Most of the remaining Covid restrictions are to be scrapped in Scotland from Monday, Nicola Sturgeon has said, but the legal requirement to wear face coverings in some settings will remain.
The First Minister told MSPS in a virtual sitting of the Scottish Parliament that the country could move beyond Level 0 – the lowest level of a five tier system of restrictions in Scotland – due to the “steady decline in cases” and “the success of vaccination”.
She said most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions – including on physical distancing and limits to the size of social gatherings – would be lifted, allowing large-scale events to take place.
No venues will be legally required to close, she added, allowing nightclubs to reopen.
But she said the legal requirement to wear face masks will remain for “some time to come”.
Contact tracing of positive cases will remain, pubs and restaurants must continue to collect customer details and home working will continue to be advised.
She said her government was considering “very carefully the possible, albeit limited, use of Covid status certification for access to certain higher risk venues in future”.
An app is under development to allow for such certification for those travelling abroad, she said, but it will also allow for vaccine certification domestically.
“I can assure Parliament that we do not underestimate the ethical, equity and human rights issues associated with Covid-status certification and will keep members updated and consulted on our thinking on this issue,” she said.
From Monday, close contacts of those who test positive for Covid will no longer be required to automatically self-isolate for 10 days.
Under the changes announced on Tuesday, a double-vaccinated Scot who has at least two weeks since their last dose, will be able to take a PCR test that would allow them to abandon self-isolation if they test negative.
Young people under the age of 17 will also be able to end self-isolation if they test negative, while those under five years old will be “encouraged” but not required to take a test.
As a result of the changes, blanket self-isolations for whole school classes will no longer be required.
But face masks will have to be worn during lessons by secondary pupils and one-metre social distancing for staff will be retained for at least six weeks once schools reopen after the summer holidays.
Secondary pupils and school staff in Scotland will also be asked to take a lateral flow test before they return.
Ms Sturgeon said: “However, while this move will restore a substantial degree of normality, it is important to be clear that it does not signal the end of the pandemic or a return to life exactly as we knew it before Covid struck.
“Declaring freedom from, or victory over, this virus is premature.”
She said no one can guarantee that Covid-19 restrictions will not have to be reimposed.
The First Minister told MSPs: “We all hope – I know I certainly do – that the restrictions we lift next Monday will never again have to be reimposed. But no-one can guarantee that.
“This virus remains a threat – and as we enter winter, it may well pose challenges for us again.
“So as we have done throughout, the Government will seek to take whatever action is necessary to keep the country safe.
“But as has also been the case throughout, we all have a part to play in keeping the virus under control.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here