Education Secretary John Swinney has asked council Directors of Education and Head Teachers to assist in sharing more information on coronavirus to parents and carers.
In addition, Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch has written an open letter for parents with answers about when children need to be tested for coronavirus.
Cold-like Symptoms
We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.
COVID-19 Symptoms
The key symptoms to be aware of are:
A new continuous cough
fever/high temperature
loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste
If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible using the online portal at NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.
Education Secretary John Swinney said: “We know that many concerned parents, acting in their children’s best interests, have been keeping children off school. Parents, carers and schools need clear and simple national information, and that is why we are providing further advice today.
“It is critical that we remain vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and this information explains the actions that we should take if someone develops signs of COVID-19 symptoms, either at school or at home.
“We will ensure that pupils, teachers and other school staff get the support they need to remain safe and feel comfortable in the school environment.”
Read National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch, letter here.
Clear information has also been published on the Parent Club website.
Guidance on how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections circulating at this time of year, from Scotland’s National Clinical Director:
Common cold and COVID-19 symptoms
To parents/carers
I understand these last few months have often been challenging, particularly for parents and carers. Now that schools and nurseries have returned I am writing to provide some advice where a child or young person in your care presents with symptoms of the common cold or similar bugs during this pandemic.
Following the return of schools after a prolonged break, it is common for colds and similar viral infections to circulate. In many cases, children will be well enough to attend school and continue their learning with little or no interruption to their education. In other cases, for instance where they have quite a heavy cold, they may need to take a day or two off to recover.
This is not the case for children and young people with potential COVID-19 symptoms, they are required to self-isolate and seek a test through www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816.
In order to ensure your children do not miss out on their education, it is important to be clear about how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections that we normally see circulating at this time of year.
COVID-19 symptoms
It is important that all of us – including those who make up the community around a school – are vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and understand what actions we should take if someone develops them, either at school or at home.
The main symptoms to be aware of are:
new continuous cough
fever/high temperature
loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste
If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible at www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.
We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.
It is essential that people who have COVID-19 symptoms, or who share a household with someone who has symptoms, do not attend school, nursery or other childcare settings, and must self-isolate along with all members of their household. If the test is negative, self-isolation can end for everyone. If the test is positive, Test and Protect will give you further advice.
Cold-like symptoms
If, however, your child does not have symptoms of COVID-19 but has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, they do not need to be tested and they and you do not need to self-isolate. Your child can go to school if fit to do so.
The Scottish Government appreciates the huge effort being made by parents, carers and school staff to ensure the risk of COVID-19 is minimised and to support children’s education.
Calls for global biodiversity action at all levels
The Scottish Government is leading a global push to ensure action is taken at all levels to protect biodiversity.
A statement of intent, known as The Edinburgh Declaration, has been agreed between subnational, regional and local governments across the world and calls on the Convention on Biodiversity to take bold action to halt biodiversity loss.
It also calls for greater prominence be given to the role subnational governments, cities and local authorities play in delivering a new global framework of targets, set to be agreed next year.
The Programme for Government 2019/20 committed to take account of the new post-2020 international biodiversity framework as part of work to address biodiversity loss.
The Edinburgh Declaration is the result of a year-long collaboration across international governments and organisations. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Scotland’s commitment to host and lead an international workshop to drive these discussions moved to a ground-breaking online format over the summer.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been an unprecedented global crisis which has fundamentally changed every aspect of our lives. But the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change have not gone away – far from it – and must be central to our green recovery.
“Whilst Scotland’s progress on the current internationally-agreed biodiversity targets compares favourably with the global picture, it is concerning that, at an international level, none of these targets have been fully met.
“It is my firm belief – one shared by all signatories of the Edinburgh Declaration – that State-led action alone is not sufficient to put us on a path to recovery, achieving what is required to protect biodiversity across the globe.
