Covid Scotland: Facemasks legally required until April

Virus rates have reached a record high and the number of Covid-positive patients in hospital has doubled since mid-February, to1,996, although intensive care numbers remain low. 

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Mask wearing had been due to convert from a legal requirement to guidance from Monday, but this is now expected to happen in “early April” subject to a review in two weeks’ time.

“I know this will be disappointing for businesses and service providers such as day care services,” said the First Minister.

“However, ensuring continued widespread use of face coverings will provide some additional protection –particularly for the most vulnerable – at a time when the risk of infection is very high, and it may help us get over this spike more quickly.”

The number of people in hospital with Covid is close to the peak of 2,053 in January 2021

Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said the delay to lifting rules on face masks would “put Scotland’s recovery into reverse gear again, create confusion, dent business confidence, putting the buffers on economic growth”. 

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross said it was a “blow for households and businesses”.

“Covid cases were always going to rise as restrictions were eased,” he said.

“We can’t stay stuck with Covid rules forever.”

However, the decision was welcomed by clinicians including Professor Andrew Elder, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 

“Those of us working in the NHS are seeing rising hospital admissions, and we are seeing first-hand the continuing impact of Covid-19 on peoples’ health – including our health and social care staff,” said Prof Elder. 

It came as Ms Sturgeon outlined plans to wind down universal, free testing – including the availability of lateral flow devices (LFDs) – as part of Scotland’s “steady progress back to normal life”. 

From May 1, PCR testing sites will close and people with possible Covid symptoms will be advised to isolate at home, but will no longer be expected to book a test. 

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From April 18, LFDs – the home testing kits – will be reserved “for clinical care, for health and social care workers and for people visiting vulnerable individuals in care homes or hospitals”.

Close contacts of a positive case will continue to have access to free LFDs temporarily, until the end of April.

From April 18, people attending workplaces, schools, nurseries, early learning centres and universities or colleges will no longer be advised to take regular LFDs, though the guidance will remain in place indefinitely for staff in care homes and healthcare settings.

PCR testing sites in the community will close on May 1, although some mobile units will remain for 'targeted' testing. Lateral flow tests will also stop being freely available to the general population from April 18

Ms Sturgeon said this was “as far as we can go within funding constraints” following the UK Government’s decision to slash the budget for Covid testing, which had ballooned to £2 billion a month by January. 

She said: “Our intention is that from end April all routine population-wide testing will end, including for those who have symptoms. 

“Contact tracing will end at this point too - although people with symptoms of respiratory illness will be advised to stay at home.

“Physical test sites will close at the end of April - although mobile testing units and lab capacity will be retained for our longer term testing purposes.

“We will do everything we can to support those who have worked on the testing programme during the transition. I want to thank all of them for their invaluable contribution over the last two years.

“From 1 May, instead of a population wide approach, we will use testing on a targeted basis - to support clinical care and treatment and protect higher risk settings; and for surveillance, outbreak management and responding to significant developments, such as a new variant.

“Let me stress that for any purpose for which we continue to advise testing, access to tests will, in Scotland, remain free of charge.”

Ms Sturgeon said the current surge in infections has been driven by the BA.2 strain of Omicron, which now accounts for more than 80 per cent of cases in Scotland and is estimated to be around 80% more transmissible than the BA.1 lineage which first became dominant in December. 

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This is putting “significant pressure” on hospitals which are required to isolate Covid patients in separate wards - even if they have mild or no symptoms - reducing the number of beds available for non-Covid care. 

NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian have more Covid patients now than at any time in the pandemic, while NHS Lanarkshire has warned that its three acute hospitals are operating beyond capacity.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde says its hospitals are also near capacity, while NHS Highland says some elective surgery is having to be cancelled.

However, there is no evidence that BA.2 causes more severe disease and Ms Sturgeon noted that the recent rise in cases and hospital admissions “has not translated into a commensurate increase in cases of severe illness requiring intensive care”, adding that vaccines - much more so than Omicron being an “inherently milder” strain of Covid - meant that the “link between infection and serious health harm has weakened considerably”.

There are currently 33 Covid patients in intensive care in Scotland. 

By contrast, Ms Sturgeon pointed to the current situation in Hong Kong “where relatively low rates of vaccination, particularly in the older population, mean that Omicron is causing very significant levels of severe illness and death”. 

Hong Kong pursued a zero Covid policy with strict border controls, minimising the population’s natural exposure to the virus.

Hong Kong and New Zealand both pursued zero Covid policies, but 66% of over-80s were unvaccinated when Omicron began spreading in Hong Kong compared to just 2% of over-80s in New Zealand

However - unlike New Zealand, where mortality remains low - Hong Kong failed to maximise vaccination coverage among its elderly.

Two thirds of over-80s were still unvaccinated against Covid when Omicron began spreading there in January - seeded by infected travellers and aircrew  who flouted quarantine. 

Hong Kong’s death rate per million over the past seven days is higher than that recorded by any other country at any point in the pandemic. Nearly one in every 20 confirmed cases population-wide is resulting in a death.

In comparison, analysis in England suggests that a combination of vaccine protection, natural immunity and Omicron means that, for the UK, Covid is now less lethal than flu.

“This underlines the vital importance of vaccination,” said Ms Sturgeon, as she confirmed that ‘second boosters’ will be rolled out to all over-75s starting next week.

Elderly care home residents began receiving theirs last week.