Coronavirus (COVID-19): shielding advice and support

Shielding

People who have been shielding can now follow the same advice as everyone else in Scotland. The current infection rate for coronavirus in Scotland is low enough for us to change our advice. Also, we know that shielding can have a big impact on people's wellbeing. These two factors are why we are currently advising people not to shield.

These pages give more information to help people to minimise their risk.

Who this advice applies to

This advice applies to most people on the shielding list.

This includes people who are at the highest risk of severe illness from coronavirus. People on the list will receive a letter telling them so. This includes some children and young people.

It does not apply to anyone living in a residential care or nursing home. Care homes are following the separate guidance for care home settings.

Some of this advice may not be suitable for you. Contact your specialist care team to discuss if this advice is right for you. It will depend on your individual situation.

Your clinician might suggest you avoid doing certain things. This will be because of your specific health condition or treatments. This does not mean you are being advised to shield again because of an increase of coronavirus. You should continue to follow any specific advice they give you.

Examples include people who:

• are waiting on an solid organ transplant
• are having treatment for cancer or have recently completed treatment

SMS Shielding Service

We will continue to send updates to your mobile phone through the SMS Shielding Service. This will soon include a COVID-19 forecasting service, allowing you to sign up to SMS text updates. These updates will tell you about your risk of coming into contact with the virus in your local area.

We encourage you to sign up to this service. This will make sure you receive updates as quickly as possible.

You can sign up by texting your 10 digit CHI number to 0786 006 4525. You can find your CHI number on the shielding letter you have received. Do not include any other information. The Service will confirm that you are on the shielding list.

The SMS Shielding Service only accepts text messages. It does not take voice calls. It cannot respond to questions. It can only respond to your texts with pre-programmed replies.

Helpline

Call 0800 111 4000 to speak to someone from your local authority. This is the national COVID-19 helpline and it is free. It is open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.