Day: June 21, 2020

Letters: Help prevent a kitten crisis

Dear Editor

Cats Protection is asking cat owners to help prevent a kitten crisis this year.

Due to fewer vets doing neutering during Covid-19, the charity estimates as many as 84,000 extra kittens could be born this summer.

This is why we are urging people to keep their unneutered cats indoors, and also unneutered males and females and siblings apart, until vet practices can become fully operational and resume neutering.

Cats Protection has produced an infographic with useful tips on how to stop cats becoming pregnant: www.cats.org.uk/neutering-your-cat

The charity can also support owners on limited incomes with the costs of neutering when vet practices are fully operational again. Call Cats Protection’s Neutering Line on 03000 12 12 12 (option 2) or visit the charity’s website at www.cats.org.uk/neutering

A survey of 1,000 cat owners has highlighted many are unaware of the importance of neutering and the consequences for not neutering cats at the earliest opportunity. Seventy seven per cent were unaware that a female cat can become pregnant from four months old and 86 per cent didn’t know that an unneutered female cat can have as many as 18 kittens in a year.

Our fear is that many kittens born will be left on the streets. Cats Protection is full up with cats and, owing to Covid-19, is unable to admit many more except in emergencies.

We hope your readers can help do their bit and help to prevent a kitten crisis.

Yours faithfully

Sarah Reid

Acting Head of Neutering, Cats Protection

Win free doughnuts for a year!

Your favourite signature Original Glazed doughnuts will be available for UK nationwide delivery* with the launch of its latest additions: Krispy Kreme Celebrations – an indulgent doughnut decorating kit, and Say It With Krispy Kreme, a hand-piped half dozen, personalised with a message of your choice.

Krispy Kreme is inviting people across the nation to get creative with their signature original glazed doughnuts. From 22nd June, Krispy Kreme fans can begin placing orders to treat themselves or send the perfect gift to loved ones.

The arrival of the Krispy Kreme Creations kit allows fans to indulge their fantasies of becoming a doughnut chef while Say It With Krispy Kreme adds a personal touch when gifting to a loved one  whether you want to customize with a name or meaningful message.

From birthdays to baby showers, anniversaries to make-shift graduations, with a personalised hand-piped box of Original Glazed doughnuts, whatever you want to say, say it with Krispy Kreme.

The launch of UK nationwide delivery with the Krispy Kreme Creation kits and hand-piped half dozens means doughnut lovers across the country can now order signature Original Glazed doughnuts straight to their door by contactless delivery.

Thanks to the expansion of the doughnut brand’s delivery service, you can now enjoy the infamous Original Glazed from the comfort of home and garden.

Krispy Kreme’s beautiful bespoke hand-piped half dozens are the perfect gift for friends and family. Right now more than ever, everyone deserves a little treat and what better way to put a smile on someone’s face and tell a loved one you’re missing them with the gift of sweet treats.

Complete with everything you need to make the doughnut of your dreams, the Krispy Kreme Creations kit, comes with four Original Glazed doughnuts, chocolatey and caramel icings and a selection of indulgent toppings including cookie crumb, lotus biscoff biscuit crumb, chocolate & honeycomb pieces and white chocolate, the perfect activity for a joy-filled afternoon.

To celebrate the launch of UK nationwide delivery, one lucky customer who places either a Say It With Krispy Kreme or Krispy Kreme Creations order on the 22nd June for a kit of hand-piped half dozen, will win free doughnuts for a year.

Following the prize draw on Tuesday 23rd June, the winner will receive a pre-loaded gift card as part of their doughnut delivery**.

Krispy Kreme Creations kits will be on sale for £14.95 and Say It With Krispy Kreme hand-piped half dozen boxes will be on sale for £10.95. Both available from 22nd June with a £3.95 delivery fee; with first delivery day available from 30th June.

More information can be found at https://www.krispykreme.co.uk/.

*excluding Scottish Highlands & Islands **T&Cs apply

Transport Convener: We’re responding to the city’s desire to walk, cycle and wheel

Transport and Environment Convener Lesley Macinnes writes of council plans to make walking, cycling and wheeling safer and easier during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond:

One positive aspect of these last few, trying months is the city’s clear desire to get walking and cycling.

Not only has our own analysis shown pedestrian and cyclist numbers rocketing, but since launching the interactive Commonplace map we’ve received thousands of ideas for making it easier and safer to get around the city by foot, bike or wheelchair.