“The Edinburgh Declaration makes it clear that the Scottish Government, together with subnational governments, cities and local authorities across the world, stand ready to meet the challenge of delivering the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and play a stronger role in its implementation.”
Chief Executive of NatureScot Francesca Osowska said: “The Edinburgh Declaration puts Scotland on the international stage, a clear sign of our intent to tackle biodiversity loss and protect nature.
“This isn’t just about conservation, enriching our nature is also part of the solution to the climate emergency and is a vital part of a green recovery from Covid-19.
“Global targets for nature and climate change aren’t just set by nation states – it also needs the world’s subnational governments, agencies – and all of us – to push for transformational change.”
The Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is provisionally due to take place in China from 17-30 May 2021.
It is anticipated that a final agreement on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework will be agreed at COP 15 to support the CBD’s 2050 vision of “living in harmony with nature”.
Director of Science at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Professor Pete Hollingsworth said: “Addressing the biodiversity crisis requires transformative change in how people co-exist with nature.
“The Edinburgh Declaration, focusing on the role of subnational governments, cities and regions is important, as it is at these levels where there is vital expertise and understanding of the practicalities of on-the-ground action, and how best to align the conservation of biodiversity with day-to-day life and the needs of local communities.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will publish a Programme for Government next week focused on dealing with the economic, health, and social crisis caused by coronavirus (COVID-19).
Protecting public health will remain the priority, and the Scottish Government will also set out plans to help people, businesses and communities recover from the pandemic by creating new jobs, promoting lifelong health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities.
The Programme for Government, which will be published on Tuesday, will take steps to ensure that in responding to the pandemic Scotland also delivers on its commitments to tackle child poverty and to reach net-zero by 2045.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the Programme for Government 2020-21, the First Minister said: “COVID-19 – the single greatest public health crisis of our lifetimes – has had a profound impact on our health, economy and society, indeed our whole way of life. These are not normal times, and this will not be a normal Programme for Government.
“Businesses and individuals have made extraordinary sacrifices to tackle this pandemic together. In every community in Scotland people have shown incredible resilience, compassion and skill to provide everything from the most advanced intensive care, to simple acts of kindness.
“That is why it’s so important for us to continue to keep the virus under control.
“At the same time we must also look to the future – to think about how we can help people, businesses and communities recover from this pandemic. We cannot, and should not, let this virus define our futures.
“Next week, I will set out radical and wide-ranging policies not only to help Scotland through this crisis but to drive a strong recovery with a renewed focus on what matters to people across the country.
“We have an opportunity, not simply to go back to how things were, but to address many of the deep seated challenges our country faces. The Programme for Government 2020-21 will be based on our determination to recover from this virus and deliver a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland for everyone.”
To be Published on Tuesday 1 September, the Programme for Government 2020-21 will set out the Scottish Government’s priorities through to the end of this Parliament in May 2021.
Culture and heritage sectors are to benefit from a £59 million funding package to protect jobs and help the industry weather the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A new £15 million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund will provide critical support to a range of businesses such as art galleries, studio facilities, comedy venues, large music venues, commercial theatres, orchestras, dance companies and nightclubs.
It will help to reduce the threat of insolvency, protect jobs and create conditions for a more viable and sustainable future for the sector.
The funding also includes £21.3 million for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to protect jobs and support the reopening of properties in their care.
An additional £5.9 million will be made available to support heritage organisations through committed grants, and £270,000 for the New Lanark Trust (above) will help secure the future of one of Scotland’s six World Heritage Sites.
The package also includes:
£5 million to address the immediate financial hardship faced by creative freelancers
£5 million to support artists to continue developing new creative work that will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s recovery from COVID-19, including £1.5 million for the Culture Collective programme to support organisations employing freelance artists to work in communities across Scotland
£3.5 million for independent cinemas
£3 million for youth arts including a funding boost for the Youth Music Initiative which will provide work for musicians
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s been an extremely trying time for everyone in the culture and heritage sectors over the last few months. The major issues presented by the pandemic are not going away but as we slowly start to reopen, this funding will provide much needed emergency support and aid the recovery.
