The vaccination programme completed first doses for all over 18s who have attended their scheduled appointments at close of play yesterday – Sunday 18 July.
Second doses continue to be scheduled and it is expected all adults will have received them by Sunday 12 September.
Some of those eligible have rearranged their initial appointment for health or work reasons and will get their first dose shortly. Anyone else who has not yet received their first dose for whatever reason is urged to head to a local drop-in clinic or go to NHS Inform to book an appointment convenient for them.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “It is testament to the incredible work being done by all those involved in the vaccination programme that we have reached this milestone of giving first doses to all those who attended their scheduled appointments.
“I want to thank them and of course, everyone who has taken up their offer of a vaccine as each and every one is playing their part in helping us out of the pandemic and of course, protecting themselves and those around them.
“For anyone who hasn’t yet come forward, we urge you to do so now. We have made getting a vaccination easier than ever – head to one of the drop-in clinics being offered across the country or, if you prefer, book an appointment online at NHS Inform. Please check your NHS board’s social media posts for the latest information on where you can attend.
“All of the evidence says that the vaccines are working as we continue to battle the faster-transmitting Delta variant which is now dominant so I urge everyone to take advantage of the vaccination programme which is open to every adult in Scotland.”
you can meet friends and family socially in groups:
of up to 8 people from 4 households in your home or theirs – and can stay overnight
of up to 10 people from 4 households in an indoor public place like a café, pub or restaurant. Hospitality settings will be required to close at midnight
of up to 15 people from 15 households outdoors
under 12s do not count towards the total number of people meeting outside or indoors
you do not need to physically distance from family and friends in a private home or outdoors. However, your gathering should maintain at least 1m distance from all others
you need to maintain at least 1m distance from other households in all indoor public settings
you can travel anywhere in Scotland
you can travel anywhere in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands – before you travel you must check the travel rules in those countries
you can provide informal childcare, for example to look after a grandchild
up to 200 people can attend weddings and funerals
you can take part in any sport or exercise activity, including adult indoor contact sports
tradespeople can carry out any work in your home such as painting, decorating or repairing
you should continue to work from home where possible.
Scotland moves to a ‘modified’ Level 0 from tomorrow, Monday 19th July.
Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:“The confirmation that Scotland will move to Level 0 on 19th July marks another encouraging milestone towards the full re-opening of Scotland’s economy and business’s ability to recover.
“The fact remains though that the modified framework deviates away from what businesses had been preparing for and moving the goalposts at this late stage will cause uncertainty, negatively impacting on business confidence and recovery.
“The postponing of the phased return of offices will be a bitter blow for employees and employers alike, many of which had been getting ready to welcome employees back into offices from next week. T
“his will also sound alarm bells for those town and city centre businesses, reliant on office worker footfall and custom, who now need to wait another month until those workers start to return.
“Scotland’s hospitality sector, one of the hardest hit by restrictions, will be concerned that anticipated restrictions were not lifted, including little reprieve for the night-time economy, with challenging restrictions on trading remaining.”
On changes to rules for self-isolation and quarantine, Liz Cameron said:“A greater four-nations alignment on international travel restrictions and self-isolation is positive, however, until all restrictions are lifted many businesses operating in Scotland’s travel and tourism sector simply won’t be able to open.
“The international travel industry is vital to Scotland’s wider tourism and hospitality sectors, and it’s essential that financial support for these businesses is not only continued but enhanced to allow them to fully recover when restrictions do finally lift.”
On moving beyond Level 0, Liz Cameron said:“Our view is clear that we should continue on the path set out towards the lifting of all restrictions on the 9th of August as planned.
“The role of the Scottish and UK Government must evolve to enable businesses and communities to operate with autonomy, according to personal circumstances, business preferences and sectoral requirements.”
STUC General Secretary, Roz Foyer, said: “We welcome the more cautious approach set out today by the First Minister. The trade union movement has consistently called for a cautious approach to easing restrictions, based on the data in conjunction with vaccine uptake.
“Many workers will be breathing a sigh of relief at the continuation of mandatory use of face masks. However, for hospitality staff, many of whom will not yet be fully vaccinated, the announcement of larger indoor events may understandably cause fear and worry.
“When planning for the return to office working, we need employers to work with trade unions and employees to consider a phased and flexible approach for their return to work, ensuring workers’ health and wellbeing is protected while working from home or in the office.”
Vital equipment on it’s way to fight Covid-19 crisis in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia
A grant of more than £270,000 from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund will fund the supply of 300 items of vital equipment to treat Covid-19 patients in Africa.
The funding will allow Kids Operating Room, a Scottish-based global health charity, to distribute 100 oxygen concentrators each to Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia.