It’s clear there’s work to do – and we’re responding. Every suggestion, from removing guardrails on narrow pavements to pedestrianising streets, to speed reduction or pop-up cycle lanes, is extremely valuable.

This process is a very complex one and our teams are working flat-out to assess and consider responses, as well as linking them to those actions already identified across the city.

From inception to delivery, each scheme’s timescales can vary significantly, and we must target the projects that deliver the greatest benefits. For this reason, we won’t be able to undertake every suggestion, but each one gives us an invaluable insight into the kind of city people want to see post-COVID and we’re taking this on board.

We’re already delivering initiatives at a more ambitious rate than any other Scottish local authority.

In the last week we have installed more than 5km of pop-up cycle lanes leading to Edinburgh’s two main hospitals, adding to some road closures to help people walk, cycle and wheel to their local greenspaces and amenities.

These changes follow engagement with communities, mobility and active travel groups and local councillors. They’ve had a great response so far. We’re continuing to listen to the people that use them, tweaking the designs where necessary.

As we begin to tentatively emerge from lockdown, we must get the city moving. Before long, businesses will begin reopening and this will have a real impact on the way we move around Edinburgh. We want cafes, bars and restaurants, shops and other services to thrive, once they’re able to reopen, while also protecting people’s safety as Scottish Government advice on physical distancing remains.

We’re already preparing for this. From this week we will begin implementing several, major interventions in the city centre to help create a safer environment, encouraging people to spend time on foot or bike as restrictions ease.

These include footway widening and the introduction of bus, cycle and taxi gates on East Princes Street and South St David Street, reducing traffic volumes and aiding cycling and public transport, and the partial closure of Waverley Bridge.

This kind of real, tangible change, supported by similar, forthcoming measures across the city’s local high streets, will help us to move to the next phase of eased restrictions.

Reintroducing parking enforcement next week is crucial if these measures are to have the desired effect. By minimising often dangerous obstructions from our streets, we will be able to create and maintain spaces for people. What’s more, encouraging turnover of parking spaces means a higher and more varied footfall on our shopping streets.

Much of the work we are undertaking is to create quick, temporary changes to help people travel safely as we adjust to these exceptional circumstances. Emphasising clean, sustainable transport and people-focused spaces, where fewer cars result in less air pollution, supports our long-term city goals of a carbon neutral future where air quality is improved and healthy, and where walking, cycling and wheeling is the norm. We will get through this together and, if we are to make the right decisions now, we can harness these positive outcomes as we emerge from this crisis.

Find out more about Spaces for People on the Council website.

Concerns over falling numbers of pupils with Additional Support Needs in positive destinations

Commenting on the Scottish Government’s latest statistics for leaver destinations, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition – an alliance of leading independent and third sector service providers – said:

“We are deeply concerned about falling level of those school leavers with additional support needs (ASN) such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems in positive destinations. This includes further education, higher education, employment and training.

“While 87.9 per cent of those school leavers with ASN were in positive destinations in 2018/19, this is a drop on 2017/18 when the figures was 88.4 per cent.  For those with no ASN the figures are 95.1 per cent and 95.3 per cent respectively.

“The attainment gap between those school leavers with ASN and those with no ASN has increased from 6.9 per cent for 2017/18 to 7.2 per cent in 2018/19.

“It is deeply disappointing to see a fall in the number of school leavers with ASN in positive destinations and to note that this gap is growing when compared with those with no ASN. There is also a clear gap between the number of those with ASN who are unemployed (10.2 per cent), compared with those with no ASN (3.9 percent).

“As the impact of COVID-19 becomes more evident we anticipate this gap growing and it is crucial that resourcing is targeted at those individuals with ASN to give them the best possible opportunities, both in the classroom and beyond.

“The statistics come hot on the heels of recent evidence that the attainment gap between those school leavers with ASN and those with no ASN has increased from 7.3 per cent for 2017/18 to 7.6 per cent in 2018/19 for those with at least one pass at National 4, and from 21.8 per cent to 22.4 per cent for those with at least one pass at National 5. It has dropped from 31.9 per cent to 31.2 per cent for those with at least one pass at Higher.

“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need in order to give them the best possible start in life, to close the educational attainment gap and give them the best opportunities possible beyond the classroom.

