wonder the controversial passport scheme is in use.

Again, there’ll be all sorts of challenges actually enforcing it. Scottish Government Secretary for Health Humza Yousaf said yesterday that there are conversations being had about implementation. For example, technology used in turnstiles could be utilised.

For now we’ll have to wait and see. But at least fans from Ireland, Poland, England and elsewhere shouldn’t be locked out.

That is, if they can provide ample, valid evidence of having taken both vaccine shots.

In other news: Seville hospitality chiefs bemoan Celtic call after losing out on revenue