NICOLA Sturgeon has announced plans for vaccine certificates in Scotland.

The First Minister said the limited use of vaccine passports "could help to control the spread of the virus, as we head into the autumn and winter".

She said the Scottish Government will propose a full debate and vote on the matter in Holyrood next week.

Under Ms Sturgeon's plans, certificates would be introduced later this month for nightclubs, unseated indoor live events with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor live events for more than 4,000 people and any events with more than 10,000 people.

Hospitality as a whole will not be affected. However, this will be kept under review.

Children and people with particular medical conditions would be exempt.

Senior sources previously told The Herald there had been discussions with the Chief Medical Officer about the plans, which have been criticised by opposition politicians, including the Greens and the Liberal Democrats. 

In July Boris Johnson announced that nightclubs would have to require proof of double-vaccination to allow punters’ entry from the end of September in England.

However Ms Sturgeon has taken the decision further, with the plans to announce vaccine passports for indoor and outdoor events.

The First Minister said: "The introduction of Covid certificates – even in the fairly limited circumstances that I have set out above - is a significant move, and not one we would ever take lightly.

"That is why I believe it should have parliamentary approval in advance.

"But it is worth stressing that although we have had to weigh this decision carefully, we would be in no way unique in taking this step.

"The UK Government has announced its intention to introduce certification for England.

"And several European countries – including France, Italy and Ireland – have already introduced certification.

"In fact, the certification rules in several of those countries cover a far wider range of venues than the ones we are currently planning for Scotland."

From Friday, Scots will be able to download a PDF copy of their vaccination certificate, with a personalised QR code, to print off instantly or store on their mobile phone for use domestically or internationally.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney previously suggested vaccine passports were "the wrong way to handle" things.

Earlier this month during a recall of Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: “I can also confirm that we continue to consider very carefully the possible, albeit limited, use of Covid status certification for access to certain higher-risk venues in future.”

She said the Government was “developing an app to make access to Covid status certificates, which will include vaccination details, easier for international travel.”

She confirmed the app would be launched this month, and said: “The app will have functionality to support the use of such certificates for domestic settings, should we decide that that is appropriate.”

During the update, Ms Sturgeon also stressed that her government “do not underestimate the ethical, equity and human rights issues associated with Covid status certification” and added: “we will keep members updated and consulted on our thinking on that issue.”