“This is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity, however, the cost to society in the long term if adequate resourcing is not provided will far outweigh any potential savings made today.”

Travel influencers should stick to low-cost staycations, says expert

  • Travel influencers and social media celebrities have been urged to stop promoting expensive holidays abroad, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. 
  • The influencer marketing industry is predicted to be worth over $15 billion  by 2022, with the fastest-growing platforms being TikTok and Instagram. 
  • The average person still exceeds climate change targets by 7.8 tonnes of CO2 each year, while the tourism industry accounts for 8% of global warming. 
  • Celebrities must take responsibility for influencing where fans go on holiday and must champion climate change to avoid hypocriticism, expert says. 

Social media influencers must place more emphasis on promoting affordable staycations in place of extravagant holidays abroad to help curb climate change, experts advise. 

According to EU recommendations, the maximum amount of CO2 that can be generated per person from flying is 0.6 tonnes. However, the average person currently generates 8.4 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – exceeding the target level 14 times over.

Air travel is detrimental to the environment now more than ever as the number of airline passengers worldwide has doubled over the past two decades. This needs to be curbed, as each additional metric ton of CO2 shrinks the Arctic summer sea ice cover by 32 square feet.

Ketti Wilhelm, Founder of TiltedMap, is in favour of staycations being promoted online to reshape the way we perceive travelling abroad, saying: “All the uncertainty brought by Covid-19 makes this travel season a perfect time to try staying closer to home. 

“Coronavirus will remind people to travel more thoughtfully – this means commuting and excess business trips, but also that nagging obligation of the Instagram era to always be going further away, to more exotic destinations – even if only for a short trip.”

Dr Andrew Welfle from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, believes that influencers who promote holidays abroad without mention of climate change are hypocritical.

He says: “Aviation from its early days has been a glamorous way to travel, and many millions of pounds are now spent on promoting tourism to destinations where it is only practical to get to via air travel. 

“Seeing celebrities and influencers enjoying destinations via TV, film and social media channels provides a further ‘pull’ factor that makes aviation travel even more attractive. Celebrities therefore have a level of responsibility in influencing tourism.

“In addition, celebrities who champion environmental issues such as climate change and then go on to extensively fly, risk undermining their environmental messaging – something not lost on the public.”

As well as on social media, this championing must be mirrored at political level in order to be effective, said Dr Welfle. “There is a greater role our UK politicians can play in promoting many of the UK’s great holiday destinations.

“This would bring jobs and money to UK holiday destinations and at the same time reduce the UK’s contribution to aviation emissions.”

This commentary comes as a new political pollution study reveals that EU and US leaders are still set to exceed climate change recommendations by a staggering 230 tonnes of CO2, despite a drop in emissions resulting from Covid-19 travel bans.

Letter: Support for Fathers

Dear Editor,

Looking after a child can be a challenge for all parents at times but even more so in the current situation with measures put in place to contain the Coronavirus.

The lack of respite from children’s needs or relationship strains will be taking their toll on many parents; some will have lost their jobs and be experiencing financial difficulties and there will be those who have suffered illness and bereavement.

These pressures and anxieties will be intensified by the fact that families are having to cope without access to their usual support networks.

This month, as we mark Father’s Day and International Father’s Mental Health Day, we want to send a message to dads that there is help out there and, if you are finding things difficult or you feel you are struggling to cope, it is so important that you reach out for support. Looking after your mental health is vital for your own wellbeing, as well as your child’s.

Earlier this year, NSPCC Scotland teamed up with the Edinburgh Child Protection Committee to launch the All of Us campaign to let families know where and how they can get advice and support.

The different organisations involved in the campaign are working together to gain insight into how they can best support families and protect children across Edinburgh.

Our NSPCC Helpline counsellors are here for fathers whatever their worry. For parenting advice and support contact the helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or on 0808 800 5000, weekdays 8am to 10pm and weekends 9am to 6pm.

To find out more about the campaign and about available local support visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/allofus

CARLA MALSEED, 

NSPCC Scotland campaigns manager,

on behalf of the All of Us campaign being run with Edinburgh Child Protection Committee

SCCR_leaflet_Conflict_Top_Tips

Further details of Ed Film Fest At Home released

Edinburgh International Film Festival and Curzon Home Cinema are delighted to announce Clemency, written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu and starring Alfre Woodard, and Capital in the 21st Century, directed by Justin Pemberton and based on the bestselling book by Thomas Piketty, as the latest additions to the ED FILM FEST at Home programme presented by EIFF and CHC.