“We have taken time to work closely with and listen carefully to the sectors, to understand exactly what they need. We want to reach as many people as possible and I do believe these funds will make a marked difference in ensuring our culture and heritage sectors not only survive the pandemic but thrive in future.
“As extensive as this package of support is, we know there will still be more needed. Culture and heritage are vitally important to all of our lives in Scotland, at this time more than ever. Without significant borrowing powers, there is only so much the Scottish Government can do. I urge the UK Government to consider extending the furlough scheme, to ensure longer term support as we continue to navigate this crisis.”
Iain Munro, Creative Scotland Chief Executive, said: “We very much welcome this significant announcement of much needed emergency support. This follows a great deal of work involving Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government, but also many people and organisations from across Scotland’s cultural community.
“We appreciate the challenges that everyone working in culture is facing and are pleased to now be able to offer some clarity. Creative Scotland will continue to work at pace to deliver this emergency funding to where it’s needed as quickly as possible.”
The culture funds will be delivered through Creative Scotland and follows on from the previously announced £12.5 million Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund and £2.2 million support for Grassroots Music Venues. It comes as part of the £97 million in UK Government consequentials for the culture and heritage sectors.
Creative Scotland are establishing the details of the funds and how they can be accessed. More information will be made available next week.
Funding that has been announced so far to support the culture and heritage sectors includes:
£10 million funding package for events
£4 million Museums Recovery and Resilience Fund
£3.8 million to protect jobs at the National Trust for Scotland
The annual update on homelessness statistics covering 2019-20 has been released by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.
Findings for that period show:
There were 36,855 applications for homelessness assistance. This was an increase of 84 (0%) compared with the 36,771 applications made in 2018/19.
There were 31,333 households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness. This is an increase of 1,097 (4%) compared to 30,236 in 2018/19.
These households contained 51,365 people, including 35,654 adults and 15,711 children.
There were 11,665 households in temporary accommodation at 31st March 2020, an increase of 676 (6%) compared to 10,989 at 31st March 2019.
There were 7,280 children in temporary accommodation at 31st March 2020, an increase of 485 (7%) compared to 6,795 at 31st March 2019.
Homelessness applications that closed in 2019/20 that used temporary accommodation spent 184 days in temporary accommodation on average.
There were 4,595 cases of homeless households not being offered temporary accommodation in 2019/20. 3,835 of these were in Glasgow.
There were 500 breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order in 2019/20, compared to 645 in 2018/19. 375 of these were in Edinburgh.
Of homelessness cases that closed in 2019/20, 82% (20,806 out of 27,002) of homeless households secured settled accommodation in 2019/20, increasing from 63% in 2002/03. Other outcomes included ‘Other’ (8%), ‘Returned to previous/present accommodation’ (5%), ‘Moved in with friends/relatives’ (5%) and ‘Hostel’ (1%).
Commenting on the latest statistics, Maggie Brunjes, Chief of Executive of Homeless Network Scotland, said: “We know homelessness is not always prevented or responded to quickly enough and today’s figures from 2019/20 show there is still work to do, despite such a determined policy environment in Scotland.
“The system itself is outdated and too often doesn’t reflect what actually works and what matters. This is changing but change on the ground can be slow and the pandemic has heaped uncertainty onto an already complex problem.
“The causes of homelessness are predictable and most often rooted in disadvantage, which restricts people’s options. The figures also highlight housing supply and housing access issues and increasing the supply of suitable homes for families and individuals is pressing.
“Effective prevention can stop homelessness before it starts and a top-level group is working on how we can get better at this. If someone’s homelessness is not prevented that person should be accommodated quickly in normal, settled housing with the right support – this is the focus of Scotland’s rapid rehousing and Housing First approach.
