Scots are being warned to follow social distancing rules at all times while outside their homes amid fears that many are breaching the official guidelines and putting lives at risk.
As the Scottish Government begins to outline plans on what an easing of lockdown measures would actually look like, Scots are being reminded about what is acceptable behaviour and the precautions we should take.
Advice from the Scottish Government remains that we should only leave the house to acquire essential items, namely food and medicine, and for daily exercise.
But, as supermarket queues confirm, people are taking a multitude of different precautions, from face masks to gardening gloves.
One major area of concern is the weekly food shop. Public health officials are warning against multiple trips to the supermarket, as people are more likely to come into close contact with other shoppers.
Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director of the Scottish Government, advises “common sense”, follow the signs and stay at least two metres away from other shoppers.
Go alone if you can but, if you can’t, taking children to the shops with you is allowed. But he would also “actively discourage” wearing gloves.
“If you’re rummaging about in the apples, for example, and then you touch your face the gloves aren’t helping you. Cleaning your hands is easier than cleaning gloves… carry hand gel in your pocket then a little rub for a few seconds. Gloves can give you a false sense of security,” Mr Leitch explained.
Face coverings, however, are now recommended by the Scottish Government when in public or when using public transport. These are not surgical or medical-grade masks but a cloth covering which you can breathe you, like a scarf or a bandana.
Coverings should be applied using clean hands and discarded in the wash after each use.
Due to the “limited evidence” around the benefit, this is a recommendation, not a rule, and Mr Leitch, pictured below, has stressed they “must not be used as an alternative to any of these other precautions”.
Guidance published on the Scottish Government website states: “The evidence on the use of face coverings is limited but there may be some benefit in wearing a facial covering when you leave the house and enter enclosed spaces, especially where physical distancing is more difficult and where there is a risk of close contact with multiple people you do not usually meet.
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“Examples include, travelling on public transport or entering a food shop where it is not always possible to maintain a two-metre distance from another customer. There is no evidence to suggest there might be benefits outdoors, unless in an unavoidable crowded situation, where there may be some benefit.”
On the debate of what constitutes an essential item, Mr Leitch is diplomatic; he acknowledges that items will vary from household to household. As long as you are shopping infrequently, while lockdown is in place, social distancing is not travelling anywhere you do not need to be, there is nothing stopping you tossing some luxuries in with your basic shop.
“On Easter weekend, for example, you were allowed to put an Easter egg in your weekly shop,” he offers. “But going out just for that doesn’t seem like a very sensible thing to do.”
While we are rationing our trips to the supermarket to once a week, under lockdown rules, daily exercise is permitted. But, Mr Leitch says, we should be restricting this to 30-60 minutes of public outdoor activity and avoiding unnecessary travel.
“We’re asking people as much as they can to try and do it from their front door – or even indoors if they can – to try and keep the population travel to an absolute minimum,” he says.
“Some countries have not allowed exercise at all but we thought it was really important for public health to allow people to exercise within the limited framework. I’ve seen more people running than I’ve ever seen in my life, which is great, but we need to be careful.”
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Those considered at increased risk if they contract Covid-19 are being asked to go beyond social distancing measures and shield themselves at home. This includes transplant recipients and cancer patients, who have been advised to stay at home until the end of June at least.
Adam Stachura, of Age Scotland said: “There no doubt lockdown is having a considerable impact on the lives of older people, and with no clear end date in sight the levels of anxiety among many will be increasing.
“This virus is clearly having a devastating impact on the lives and health of those in our older generation so we must make sure that they are supported with everything they need to weather this.”
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