As announced last week, the ambitious programme also features such acclaimed titles as Last and First Men with Tilda Swinton, Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise and the latest film from the Dardenne brothers, Young Ahmed.

A Q&A with director Thomas Clay and the cast of Fanny Lye Deliver’d – Maxine Peake, Charles Dance, Tanya Reynolds and Freddie Fox – will take place at 8.30pm on Monday, 29 June with further events to be announced in due course.

A brand-new film will be presented each day of the 12-day festival, with films playing for between 2 and 12 days, each priced at £9.99.

Full schedule of films is available to browse here.

Full line-up and dates for EDFILMFEST AT HOME include:

CLEMENCY (24 June – 5 July) written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu and starring Alfre Woodard. This award-winning feature focuses on a prison warden Bernadine Williams who confronts the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is now sanctioned to kill. Chinonye first had the idea for Clemency after Troy Davis’ execution in a state prison in 2011 and spent 4 years researching for the film.

CAPITAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY (3 – 5 July) directed by Justin Pemberton and based on the best-selling and one of the most powerful books of our time, written by French economist Thomas Piketty. This UK premiere is an eye-opening journey through wealth and power that breaks the popular assumption that the accumulation of capital runs hand in hand with social progress, shining a new light on the world around us and its growing inequalities.

REBUILDING PARADISE (29 June – 5 July) directed by Ron Howard. The UK premiere of the moving documentary, by Hollywood director Ron Howard, that chronicles the post-fire lives of the residents of Paradise, California, which was 95% razed to the ground by the so-called ‘Camp Fire’ of November 2018.

FANNY LYE DELIVER’D (24 June – 5 July) directed by Thomas Clay and starring Maxine Peake, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox and Tanya Reynolds. Set in Shropshire in 1657, this folk horror/thriller concerns a young woman living a remote, rural, puritan existence with her older husband and young son, until the arrival of a young couple on the run who introduce Fanny Lye to a world of possibilities…

PERFUMES (LES PARFUMS) (1 – 2 July) directed by Grégory Magne, starring Emmanuelle Devos, Gustave Kervern, Sergi Lopez, Grégory Montel. The UK premiere of this French comedy drama set in the ‘nose’ (nez) business. A once-famous ‘nez’ (in the perfume world) sells her extraordinary olfactory facility to any company that’s prepared to pay for it. She’s a selfish diva, but one that might just have a shot at redemption through her relationship with her new chauffeur, a man with many troubles of his own.

SAINT FRANCES (25 – 27 June) directed by Alex Thompson and written by and starring Kelly O’Sullivan. The UK premiere of this US comedy drama which sees Bridget, 34, aimless and accidentally pregnant, decide to have an abortion. Needing a job, she gets one (by luck rather than design) she’s not really very well suited to – that of nanny, to the precocious Frances.

THE TRAITOR (28 June – 5 July) directed by Marco Bellocchio and starring Pierfrancesco Favino. A masterful telling of the real-life story of Tommaso Buscetta, the main informant in the ‘Maxi’ (Sicilian Mafia) Trial in Palermo in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

A WHITE, WHITE DAY (27 – 29 June) directed by Hlynur Palmason and starring Ingvar Sigurdsson. Icelandic drama about a recently retired policeman who becomes obsessed that his recently-deceased wife was having an affair. His growing obsession starts to threaten the well-being of the rest of his family.

LAST AND FIRST MEN (3 – 5 July) directed by Jóhann Jóhannsson and narrated by Tilda Swinton. The UK premiere of the late, great composer’s directorial debut, a stunning audio-visual, science-fiction essay on human mortality and the end of all things. Loosely based on the 1930 Olaf Stapledon novel of the same name, Tilda Swinton voices a human from its 18th distinct evolution from some two billion years in the future (the Last Men), reaching back to the First Men (us) for help, as the end of time approaches.

YOUNG AHMED (25 June – 2 July) directed and written by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. After taking to heart an extremist interpretation of the Qu’ran, a Belgian teenager hatches a plan to kill his teacher.

ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH (25 June – 5 July) directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicolas de Pencier, narrated by Alicia Vikander. This stunning documentary, filmed in 20 countries across 6 continents, documents the impact the human race has had on Planet Earth to illuminate the question: have we entered a new geological epoch?

VOLCANO (26 June – 5 July) directed by Roman Bondarchuk. Lukas, a translator working for the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) gets stranded in the middle of nowhere in southern Ukraine. Life, and the people, are nothing like Lukas has ever imagined before, and getting out of there is his only priority. But warming to his strange new hosts, perhaps there’s more going on here than first meets the eye.

LITTLE GIRL (2 – 4 July) directed by Sebastian Lifshitz, UK premiere. Sasha, 7, a little girl living in the Northeast of France, was assigned male at birth. The film details, with extraordinary sensitivity, Sasha and her very supportive family’s seemingly endless quest for her to be recognised as a girl by the school she loves.

ED FILM FEST AT HOME runs 24 June – 5 July 2020.

Action plan needed to tackle COVID-19’s effect on BAME community

There have been renewed calls for the UK Government to take real action to protect BAME communities from COVID 19. 

New figures released by the ONS show that the rate of deaths for black males was over three times greater than that for white males of the same age, while the rate for black females was more than twice as great than for white females.

Men of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian ethnic backgrounds also were found to be one and a half times more likely to die than their white counterparts, after adjustments were made for population characteristics.

The ONS’s analysis also found that Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh people all have higher risks of death.

In recent weeks the GMB trade union has been highly critical of the government’s failure to protect BAME workers from COVID19, with the latest figures a real wake up call.

Rehana Azam, GMB national secretary said: “Why is it that if you are from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic background, are you still more likely to be killed by coronavirus? 

“We’ve known this for weeks, and yet still no major action has taken place to protect BAME communities by government.

“These figures are a huge wake up call. The time for talking is over. We don’t need further data or consultations. We need action from the government, and we need it now.”

British Medical Association (BMA) council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul has also demanded the Government address the effect of COVID-19 on BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities – calling for immediate timelines for action plans instead of further consultations and reviews.

Dr Nagpaul asked the Government to implement the recommendations from a recent PHE (Public Health England) review urgently.

Dr Nagpaul said: ‘Our view as a profession, and my view, is that we’ve had enough reports, we’ve had enough reviews, we’ve had previous commissions. We know what the problems are.

“What we now need is an action plan. That’s what we asked for from the publication of the PHE review so each of those recommendations now needs to be populated with timescales of action plans and what needs to be done.

“Remember, the Government commissioned the PHE review – as the commissioner it now needs to respond not with some other commission but really with what is going to be done now. We’ve discussed many of the issues can be addressed very quickly and others may take some time. That’s what needs to happen.”

Marsha de Cordova MP, Labour’s Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said: “Across the globe, racial injustice has always had a devastating impact on society, and coronavirus has demonstrated the deadly consequences of when racial inequalities go unchecked.

“These findings are yet more evidence of the need for urgent action on this issue. But instead we have seen denial and delay from the Government.”

 

Dads in Lockdown: National Poll provides insight into new father-child relationships

  • One in three UK dads now closer to their children
  • Two in three UK dads take on new roles as teachers, head cooks or BFFs
  • Children teaching dads to be less impatient, more supportive and be better listeners
  • Half of dads committed to spending more time with their children after lockdown

 

DADS in LOCKDOWN ‘Human after all’

A new UK-wide poll conducted by retailer Menkind sheds light on how government-imposed lockdown measures have been impacting dads and their relationships with their children over the past couple of months.

Despite several challenges, many families are coming together, with dads not only spending more time at home with their children but also enjoying an improved relationship, making pleasant discoveries, teaching their children but also learning from them.

Challenging period a positive impact on father-children relationship

According to the poll, conducted between 14 and 19 May 2020, almost two thirds of dads (60%) have been spending more time with their kids than before, which contributed to strengthening the family bond significantly.

A third of dads say their relationship with their kids improved and that the isolation period brought them closer together.

There are, however, those who were less fortunate: a quarter of UK dads were forced to spend less time with their kids, as they are either empty nesters, their child is in the care of the other parent, or they were required to work long hours during the quarantine. Nevertheless, dads didn’t let physical distance stop them – 1 in 10 dads spent more time with their kids virtually, either by phone or video call. 