“The statistics released today do not include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on homelessness: the ‘overnight’ success in lifting people out of rough sleeping, a ban on evictions and urgent measures by charities, councils and government to plan ahead for this winter.
“Nor do they fully reflect the first year of Scotland’s ground-breaking rapid rehousing plans coming into effect. However, the figures are a reminder that the big, structural systems change needed to end homelessness, which is well underway, must continue at pace.”
NOTE: The figures in this publication report data up until 31st March 2020, so this only crosses over with around a week of coronavirus restrictions and changes in practices being in place. Therefore, changes in trends in homeless data as result of coronavirus will be extremely minimal over this reporting period.
Restrictions on social gatherings will come into force from today (Friday 28 August) making it an offence to breach coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance by having a large house party indoors.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that the move, which will be reviewed every three weeks, was necessary to ensure socialising can continue in a safe and responsible manner ahead of an expected rise in indoor gatherings during autumn and winter months.
Reports from local outbreak Incident Management Teams suggest that the increasing number of house parties taking place against guidance pose a major risk of COVID-19 transmission and could present high-risk ‘super-spreader’ environments.
Taking responsible action now can help protect families, communities, schools and local businesses from having to return to the stricter lockdown measures necessary to contain any virus outbreak.
The First Minister said: “Seeing friends is particularly important during what is a really difficult period. But it needs to be done safely and responsibly. That is how we avoid the return of some of the stricter lockdown measures and continue to contain this virus.
“We know from our test and protect teams – and also from evidence around the world – that large, indoor gatherings pose a major transmission risk.
“The majority of people, young and old, will be sticking with limits under current guidance – and I am very grateful for that – however, there are a minority who don’t.
“I want to make it very clear – particularly to young people – that this is not about stopping you having fun, but enabling you to have fun safely.
“Ensuring police have the powers to enter and disperse large house parties is another tool in suppressing the virus. While we expect these powers to be used as a last resort, it will help to reduce the potential for future clusters and outbreaks.”
Under current guidance, no more than eight people from a maximum of three different households should be meeting indoors. That remains in place.
To take account of varying sizes and compositions of families across Scotland, it will be an offence for someone to have a party indoors in their house with more than fifteen people from more than one household present, with limited exceptions.
A powerful new campaign by The Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland* to tackle the serious issue of driver fatigue, launched today with a clear message for all drivers – Driving Tired Kills.
Fatigue is a contributory factor in crashes which kill or seriously injure around 50 people every year in Scotland.1
In 2018, 14 people died on Scotland’s roads due to fatigue (nine per cent of all road deaths),2 however experts estimate that the real figure is much higher, with up to 30 per cent of all collisions involving driver fatigue.3
Sleep related collisions are around 50 per cent more likely to result in death or serious injury as they tend to be high speed impacts.4
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson said: “We are committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland for everyone. Driver fatigue is a severe problem that causes too many serious and fatal road collisions each year.
“Drivers should plan their journeys well in advance, ensure they are well rested before setting out and take breaks every two hours. It’s simple yet powerful advice which can help save many lives on Scotland’s roads.”
Many of the counter measures drivers use (opening a window, turning up the radio) have been shown to be ineffective. A two second micro-sleep at 30 mph can result in complete transition from one lane to the next and you will be unable to notice or react to a child stepping out on the road5.
Sleep expert Christine Poulter, honorary strategic clinical advisor, Society of Occupational Medicine said: “Fatigue is a major safety issue on our roads. Sleep deprivation can result in micro-sleeps at the wheel causing fatalities for the driver, passengers and other unsuspecting road users or pedestrians.
“Most adults require between seven to nine hours sleep every night; five hours sleep is not enough to function safely. It’s important to keep regular sleep patterns when you can, especially if you are working shifts. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time, will programme your body to sleep better to help combat fatigue.”
