Coronavirus in Scotland
To help protect yourself and others this winter:
- get the vaccine or the vaccine booster
- limit the amount of social contact you have with other households - gather in groups of no more than 3 households
- avoid crowded places – shop at quieter times and follow safety measures in shops and other places
- if you don’t have symptoms take regular lateral flow tests - especially before mixing with other people - get LFD tests
- follow the guidance on NHS Inform on self-isolating and booking a test
- wear a face covering where required
- work from home if you can
- take an LFD test each time before you visit someone in a hospital or care home
- wash your hands regularly, and cover your nose and mouth if coughing or sneezing
- open windows when meeting indoors
- use the apps: COVID status, Protect Scotland and Check-in Scotland
Information and support
Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Scotland
View:
- COVID-19 daily data for Scotland, including confirmed cases and deaths
- trends in daily COVID-19 data
- the number of cases in local areas on the Public Health Scotland coronavirus data dashbard
Staying safe - including advice for the festive period
Follow the rules and guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 - includes advice for the festive period.
Face coverings
By law you should still wear a face covering in most indoor public places.
- read the guidance on face coverings including where you need to wear one, and who is exempt from doing so
Getting tested and self-isolating
For advice on self-isolation, including when you should self-isolate and how long you need to self-isolate for, please visit this NHS Inform webpage.
Travel and quarantine
If you are travelling to Scotland from abroad (international travel)
Find out the rules on travelling to Scotland, and check if a country is on the red list.
If you are travelling to Scotland from other parts of the UK
Travel is allowed between Scotland and England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
If you are travelling to a Scottish island
If you are travelling to a Scottish island you are advised to take a covid test before doing so.
Vaccine, including booster vaccinations, and vaccine certificates
Find out about the vaccine, including the booster and third dose vaccinations, on the NHS Inform website.
Covid certification scheme (covid passports)
If you are attending certain venues and events you will need to provide proof of:
- vaccination - or
- a negative test within the last 24 hours
You can download the NHS Scotland Covid Status app or get a paper record of your vaccine status from NHS Inform.
Check the vaccine certification scheme guidance for businesses and event organisers and for customers.
Businesses and workplaces (including hospitality guidance)
Over these coming winter months, to help reduce transmission, you should work from home if possible.
Some employers have already been working with employees and unions to plan a gradual return to offices and other places of work. However at this time, given the uncertainty around the Omicron COVID-19 variant, employers are being encouraged to support a greater degree of working from home than pre-COVID-19 and businesses should consider at this time whether staff need to be in an office at all.
All businesses and workplaces should follow the safer businesses and workplaces guidance. This replaces most of the previous sector-specific guidance.
There is also guidance for specific sectors, including:
- hospitality businesses, including nightclubs
- organised activities for children and young people
- vaccine certification guidance for businesses and event organisers
- the events sector
Hospitality support
See: information on funding support for businesses in the hospitality sector who have lost bookings during December 2021 and January 2022.
You can get information on support available to your business at the Find Business Support website.
Places of worship
Schools, universities, education and childcare
Guidance is available to help reduce the risk in:
- schools
- early learning and childcare settings
- school aged childcare settings
- childminder settings
- colleges and universities
Information for parents and carers is on the Parent Club website.
Information for students is on the Student Information Scotland website
Covid response: strategy and evidence
First Minister updates and statements
Strategic Framework
Our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Strategic Framework set out our strategic approach to suppress the virus to the lowest possible level while we strive to return to a more normal life.
The document has been updated since it was first published in October 2020:
- Strategic Framework update November 2021
- Strategic Framework update June 2021
- Strategic Framework update February 2021
Coronavirus advisory groups
Covid recovery
The Covid recovery strategy helps those who have been most affected by the pandemic, where the unequal impacts have worsened pre-existing inequalities. It will bolster the actions in the:
- NHS recovery plan - sets out commitments that will support recovery over the next five years, supported by the implementation of improvements and new models of care
- Education recovery plan – sets out action taken to address the impacts on children and young people, and the next steps to support learners
- Justice recovery plan - published March 2021 - leading to increased criminal court capacity, alongside mitigating measures already introduced during the pandemic. We will publish a new justice strategy reflecting the focus on recovery