Games, gardening, films and baking to keep sane 

With more time on their hands, dads engaged in the simple pleasure of family activities as a means to overcome the difficulties of spending prolonged time inside: 2 in 5 played board games and computer games with the kids, the same number did gardening, over a third of dads took on DIY projects, while 1 in 10  fathers used sharing life stories with the kids for this purpose.

Among the lockdown activities dads engaged more in, over half admitted they were baking and cooking more than before, close to half said they exercised together with the family more, while a big proportion were playing more with the kids: 2 in 5 played more with toys, on par with dads who played video games, while almost half played board games, puzzles or other traditional games.

It was not all fun and games though, as half of dads say they helped out with coursework/homework more than before, as well as engaged in learning and educational activities.

Health, wellbeing and education as top challenges

The positive effects on the family bond didn’t come without difficulties. The top three challenges for fathers during lockdown with the kids were keeping the kids busy and engaged, the challenges of homeschooling and getting kids to spend less time on their phones/tablets.

Health and wellbeing challenges were also on the list, with a third of dads concerned about kids getting enough exercise and a fifth with cooking varied meals during the isolation period. Emotional wellbeing was a focus, with a quarter of respondents listing “giving each other space” as a challenge.

Dads more in tune with their emotions

When asked about the most important lessons learned from their kids during family quarantine, close to half of dads confessed that they want to spend more time with the kids moving forward, while two thirds want to be more supportive of them when they need it, and the same number said they learned to be less impatient from their kids.

Challenging male stereotypes, 1 in 14 dads said they learned to be more in tune with their feminine side. A significant number, 1 in 4, admitted they learned “that it’s okay to fail” and 1 in 5 confessed that “relationships take work”.

Lockdown funny moments were abundant

The lockdown didn’t come without its funny moments, with many dads experiencing their fair share of comical family situations. Among the most popular funny moments were kids crashing Zoom work calls on several occasions, pets crashing work calls, or dads themselves being the ones crashing their kids school/hobby Zoom classes.

The survey also collected some hilarious anecdotes from dads. While some dads admitted to “countless pranks pulled on each other” with the family and “passing air when online”, others found creative ways to cope with the quarantine: “I had a bit of a melt down and locked myself in our loft, my daughter and wife found this hilarious. Little do they know I have a chocolate stash up there.”

Commenting on the new survey findings, Fred Prego, Marketing Director at Menkind, said: “As kids we grow up with this idealised view of our dads as superheroes, which somehow fades away as we grow older and understand they are human, after all.

“These last few months have seen dads reclaim that superhero role as they’ve been spending more time at home with the family, forming closer bonds, getting more involved in their children’s education, activities and spare time.

“Despite the challenges of lockdown, it’s reassuring to see that most dads have cherished spending quality time with their kids to the point of wanting to be closer to them moving forward – being a father myself, I’m among them.”

To read more about the experiences and challenges UK dads faced during lockdown, please visit: www.menkind.co.uk/blog/lockdown-dad.

Test and Protect advice leaflet to be sent to Scottish households

Households are to be sent information explaining how the Test and Protect system works and setting out what to do if someone develops coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.

NHS Test and Protect is being delivered by NHS Scotland to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. People with symptoms are urged to get tested straight away, with positive cases then referred to contact tracers.

The advice is being issued as the country moves into phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s exit strategy routemap with more restrictions being lifted and the new message to ‘Stay safe. Protect others. Save lives’.

The information will also be available online in 16 languages, large print and audio files.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman said: “NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect plays a vital and central role in protecting all of us and will ensure we move through the phases of our exit strategy. It is a collective effort to help us protect others and save lives.

“We will continue to lift restrictions if we break the chain of transmission and supress the spread of the virus. We need everyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 to isolate and book a test immediately and to work with NHS Scotland contact tracers to identify who they may have had close contact with.

“Please keep the leaflet handy so you know exactly what to do if you need to self-isolate and how to access any support you need.

“NHS Test and Protect is central to keeping this virus under control but so too is physical distancing, wearing a face covering, avoiding crowds and good hand and cough hygiene. Together all of this will help us stay safe, protect others and save lives.”

Test and Protect was rolled out across Scotland on 28 May 2020.

People with any of the following symptoms should book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they are unable to access the online service:

  • a high temperature or fever
  • a new continuous cough
  • a loss of, or change in sense of smell or taste

The leaflet will be available online from 22 June 2020.