Drivers often experience early signs of feeling tired such as yawning, eyes dropping and head-nodding, and should stop for a rest as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Blair Boyd, workplace fatigue expert and chartered health and safety practitioner said: “Having felt the effects of fatigue while working shifts, I would never get behind the wheel when tired. The consequences are just too great.
“The effects of fatigue are comparable to driving under the influence of alcohol, which we would not accept in society. With better education and understanding, employers can work to reduce the risk of driver fatigue by planning and managing workloads and shift patterns.”
The new multi-media marketing campaign will run on multiple channels including TV, digital, outdoor, radio, PR and social media.
The thought-provoking advertising features a striking close-up of a tired driver’s eye, with the road ahead reflected in it. After a long blink, the road reappears in the eye, however the car drifts towards the centre of the road as the eye droops further and finally remains closed, resulting in a head on collision with another car and devastating consequences.
For more information visit roadsafety.scot/fatigue or check out the Road Safety Scotland Facebook and Twitter (@roadsafetyscot) pages.
A mistake in a spreadsheet calculation set in motion a series of events that led to the delayed opening of the new £150m Sick Kids hospital, a new report has revealed.
The go-ahead for a new hospital at Little France, a replacement for the ageing Sick Childrens Hospital in Sciennes, was first agreed by NHS Lothian in 2005 but the project has seen a catalogue of delays and spiralling costs.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: ““It is absolutely staggering that this mistake has had such huge repercussions and was not picked up until after the new hospital had been built.
“This review is highlighting how ill equipped health boards are for undertaking projects the magnitude of a new hospital.
“SNP Ministers are ultimately responsible for what has been described as a ‘collective failure’ in the specifications of ventilators at the hospital.
“This fiasco has cost the tax payer enormous amounts of money, money which should have gone towards properly resourcing hospitals and improving treatment times.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing at St Andrew’s House yesterday (Tuesday 25 August):
Hello everybody and welcome to today’s update. I will start with the usual update on the COVID statistics. I can tell you that an additional 44 positive cases were confirmed yesterday which is 0.8% of people newly tested, and means that the total number of cases now 19,921.
The full health board breakdown will be available later, but my provisional information is that 7 of the 44 new cases are in Tayside, where of course, we are dealing with the cluster involving the Two Sisters food processing plant.
I can also confirm that a total of 243 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID which five fewer than yesterday.
And one person is currently in intensive care and that’s the same as yesterday.
Again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who had tested positive in the previous 28 days for the virus. Which means that the number of deaths under that measurement is still 2,492.
This week’s more comprehensive figure, which includes deaths where COVID was either confirmed through a test or presumed will be published by National Records of Scotland tomorrow.
These figures obviously continue to be a stark reminder of the impact this COVID has had and again I want to express condolences to everybody who has been bereaved as a result of it.
And again today my thanks go to everyone who is working hard in a whole number of different ways across the country to help us through this difficult period.
There are three issues I want to cover today.Firstly, I’ll give just a bit more detail on the main clusters that we are dealing with right now.
In Aberdeen, there are 261 cases associated with the cluster linked to pubs in the city. That’s an increase of two since yesterday. But it’s worth noting that one of those cases had already been reported – but has only now been linked to the original cluster.
These figures generally point to the good progress that has been made, in containing this outbreak. And I’m very grateful to everyone in Aberdeen for their patience – and their compliance with the restrictions that have been in place.
In relation to the outbreak linked to the 2 Sisters plant in Coupar Angus, as of yesterday, there were 152 positive cases linked to it – 134 of those were workers of the factory, and 18 were contacts of those workers.
The process of contact tracing there continues. And so I would expect that we’ll see these numbers rise a bit more in the days to come.
Just to give you some context, over the past six days, the mobile testing unit, at the 2 Sisters plant itself, has tested more than 900 people – and other testing sites in Dundee, Forfar and Perth have, between them, tested more than 2,500 people.
And the bit I want to stress, although I would repeat that we’re not complacent about this, but at this stage there is still no evidence of wider community transmission from this outbreak and that of course is positive, given the scale of the outbreak that we have been dealing with.