Covid-19 cases in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia are rising quickly, with the health system in Zambia especially under severe stress.
One of the biggest impacts of the rise in Covid-19 cases is a shortage of oxygen, and oxygen concentrators are easy to use, are suitable for patients of all ages, and can be used throughout the health service.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The Covid situation in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia has become very serious, very quickly, and we know that the pressure on health services are putting great stress on their infrastructure, especially in relation to the delivery of oxygen to patients.
“This funding for oxygen concentrators will go some way to help ease the current stress on the health services in our three African partner countries, and we are delighted to work with Kids Operating Room to make sure this vital equipment is put to use as soon as possible.
“Scotland remains fully committed to playing our part in tackling shared global challenges, and we are committed to increase the International Development Fund (IDF) by 50% to £15 million.
“As the global pandemic continues, we firmly believe this is not the time to turn our back on the poorest and those in dire need – instead, this is precisely the moment when we should be living up to our core values.”
David Cunningham, the chief executive officer of Kids Operating Room, said: “Our model is to listen to doctors, then give them what they need – right now, the message is coming back loud and clear that what they need is access to more oxygen to fight Covid-19.
“Oxygen concentrators are key pieces of equipment that are needed to meet the region’s critical oxygen shortage. They are suitable for all ages and durable for years to come post-Covid, making them incredibly essential to support the health services in the long-term.”
Kids Operating Room is a Scottish global health charity with bases in Edinburgh, Dundee and Nairobi. It works directly with local surgeons and their teams across Africa and South America to transform hospital spaces into dedicated operating rooms for children’s surgery.
Oxygen concentrators provide a sustainable and cost-effective source of medical oxygen – they draw air from the environment and then concentrate that room oxygen to therapeutic levels for delivery to patients.
The charity will coordinate the distribution of the oxygen equipment. They will arrange for delivery to doctors in Lusaka, Lilongwe and Kigali, and have the equipment distributed to the most in-demand hospitals.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has visited a drop-in vaccination clinic in Arbroath as the national programme nears completion of first doses for all adults who attended their scheduled appointments on Sunday.
The clinic in Arbroath is one of many additional walk-in and pop-up facilities operating across the mainland to encourage people to get Jagged in July and Mr Yousaf urged anyone who is yet to take up their offer of a vaccine for whatever reason to come forward now.
No appointment is necessary at drop-in clinics and people can attend whether they are due a first dose or second dose, if eight weeks have passed. Anyone who wishes to book an appointment can do so at NHS Inform.
Mr Yousaf said: “I am pleased to see people making use of the vaccination clinic in Arbroath and urge others to do the same at their local drop-in venues if they haven’t yet come forward to be vaccinated.
“Getting vaccinated has never been easier. Simply head to a drop-in or pop-up clinic – the most up-to-date details of clinics near you can be found on your local NHS board’s social media posts or book an appointment online in a location which suits.
“The vaccination programme is working – evidence shows vaccination is weakening the link between case numbers and severe acute illness. However, case numbers are still high and vaccination continues to be the best way to protect yourself and those around you.
“We are currently working through the final group on the JCVI priority list – those aged between 18 and 29 – and we know that the extra drop-in clinics being operated by mainland health boards until Sunday make it easier for them to fit getting vaccinated into their busy lives. Walk-ins will still be available after this week but now is the time to take advantage of all the additional facilities on offer.
“I want to thank all those involved in setting up these clinics and of course, everyone involved in the national vaccination programme. It has been a huge success and without doubt, represents our best way out of the pandemic.”
NHS Tayside Director of Public Health Dr Emma Fletcher said: “Drop-in vaccination clinics are running at venues right across Tayside to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated. No appointment is necessary and anyone over 18 can drop-in.
“So far, uptake of vaccinations in Tayside has been very good. We have delivered over 532,500 vaccines in Tayside with 300,000 people, 86% of the adult population, having one dose and around 232,500 people, 66%, having had both doses but we need that uptake to be higher to stop the spread of the virus.
“We know that getting both doses of the vaccine offers maximum protection against the virus and we are particularly encouraging people aged 18-29 to come forward as early as they can. So if you have not yet had your first jab, or you are longer than eight weeks from your first jab and are due your second jab, come along to your nearest clinic and we will get you vaccinated.”
The Scottish Government has set to support 6,821 school children in Edinburgh with £698,000 of support to buy school clothes through the School Clothing Grant.
The School Clothing Grant was increased this month by the Scottish Government and provides families with primary school children with £120 per child and £150 per child in secondary school.
The support helps families pay for school clothes and shoes.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald said: “The SNP Scottish Government has already helped a significant number of families in Edinburgh with buying school clothes and shoes, and applications are still open for eligible families to apply for the start of the new school year.
