Chamber and committees

As I think I said in my statement, guidance has been published for further and higher education, although further work is continuing, to make sure that the arrangements that are in place for the start of the new academic term are appropriate.

It will be the case that all over-18-year-olds will have been offered a first dose—they have been offered a first dose already—and, by mid-September, all over-18-year-olds who have been vaccinated will have been offered their second dose, eight weeks on from that. We continue to encourage uptake. As I have said, we hope to move vaccination into slightly younger age groups as well, although that is dependent on JCVI advice.

There are issues that I have set out today around our expectations on costing for students. I know that colleges and universities will be looking closely not just at the position on the move beyond level 0 and what that means in terms of legal requirements, but at what is a sensible and safe approach to a mix of on-site and remote learning. As well as guidance being published, I would expect learning institutions to be liaising with their staff and students well in advance of the new term.

As I said earlier, we are retaining the requirement to wear face coverings in indoor settings where that is required just now—so, in pubs and restaurants except when people are sitting down to eat and drink; when they are moving around, they are required to wear face coverings.

Nightclubs have not been open. It is important that we have similar mitigations in all indoor settings, but, as nightclubs are able to reopen from Monday, we will be engaging with the night-time industry sector about exactly how we will ensure that the right mitigations are in place and what will be expected of nightclubs, as well as what we would encourage them to do. I have to say that it is a long, long time since I was in a nightclub. Maybe I should go back to one sometime—I do not know.

Although it is a long time since I was a regular frequenter of nightclubs, I have had discussions in the past few days about allowing nightclubs to open again, which everybody wants to happen, and what restrictions might be necessary. It is clear that some restrictions would make no sense and would, even if a nightclub was technically allowed to open, make that really impractical. I say that simply to reassure Pauline McNeill that, as we finalise guidance for the reopening, while not stinting on appropriate safety measures, we will make sure that we are mindful of the practical realities in settings such as nightclubs.

On nightclubs, I have something to say to any young people who might be listening—those young people who were listening probably switched off when I said that it was a long time since I had been in a nightclub. If you intend to go back to a nightclub over the next few weeks—who could blame you for that?—and you are over 18, please make sure that you have had your vaccine before you do, because that will help to protect you. We want people to be able to responsibly enjoy things again, but we want you to protect yourself as you do. By doing that, you will be reducing the risk of becoming ill and helping to protect others. For all the detail around the return of nightclubs, that is an important issue that none of us should overlook.

I very much agree with Rona Mackay on both those points. We continue to engage with the UK Government on a regular basis, seeking to persuade it to change its position on both furlough and the clawback on the increase to universal credit.

I have already addressed the point on furlough in response to a previous question. Although we want to get businesses back to trading normally as quickly as possible, they need support for as long as is required. The premature ending of furlough will be very damaging to the jobs of many people across the country. Even at this late stage, I urge the Chancellor of the Exchequer to change his mind and make a further extension to furlough.

On universal credit, I do not know how anybody, having given an uplift to universal credit for people who were struggling the most before Covid, and who are probably struggling the most from many of its impacts, could, in good conscience, suddenly claw that money back at a time like this. That is unconscionable. It will take perhaps more than £1,000 a year from people who need it most, and it should not happen. I urge the chancellor to change the position on furlough. I will speak even more strongly than that and urge him not to take money out of the pockets of those who can least afford it, to make the uplift to universal credit permanent, and to make that clear without any further delay. To do anything else would simply be unforgivable.

Yes, we will continue to press the case until such time as the money flows. It will then be up to the Scottish Government to ensure that the money flows quickly to those who need it. I will check with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy and her officials on the current state of play with that particular funding, and I will write to Willie Coffey as soon as possible.

There is on-going engagement with local authorities, teachers unions, parents and young people themselves, which has taken place throughout the pandemic under the umbrella of the Covid-19 education recovery group. I indicated in my statement that we are publishing today—it is probably already published by now—updated guidance that sets out the mitigations that will be expected to be in place in schools from the start of the term, some of which I went through in my opening statement. I suspect that the positions on self-isolation and the continuation of face coverings will get most attention today, but in many respects the most important part of what I outlined earlier is the strengthened guidance around ventilation in schools and the additional funding that we are making available to local authorities to ensure that there is CO2 monitoring in schools and that it is used to assess whether further improvements to ventilation are required. Local authorities will, I know, continue to liaise with schools, pupils and parents ahead of the school return to make sure that all appropriate steps, including around lateral flow device testing, are taken.

The guidance that we have published today sets out much of the detail on, for example, the ability of parents to go into early years settings again. We want to move forward in that direction.

The decision to keep most of the current mitigations in schools was not an easy one. I know from speaking to young people—young people whom I know in my own life, as well as many other young people—that they do not enjoy having to wear a face covering in the classroom, although many of them feel that it gives them added protection.

We do not want to have such measures in place for any longer than is strictly necessary, but it was the clear advice of the advisory sub-group on education that, if we wanted to change the position on self-isolation—as we wanted to do, to minimise disruption—given the unique nature of schools, where unvaccinated young people and adults come together in larger numbers, it was appropriate and proportionate to keep the other mitigations in place for a longer period. We said that that will be the case for the first six weeks. The position will be reviewed on an on-going basis, and if we decide to extend that beyond six weeks, we will set out the reasons for that clearly.

There are few things more important than getting schools and the lives of young people back, as close as possible, to normality as quickly as possible, and we are very focused on that.