I want to thank everyone who is involved in managing it. It’s a huge amount of work that is being done and let me thank also, employees at the factory – and their households – who of course are now self-isolating.
And let me stress how important it is that people in those households do self-isolate for the entire period advised and that is until Monday 31 August.
I can understand that there will be a temptation to nip out, maybe to go to a shop or to go to see other people, but please do not do that. Even if you have had a negative test in the last few days, it is still possible that you could still develop and spread the virus so please follow all of the guidance and stay at home.
It is because people are complying with that, that so far we are managing to avoid this outbreak seeping into the community. So please bear with it and stick with it so that we can continue with that success.
Finally, there are a number of cases not least in Lanarkshire, involving individuals who attend schools.
The health protection teams locally are dealing with all of these cases, where necessary they have and will continue to write to parents and carers of children in relevant classes, advising them that their children should self-isolate.
I want to stress in relation to all of these outbreaks that we’re dealing with just now, and indeed, the situation with schools, we are not unduly concerned by any of these situations right at this moment.
That said, we are not complacent either. As you will appreciate, we will continue to monitor, all cases, clusters and outbreaks very very closely indeed.
The second issue I want to talk about today concerns some issues that people have been over the last day or so in booking tests, through the UK-wide booking system.
Over the weekend, there was a major spike in demand for testing, not just in Scotland, but we think across the UK, and that led to some constraints on the booking portal, throughout the day yesterday. And that in turn resulted in a surge of calls to our COVID-19 helpline.
I know this will have been frustrating for people trying to book a test. I want to thank you all for bearing with us, as we’ve worked to address these issues and I want to just run through some of the work that is being done to do just that.
Now some of what I would describe as technical issues, for example, people in Scotland being offered tests in centres outside Scotland are being resolved – that shouldn’t be happening.
Where any technical issues do arise, as unfortunately with a system of this scale and complexity might sometimes do, we will endeavour to have those sorted as quickly as possible.
On the issue of capacity though, which is the more significant issue, we’ve always known that there will be fluctuations in demand for testing. That’s why we have contingency plans in place and these contingency plans are already, as we speak, being activated.
For example, over the course of this week, we will be deploying three additional mobile testing units, across the central belt of Scotland. The first of these will be operational in Glasgow today, this afternoon, and the other two will be operational later this week. In total, they will increase capacity by around 1,200-1,500 tests every day.
We are also, over the course of this week, further increasing the number of tests that can be carried out at the regional testing centres, across the country and we are also utilizing additional NHS testing capacity. For example, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be activating drive-through facilities to help manage demand in their local area.
In the more medium term, but already this is work that has been in progress, we are also establishing eleven local walk-through testing centres. The first of these will be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. And together, they will help to increase sampling capacity by more than 3,000 tests a day.
So we will continue to implement these plans to further increase capacity as we head into winter, as we have always been preparing to do.
But we will also continue work to sure appropriate contingencies are in place for periods when we have higher than expected demand for testing – which is likely to happen as we go into winter but, at any point, if there perhaps is another virus circulating, a cold that is leading, perhaps in particular, to children having symptoms similar to COVID then we know we will see these spikes in demand and that’s why we need to have these contingencies in place to deal with them.
But let me take this opportunity, just to remind everyone, that you should only book a test, either for yourself or for a family member, if you or they do have one of the COVID symptoms; a new persistent cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell.
The exceptions to that general position of only booking a test if you have symptoms are firstly if you are advised to do by Test and Protect, sometimes Test and Protect will advise people, who have been contacts of confirmed cases but who don’t have symptoms, to go for a test.
And secondly, if you work in a profession with agreed access to testing, for example, staff working in schools, but otherwise, only book a test if you have one of the symptoms that we often and regularly remind you of.
Now the third issue I want to cover today is the use of face coverings in schools.
