The First Minister has today updated Holyrood on the latest coronavirus situation in Scotland.
Today, Nicola Sturgeon was due to give her update on remaining coronavirus rules in Scotland, having previously said rules on face coverings and businesses retaining customer details would be reviewed today.
The update comes as covid cases have been spiking in Scotland, and admissions to hospital by those who had recently contracted the virus have surged.
Ms Sturgeon said today that the latest figures showed that one in 18 Scots had Covid, and due to the increase of cases being driven by the BA.2 sub-variant, legal rules on face coverings would not be lifted as originally planned, however would be reviewed in two weeks time and it is now expected that these will be lifted at the beginning of April.
Here are the five key points from Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid update today.
Latest cases
Scotland has recorded 25 coronavirus-linked deaths in the past 24 hours, according to latest data.
The figures also show that 38,770 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported since Saturday March 12.
Due to a technical issue, Public Health Scotland (PHS) had not been able to provide the latest data on cases, deaths and vaccinations in the Monday update.
There were 1,996 people in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 191 on the previous day, with 33 in intensive care, up six.
So far, 4,441,175 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,171,128 have received their second dose, and 3,468,504 have received a third dose or booster, according to Scottish Government data published on Tuesday.
BA.2 dominant strain
The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron is now the dominant strain of coronavirus in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Updating MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, she said the sub-variant now accounted for more than 80% of all cases.
She said: “The increase in cases over the past three weeks has been driven by the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant, which is estimated to be significantly more transmissible – with a growth rate since mid-February perhaps 80% greater than original Omicron.
“BA.2 is now our dominant strain, accounting for more than 80% of all reported cases.
“BA.2 has become dominant in Scotland earlier than in England and Wales, hence the more rapid increase in cases here than south of the border in recent weeks – although cases and hospital admissions are now rising sharply again in England too.”
Remaining Covid measures
The legal requirement to wear face coverings in certain public settings in Scotland will not be dropped on March 21, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister said rising cases driven by the BA.2 sub-variant meant the rule would have to stay in place beyond this date. It will be reviewed again in two weeks’ time.
The law on masks, which applies to public transport and enclosed public spaces, was due to be converted to guidance on March 21.
However, the legal requirement for certain premises to retain customer contact details will be dropped as planned.
The decision comes as the spike in cases means that one in 18 Scots have Covid.
The First Minister said: “Given the current spike in case numbers, we consider it prudent to retain this requirement in regulation for a further short period.
“I know this will be disappointing for businesses and service providers such as day care services.
“However, ensuring continued widespread use of face coverings will provide some additional protection – particularly for the most vulnerable – at a time when the risk of infection is very high, and it may help us get over this spike more quickly.”
However, the requirement for businesses to collect customer details for track and trace purposes will be lifted on Monday.
Travel restrictions
Ms Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government “reluctantly agreed” to lift all international travel restrictions for Scotland this week at a four-nation meeting on Monday.
From 4am on Friday, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to complete passenger locator forms under the change.
Non-vaccinated travellers will cease having to take pre-departure and day two PCR tests, or complete locator forms.
The changes will only apply to incoming travellers, and passengers should continue to check gov.uk for the latest information on requirements in other countries when travelling abroad.
Testing in Scotland
The transition period for coronavirus testing in Scotland will continue until the end of April, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister said “this is as far as we can go within funding constraints”, taking account of current case numbers.
She said she was aiming for the same “long-term position as England”.
Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: “For the next month – until Easter – there will be no change to our testing advice.
“If you don’t have symptoms, you should continue for now to use a lateral flow test twice weekly; daily for seven days if you are a close contact of a positive case; and before visiting someone who is vulnerable.
“If you have symptoms, you should continue to get a PCR test, either at a testing site or by post.
“However, following the Easter weekend – from April 18 – we will no longer advise people without symptoms to test twice weekly.”
She said that until the end of April, the Government will continue to advise those with symptoms to get a PCR test.
Contact testing will end at the end on April 18 and physical Covid testing sites will close at the end of April.
Ms Sturgeon continued: “From May 1, instead of a population-wide approach, we will use testing on a targeted basis – to support clinical care and treatment and protect higher risk settings; and for surveillance, outbreak management and responding to significant developments, such as a new variant.”
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