“Meeting the costs of buying school clothes can be very challenging for thousands of families across Scotland and the SNP Scottish Government has introduced the School Clothing Grant to ensure every child in Scotland doesn’t miss out.
“Being in a uniform not only breaks stigma in school but gets young people in the right mindset for learning.
“This is another demonstration of our tale of two governments – one in Edinburgh building a social security system built on dignity, fairness and respect, in stark contrast to the one in Westminster preparing to cut Universal Credit which could plunge 20,000 children in Scotland into poverty.”
The number of children and young people estimated will benefit from the minimum school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:
Local Authority
Estimated number of children and young people (in each LA area)
Aberdeen City
3,471
Aberdeenshire
3,376
Angus
2,473
Argyll and Bute
1,463
Clackmannanshire
1,349
Dumfries and Galloway
3,374
Dundee City
6,045
East Ayrshire
4,167
East Dunbartonshire
2,014
East Lothian
1,682
East Renfrewshire
1,714
Edinburgh, City of
6,821
Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
416
Falkirk
4,678
Fife
11,882
Glasgow City
28,464
Highland
4,333
Inverclyde
3,114
Midlothian
2,018
Moray
1,434
North Ayrshire
5,186
North Lanarkshire
10,234
Orkney Islands
227
Perth and Kinross
1,850
Renfrewshire
5,498
Scottish Borders
2,220
Shetland Islands
309
South Ayrshire
2,926
South Lanarkshire
10,622
Stirling
1,692
West Dunbartonshire
3,530
West Lothian
6,498
SCOTLAND
145,080
The funding allocation of the £11.8 million in additional funding for the school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:
Scotland’s councils are to share more than £3.2 billion in grant funding over five years to deliver more affordable homes.
Local authorities will benefit from an increase of more than £541 million on the previous five year allocation – an uplift of more than 20%.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “We have already delivered more than 102,000 affordable homes since 2007. Building on this, our aim is to deliver 100,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent.
“Meeting this ambition will require continued collaboration across the private and public sectors. I’m pleased to be increasing significantly the available affordable housing grant funding for council areas to help with this important work.
“The five-year allocations will provide the certainty and assurance the housing sector needs to deliver the ambitious affordable homes target set out in our Housing to 2040 strategy.”
COSLA Resources spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to contributing to the cost of affordable housing in Scotland. The priority for councils, and housing associations, is ensuring rent affordability and warm, safe, comfortable homes for current and future tenants.
“As we look to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, councils are working side by side with their communities. We maintain a focus on our shared ambitions around tackling child poverty and climate change, alongside building more houses.”
The City of Edinburgh Council also welcomes the announcement from Scottish Government on a five-year funding package for local authorities and housing associations in Scotland to deliver new affordable homes.
Edinburgh is one of the most pressured housing markets in the country and needs more affordable homes to meet the needs of its growing population.
City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said: “This announcement of £233.8m funding for housing in Edinburgh from the Scottish Government over the next five years is hugely welcome. Having certainty over future funding puts us in a strong position to continue building that pipeline of social and affordable homes that we so desperately need.
“This will allow us to plan ahead and acquire sites, design and develop new homes and appoint contractors. And not only do we have certainty, we also have an increase of almost £44m from our baseline allocation over the last five years.
“Having recently met with the Cabinet Secretary to set out the challenges in Edinburgh, and the further investment we need, this is a positive response.
“We’ve also consistently received in-year allocations of extra funding when other local authorities have had underspends in their grant. Over the last five years this has amounted to about £40m. Our aim is to continue making the case for any future underspends to come to Edinburgh by making sure that we continue our strong track record on delivery of homes.
“And, because the need for permanent, secure and affordable housing in our city is so great, we’ll also continue to make the case for additional funding for Edinburgh from the national housing budget. But having certainty for the next five years, and an increase in funding, puts us in a fantastic position just now, and gives us a really strong platform to build from.”
Vice Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Mandy Watt, said: “We have ambitious plans to grow the number of homes we own, which we’ll do by purchasing homes and by building homes through our own housing development programme.
“Alongside this, we’ve got to find ways to deliver more affordable housing through our planning policies. Currently, the minimum amount of land for affordable homes is 25% of any major development. We are proposing that the minimum allocation is increased to 35%.
“As a Council, we’re committed to ending poverty and becoming more sustainable. Our house building programme will make a major contribution towards achieving that.”
Fees for children learning a musical instrument at school will be removed thanks to more than £7 million funding from the Scottish Government.
Councils will also receive £6 million to waive core curriculum charges which can be levied on families for things including materials for home economics or theatre trips associated with drama qualifications.