As I said yesterday, our scientific advisory group has been looking closely at this issue – particularly in light of the new World Health Organisation guidance, which was published at the weekend.
As a result of that work, the advisory group has recommended changes to our current guidance in Scotland. Their recommendations are based on the latest scientific evidence – as well as the real-life experiences of schools, since they reopened a number of days ago. And the Scottish Government – in consultation with the Education Recovery Group – has now agreed the changes proposed.
It’s possibly worth just reminding people of what the current guidance says before I set out what the changes to that are. In general, the current guidance advises that face coverings in the classroom are not necessary. However, it says that staff should wear them, if they can’t physically distance, and are having face-to-face interaction with pupils for more than around 15 minutes.
The guidance also currently emphasises that staff and pupils should be supported to wear face coverings, if they wish to do so. That advice remains unchanged.
However, the new guidance will now include two additional situations where face coverings should be worn.
Firstly, as I indicated yesterday, adults and pupils in secondary schools should wear face coverings when they are moving around school in areas where distancing is challenging – for example, through corridors or in communal spaces.
And secondly, adults and children aged 5 and over should wear face coverings on dedicated school transport. That of course simply now mirrors the situation on public transport more generally.
Now in both of these situations, there is a greater potential for different groups to mix. There is more chance of voices being raised – resulting in the creation of aerosols. And of course, there is less scope for distancing and effective ventilation. So we believe that face coverings could provide an additional layer of protection, in mitigating these factors.
The guidance will also now emphasise how face coverings can be used to address specific issues – for example, where there is a concern about a particular school, or where there is an outbreak or greater transmission in a particular area.
All of these changes will apply from next Monday – 31 August. Before then, schools will be expected to provide pupils with clear instructions on the use of face coverings.
We expect that most children and young people will have access to face coverings already as part of their daily lives. However, we will work with local authorities, to ensure that schools also have supplies – so that no child is disadvantaged.
There are of course people for whom wearing a face covering is not appropriate – which is why there are already exemptions in place for individuals with breathing difficulties or certain disabilities when it comes to wearing a covering in places like supermarkets.
So there will also be young people for whom it is not appropriate to wear a face covering in school and schools will of course discuss that with pupils and parents. But let me be clear that nobody should be stigmatised in a school because they cannot, for one of those reasons, wear a face covering.
We hope that these changes provide some additional assurance to pupils, staff, and parents. We know it’s not easy, none of what we ‘re all having to live with right now, generally or in schools, is easy but it is all about trying to minimise the risk of transmission. And we will of course continue to keep the guidance under review.
I want to emphasise though, and this applies not just in schools but applies more generally, face coverings are just one additional layer of protection. They are not a substitute for the other things we’re asking people to do. All of the other safety measures –good hand hygiene, regular cleaning, and where possible in schools, physical distancing – remain vitally important.
Of course, that applies not just to people in schools, but to all of us. So to close today, I want to quickly remind everyone – again – of the key public health guidance.
We know indoor transmission is a risk, we’ve always known that, and we see the evidence of that coming through our data right now, so can I take the opportunity to remind everybody that when you are indoors, no more than eight people from a maximum of three households should be meeting up. That applies whenever you are in somebody’s house, or in a pub, a bar or a restaurant.
You should – at all times – physically distance from members of other households. And remember to wash your hands and hard surfaces.
All of this, if we all follow these rules, minimises our chances of getting the virus and it also minimises the risk of us passing the virus on to others.
And as I said yesterday, and it’s worth everybody bearing this in mind, as Test and Protect operates around the country, if you follow all of these rules, particularly around physical distancing, you are less likely to be a contact, a close contact, of someone with COVID. So you are less likely to get that call from Test and Protect advising you to self-isolate for 14 days.
Let me absolutely bring my remarks to a close now by just reminding everybody of the FACTS rules – the five golden rules that everybody must follow to try to keep this virus under control:
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule
and self-isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Public Health team has made an appeal, following a rapid rise in requests for Covid-19 tests.
