Laws requiring masks to be worn on public transport and in some other settings in Scotland will not be scrapped next week as planned due to the "current spike" in CV19 cases, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Instead, coverings will be required in most indoor public settings and will last until at least early April.
Other coronavirus guidelines for businesses and service providers to collect customer details for contact tracing will end as planned on 21 March.
The first minister also confirmed that people without COVID-19 symptoms will no longer be asked to take regular lateral flow tests tests from 18 April. The change forms part of the Test and Protect Transition Plan, which sets out how testing will become more targeted.
“Today marks a further decisive shift away from controlling Covid through legal restrictions, and towards relying instead on advice and guidance," she said.
"But please remember, especially since case numbers are so high, that this guidance and advice remains important. Given current case numbers, and the desirability of getting those back under control quickly, the wearing of face masks will stay in place for at least another two weeks."
Reaction
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “We cannot keep kicking the can down the road forever and today’s announcement is a deeply disappointing retreat from the promise made to Scotland’s business community - a promise to learn to live with this virus.
“Scotland’s recovery is lagging behind other parts of the UK and we have members in retail who are watching colleagues in England recovering at twice the rate seen here. We cannot continue to operate with this start-stop lever being pulled just weeks apart.
“The Scottish Government must commit to the removal of all remaining restrictions as soon as possible whilst providing greater detail on what triggers sit behind the decision-making process to protect consumer and business confidence.”
Changes to Test & Protect and isolation
The changes to Test and Protect mean that from 18 April:
- most people without symptoms will no longer be asked to take COVID-19 tests
- free lateral flow devices (LFDs) for the purposes of twice weekly routine testing will no longer be available for the general population given the changing advice, but will continue to be free for any purpose for which testing continues to be advised – for clinical care, for health and social care workers and for people visiting vulnerable individuals in care homes or hospitals
- until the end of April, people with symptoms should still isolate and get a PCR test
- vaccinated close contacts of someone with COVID-19 should continue to test daily for seven days with LFDs
People who have symptoms of COVID-19 will still be able to book PCR tests in the usual way until 30 April.
From that date, test sites will close and people with symptoms will no longer be advised that they need to seek a test. The public health advice for people who feel unwell will be to stay at home until they feel better, to reduce the risk of infecting other people.