On 18th April, the legal requirement to wear face coverings in many indoor settings in Scotland ended. This was the last legal requirement in the Coronavirus regulations to be removed and as of this date, there are no remaining restrictions.
As there is still significant community transmission, Scottish Government encourage all organisations to continue with the protective measures they have identified by risk assessment, make adaptations and maintain a vigilant approach to managing COVID-19. They continue to provide guidance on managing the risk of transmission.
We have written some detailed Living with Covid - rehearsals guidance to help groups operate within the new strategic framework.
Test and Protect
Advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and self-isolation changed on 1 May 2022. The general public is no longer advised to seek a test if they experience Coronavirus symptoms. Free LFD testing kits are no longer available for the general population and PCR testing sites have closed.
The guidance is that if you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. Do this until you no longer have a high temperature (if you had one) or until you feel better. You should tell people you have recently been in contact with that you're feeling unwell so they can be aware of signs or symptoms, but Test and Protect contact tracing has ended. Close contacts are guided to reduce the risk to others and stay at home if they develop symptoms
Refer to the NHS guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) for symptoms, what to do if you have symptoms, guidance for close contacts and remaining testing arrangements. Coronavirus (COVID-19) | NHS inform.
Managing the risk of transmission
General guidance for workplaces (organisations) is here: Scottish Government General Guidance for Safer Workplaces and includes
- Encouraging people to wear face coverings in enclosed, busy areas, pinch-points or places which are less well ventilated.
- Maximising ventilation and the use of outside space
- Enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures such as providing hand sanitiser
- Minimising congested areas such as narrow corridors, staircases, doorways and storage areas and reviewing use of shared areas such as changing rooms
- Considering using barriers (screens and partitions) and allowing more space between people
- Ensuring robust outbreak management plans
- Supporting the Distance aware scheme
- Encouraging people to travel safely – e.g. do not car share if you have symptoms, wear face coverings if sharing a vehicle and ensure vehicles are well ventilated.
You should
- Regularly communicate your protocol with everyone attending activities and events.
- Ensure that there are no unintended impacts on people with disabilities or caring responsibilities.
- Apply multiple measures - the more measures you take to reduce transmission, the safer your environment will be.
Scottish Government states that: “Appropriate adaptations are crucial to minimising the spread of the virus, improving employee and consumer confidence and reducing the likelihood of further disruption in future. We recognise that there is no one size fits all model….Businesses and organisations are encouraged to consider which potential adaptations can be implemented in their own context which takes account of their own risk assessments.”
Please note: the Scottish Government archived the Cultural Performances and Events guidance, the Events Sector Checklist and Covid-19 certification guidance on 18 April.
Schools
For groups working in a school environment, there is new guidance on reducing the risks in schools to apply from the end of the Easter break. In this guidance there are no restrictions on indoor and outdoor music activity. There are also no restrictions on professionals or visitors in general entering schools. All visitors will, however, be expected to comply with the school’s measures for managing risk.
Scottish Government Guidance on reducing the risks in schools
Please note: the Scottish Government archived the Cultural Performances and Events guidance, the Events Sector Checklist and Covid-19 certification guidance on 18 April.
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