MINISTERS are considering whether to expand the use of vaccine passports to pubs and restaurants in Scotland amid ongoing concerns over the high level of Covid infections.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney revealed the measure was being looked at by the Scottish Government as it sought to ease pressure on the NHS but avoid strict lockdowns which were introduced earlier in the pandemic.

"We have been considering, for example, whether we may need to extend the Covid certification scheme to bring more settings into scope, such as further indoor hospitality and leisure settings," he told Holyrood today.

"Among other possible interventions, we are exploring  how we can help improve ventilation; what we could do to increase home-working; and whether changes are needed to extend use of face masks. 

READ MORE: Covid in Scotland: 20 new deaths recorded in 24 hours

"I would stress though that we have not yet taken any decisions about strengthening the existing  baseline measures – and we will be discussing options with business sector organisations this week."

He continued: "As you would expect, Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government has been exploring all options for how it will respond to the evolving situation. We have been reviewing our Strategic Framework, which defines the Scottish Government’s overall approach to responding to the pandemic. 

"And the next three-weekly review of the existing baselines measures will take place a week today. The First Minister, my Cabinet colleagues, and I are, of course, watching the situation closely and stand ready to respond – at the right time – when the data indicates it is necessary and proportionate."

Swinney gave the update to the Scottish Parliament instead of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is attending COP26.

READ MORE: Scotland's A&E patients ‘being treated in inhumane conditions’

Currently vaccine passports, which give proof that a person has received two doses of the Covid jag, are only required to attend larger indoor and outdoor events.

They were introduced in Scotland at the start of last month in a bid to boost the uptake of the Covid vaccine and are needed in the following settings:

* late night premises with music, which serve alcohol at any time between midnight and 5am and have a designated place for dancing for customers

* indoor events (unseated) with 500 or more people

* outdoor events (unseated) with 4,000 or more people

* any event with more than 10,000 people

But Swinney warned the measure may need to be extended as the level of coronavirus infection is “precarious and unpredictable” and warned the virus could “very quickly increase again”.

He said: “At slightly over 2,500, the number of new cases each day is holding at a concerningly high level.

“The situation is precarious and unpredictable – if the previous pattern, characterised by waves of infection, is repeated, there is a risk that the spread of the virus could, very quickly, increase again during the coming weeks, perhaps over the Christmas period.”

He said the Scottish Government expected cases to rise as the country heads into winter, but stressed there was still uncertainty about what could happen.

The average number of Covid cases identified in Scotland has remained flat over the past month, with new infections rising slightly in recent days.

The latest figures, published earlier today, showed that Scotland has recorded 20 coronavirus-linked deaths and 2,233 new cases in the past 24 hours.

It means the death toll under this daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – is 9,313.

The daily test positivity rate was 12%, up from 11% the previous day, according to data published by the Scottish Government on Tuesday.

There were 753 people in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed Covid-19, down 50 on the day before, with 57 in intensive care, up three.

During his statement to Holyrood, the Deputy First Minister also addressed concerns that the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow could lead to a spike in covid cases in Glasgow and beyond.

"The scale and worldwide draw of COP26 poses risk of spread of Covid-19 both within delegates and to or from the local population of Scotland and the UK," he told MSPs adding that a "comprehensive and exceptional package of mitigation measures" had been put in place to ensure the event is delivered safely.

He said the test positivity rate for COP26 attendees with passes for the Blue Zone is just 0.1%.

All entrants to the central area of the climate conference must show proof of a negative lateral flow Covid-19 test unless exempt on each day they enter the site.

Following the Deputy First Minister's statement, the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems - who opposed the introduction of vaccine passports last month - raised concerns that their use may be widened further in Scotland.

“The SNP Government doesn’t know if their vaccine passport scheme is working, so why are they looking at expanding it? It’s a mind-boggling way to make policy. They’re inventing it on the hoof," said Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.

“They’re drip-feeding hints that they might expand the scheme without having the decency to inform the businesses that could be on the cusp of being hit by added costs and extra hassle."

Meanwhile, it is being reported that a total of 167,367 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said. The highest number on a single day was 1484 on January 19.