The following advice is good for people living in other NHS Scotland areas too, including NHS Lothian.
Since schools went back recently there has been a sharp spike in testing requests, particularly from parents concerned for their children.
Dr Linda de Caestecker said: “In order to ensure we do everything we can to prevent a rise in cases, we need to remind people how the testing system works.
“Firstly, only people who are symptomatic need a test unless you are explicitly asked to get a test by public health as part of the management of an outbreak.
“The symptoms are the onset of a persistent cough, or a temperature/fever or a loss of taste or smell. You only need one of these to be tested. This can be done by calling 0800 028 2816 or visiting the NHS Inform website – www.nhsinform.scot. You do not need to call NHS 24 to organise a test.
“I also want to stress that while family members need to self-isolate if someone in their household develops symptoms, they do not need to be tested unless they themselves go on to develop symptoms.
“If you are contacted by Test and Protect to tell you that you are a close contact of somebody with Covid-19, you do not require a test but you must isolate for 14 days. A test will not change the need to self-isolate.
“Another important point is if you do develop Covid symptoms and are ill and are worried about your health, you should call NHS 24 on 111. Please do not call NHS 24 unless you feel you need medical advice to deal with your illness.
“I want to thanks everyone for their continued patience with the system. We all need to work together as we enter this next phase in the fight against the virus.”
Please note you should only call 0800 028 2816 to book a test if you do not have access to the internet.
First of 11 planned walk-through sites set up
People who suspect they may have coronavirus (COVID-19) will be able to receive a test at a walk-through testing centre.
The clinically-approved and risk-assessed model means people can access testing in semi-permanent centres, both indoor and outdoor, just days after a site has been agreed.
Work has begun to set up the first of eleven sites planned to be up and running before winter.
Appointments will be available through NHS Inform to students and the wider community for the first of these, to be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. Testing is expected to commence at this site in the coming days.
Consideration of location of the further 10 sites which will be easily accessible by bike, wheel or foot is underway including in the Highlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Containing and suppressing this virus relies on testing being accessible to everyone. These walk through testing centres will further increase Scotland’s testing capacity ahead of potential spikes as we move into winter.
“They can be operational in a matter of days, and we are working at pace with NHS National Services Scotland and local authorities to roll out more across the country so that more people have access to local testing.
“We will continue to adapt our testing strategy in line with the different stages of the pandemic. However, testing is only one effective intervention that we are using to manage the virus and it remains vital that people continue to follow physical distancing advice and practise good hand and cough hygiene not just for their own safety but in order to protect others.”
NHS Fife Deputy Director of Public Health Dr Esther Curnock said: “The new walk-in testing site in St Andrews is an important resource for the local population and will play a vital role in helping to limit the spread of the virus in north-east Fife.
“With the prevalence of COVID-19 now much lower than it was at its peak, it is easy to think that the virus in no longer a risk to our health, however, that is far from the case.
“It is crucial, therefore, that people arrange to be tested as soon as any symptoms develop, such as a new continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in the sense smell or taste, and isolate immediately rather than waiting on the result of their test.”
Professor Sally Mapstone, Principal of the University of St Andrews, said: “We’ve been in discussions for some time with the Scottish Government and NHS Fife about local testing facilities, and this is a positive and prudent development.
“The new testing centre will support the many steps the University is taking to keep our staff, students and local community safe, including our own Covid Rapid Response Service which will support quarantining and contact tracing, and monitor adherence to public health guidelines.”
Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr David Alexander said: “We are delighted to have been involved in getting one of Scotland’s first walk-in test centres up and running in St Andrews.
“With a high student population, a huge turnover of tourists and a centre of hospitality, St Andrews seemed to be an obvious choice for a test centre like this.”
Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr. David Ross added: “These facilities are accessible for everyone in the area and will provide an invaluable resource in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in our communities.”