The agreement with COSLA covers the 2021-22 academic year and marks the delivery of two further commitments for the first 100 days of this Government.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “My priority is to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of Scotland’s children and young people, whatever their background.
“All children should have the best start in life and the ability to take part in core elements of education should never be limited by a child’s ability to pay.
“Today’s announcement means families will not see bills for musical tuition or core curriculum activities in the new school year. I will continue to work with COSLA and local authorities to develop a sustainable and funded model for future years.”
COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “Councils recognise the importance of instrumental music tuition for the learning and development of our children and young people.
“Where fees were in place for tuition this is due to a range of local pressures on core council budgets. The one year funding package agreed between COSLA Leaders and Scottish Government will allow for the removal of fees in the coming academic year and the maintenance of existing levels of provision, so that fees and charges are not a barrier to learning an instrument.
“We welcome the commitment from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to work with COSLA and partners in the sector to consider the intent, impact, and broader implications of this Scottish Government policy intervention and to develop a model for the long-term sustainability of instrumental music tuition services across Scotland which must include sustainable funding arrangements for all councils.”
Rising case rates have led the Balearic Islands – Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza – to be removed from the international travel green list for Scotland.
The decision was taken on a four nations basis, and will also see the British Virgin Islands removed from the green list. Both islands will become amber, and travellers must follow isolation and testing rules that apply.
An improved position in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hong Kong and Taiwan mean they are all added to the green list.
Four countries will be added to the red list, with arrivals required to enter quarantine hotels for 10 days. These are Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone.
These changes all come into effect at 4am on Monday 19 July.
The previously announced change for UK residents who have been fully vaccinated by the NHS returning from amber list countries will also come into force then.
Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform Mairi McAllan said: “From the outset we have said caution is required regarding international travel and people should think very carefully about travelling abroad as situations can suddenly change.
“When we added the Balearic Islands to the green list we said we would be closely monitoring the data, and the increase in cases we have seen means we now have to take it off the green list.”
Carers Trust Scotland today is releasing research about the experiences of the pandemic among unpaid carers and carer service support workers across Scotland.More than 500 participants shared the challenges of caring, and supporting unpaid carers, throughout the pandemic.
The pandemic has been difficult for unpaid carers, with 90% of respondents stating they are spending more time caring and 82% saying they have had no respite since the beginning of the pandemic.
With lockdowns and restrictions, many unpaid carers have been unable to share the responsibilities with family and friends and many services have had to pause or reduce their input.
These challenges also impact those carer service workers supporting unpaid carers. As other services paused, 76% of carer support workers that participated found their workload increased. 65% say that their job role has changed, as delivery of support moved online.
Carer support workers highlighted the emotionally demanding calls from unpaid carers, and the challenges of taking these calls in a home working environment without the support of colleagues that you would have in an office.
Hannah Martin, Research and Engagement Officer for Carers Trust Scotland, said: “The pandemic has been a very challenging time for both unpaid carers and carer support workers.
“The challenges unpaid carers have faced, have directly impacted those supporting them. Through the lived experience of unpaid carers and carer support workers, this research illuminates those challenges throughout this unprecedented time.”
In addition to providing an evidence base of experiences, the research puts forward recommendations and suggestions to support carer services and staff as they move out of the crisis phase of the pandemic. This includes recognising and valuing the incredible contribution of unpaid carers, and carer support workers over the pandemic period.
World-leading researcher on unpaid carers’ rights and Carers Trust Ambassador, Professor Saul Becker, said: “During the pandemic, unpaid carers of all ages, have been spending more time caring and more people than ever before have taken on unpaid caring responsibilities while statutory and other support services have been reduced or not available.
“This has also added additional pressures on carer support services that have had to adapt their practices quickly and provide holistic support to unpaid carers during very challenging circumstances.
“I welcome this COVID-19 in Scotland impact report on unpaid carers and carer service workers and believe every effort should be made to support the implementation of the report recommendations and suggestions, which could further improve the lives of unpaid carers and recognise and value the vital role of carer support services.”
Mental Wellbeing and Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart, said: “Carers, and the services that support them have done a remarkable job in very difficult circumstances over this past year during the pandemic. I want to thank them for all their hard work and effort.
“During the pandemic, we have invested an additional £1.9 million in extra carer support via carer organisations. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the Carers Trust and national care organisations to ensure that carers continue to receive the support and the services they rely on. We will continue to do so as we move into a new phase of the pandemic and society starts to open up.
“The Scottish Government is committed to establishing a National Care Service by the end of this parliament to oversee the delivery care, invest in better terms and conditions for the workforce and provide better support for unpaid carers.”
