Nightclubs in Scotland are putting furniture on dancefloors to avoid having to comply with the Scottish National Party (SNP) government’s controversial vaccine passports. Critics have described the vaccine passport scheme in the country as “shambolic” and an affront to civil liberties.
Lulu, a venue that describes itself as “Edinburgh’s best nightclub,” started advertising on Instagram that it had resumed “service” and customers “don’t need a vaccine passport to party with us.”
Related: How vaccine passports are crushing freedom, privacy, and civil liberties
Under Scotland’s vaccine passport rules, a nightclub is a venue featuring a space “provided for dancing for customers.” Nightclubs such as Lulu are using that definition as a loophole to avoid having to comply with the rules requiring them to demand vaccine passports from customers.
Lulu’s managing director Innes Bolt, speaking to Edinburgh Live, explained the move saying: “We have experienced a significant decline in footfall resulting in a crash in our sales which meant that Lulu was running at a loss.
“To protect our staff, promoters and business, we have removed the designated dance floor and reconfigured our space. Instead, we have created a new seating area, bringing in additional furniture to occupy that space and repositioning our DJ Booth.
“This change will allow us to maintain a safe and controlled environment throughout.”
According to The Telegraph, Lulu is not the only nightclub skirting the rules by covering its dance floor with furniture.
The Scottish Conservative Covid recovery spokesperson Murdo Fraser said the SNP should be “embarrassed” for implementing “such a mess of a scheme.”