In updating Parliament today on the Government’s decisions about further easing of Covid restrictions, I will confirm that, from next Monday, Scotland will move beyond the current level 0 restrictions, and I will set out the basis for that decision. However, in line with the cautious approach that we have taken throughout the pandemic, I will also set out a number of mitigation measures that will remain in place. I will then outline changes to the requirement for self-isolation of close contacts of positive cases. Finally, I will summarise the key points from new guidance that is being published today on arrangements for the start of the new school year.

Let me start by summarising today’s statistics. The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1,016, which was 8.1 per cent of all tests. There are 406 people receiving hospital treatment, which is one fewer than yesterday, and 61 people are receiving intensive care, which is one more than yesterday. Sadly, nine deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, which takes the total number of deaths registered under the daily definition to 7,952. As always, I convey my condolences to everyone who has lost someone as a result of the virus. I can also report that 4,014,212 people have now received a first dose of the vaccine and 3,231,331 people have now had both doses.

Those figures are broadly in line with the trend that has been evident for the past four weeks. The number of new cases in Scotland reached a peak in early July. At that time, more than 400 new cases per 100,000 of the population were being recorded each week. That number has now fallen by two thirds, from 425 per 100,000 at the peak to 144 now, based on our most recent figures. Although the figure fluctuates on a daily basis, as we can see today, the average proportion of tests that are positive has also fallen, from more than 10 per cent to less than 6 per cent. Thankfully, the number of people in hospital with Covid is also falling. In the past two weeks, it has reduced from 529 patients to 406 patients. The number of people in intensive care also seems to be declining, albeit gradually. That is all good news, and it demonstrates the value of taking a careful and steady approach to easing restrictions.

Another reason for the progress is, of course, the continued success of the vaccination programme. All over-18-year-olds have now had the opportunity to receive at least one dose of the vaccine, and all over-40-year-olds have been offered both doses. Those were key milestones for moving beyond level 0. They have been met, and the take-up of vaccination has been exceptional by any previous standard or, indeed, by comparison with our expectation.

Ninety per cent of over-18-year-olds have now had at least one dose of the vaccine, and 72 per cent have had both doses. Ninety-three per cent of over-40-year-olds have had both doses of the vaccine, and for those over 60 the take-up of both doses is as close to 100 per cent as could reasonably be hoped for.

There is, of course, still more to do, especially among 18 to 29-year-olds—I want to stress that point. Take-up in that age group has been good, relative to our initial expectations, but we want it to be better. That is why, for example, we are deploying walk-in and mobile vaccination centres across the country.

I can also confirm that preparatory work is under way for the next phases of vaccination. Following recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, invitations for vaccination are now going out to 12 to 17-year-olds with specific health conditions that make them more vulnerable to Covid, and we expect to have offered first doses to that group by the end of August.

In addition, I can advise Parliament that we are hoping to receive in the next few days updated advice from the JCVI on possible vaccination of others in the younger age groups, and we stand ready to implement any recommendations as soon as possible. We are also preparing to deliver booster jags during the autumn for people who have already been vaccinated, if that is recommended.

Therefore, the vaccination programme is likely to continue for some time to come. It may become a feature of life, but it has already saved many lives and achieved a huge amount of success, and I am very grateful to everyone who has helped and continues to help to deliver it.

It is the combination of the steady decline in cases, the success of vaccination—which is helping to weaken the link between cases and serious illness—and, of course, our understanding of the social, health and economic harms that continued restrictions cause, all of which is underpinned by our obligation to ensure that any restrictions that remain in place are lawful—in other words, that they are both necessary and proportionate—that forms the basis for our decision to move beyond level 0.

The move beyond level 0 will entail the lifting of most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions—most notably those on physical distancing and those that impose limits on the size of social gatherings. It also means that, from 9 August, no venues will be legally required to close. That change is significant and hard earned. The sacrifices that everyone has made over the past year and a half can never be overstated.

However, although the move beyond level 0 will restore a substantial degree of normality, it is important to be clear that it does not signal the end of the pandemic or a return to life exactly as we knew it before Covid struck. Declaring freedom from, or victory over, the virus is, in my view, premature. The harm that the virus can do, including through the impact of long Covid, should not be underestimated, and its ability to mutate may yet pose us real challenges. Therefore, even as we make the move beyond level 0, care and caution will still be required, which is why I now want to focus on the protections and guidance that will remain in place after 9 August.

First, it will continue to be the law—subject to the existing exemptions—that face coverings must be worn in all the same indoor settings as is the case now. We will keep that under review, but my expectation is that face coverings are likely to be mandated in law for some time to come.

Secondly, test and protect will continue to contact trace positive cases. To assist with that, there will be an on-going requirement for indoor hospitality and similar venues to collect the contact details of customers. Although there will be a change in the approach to self-isolation for close contacts of positive cases—as I will set out shortly—anyone who is required to self-isolate will, if eligible, continue to have access to support.

Thirdly, we will continue to work closely with local incident management teams on appropriate outbreak control measures, including the use of localised restrictions in the future, if necessary. We will also continue to use travel restrictions as and when necessary to restrict the spread of outbreaks and to protect against the risk of importation of new variants.

Fourthly, we will continue to advise home working, where possible, for now. I know that most businesses are not planning a wholesale return to the office but recognise that a return of some staff will be beneficial to them and to employers. It is vital that that gradual approach continues. We will also encourage employers to consider for the longer term, as the Scottish Government is doing, a hybrid model of home and office working, which may, of course, have benefits beyond the need to control a virus.

Fifthly, although we expect to see the careful return of large-scale events, we will, for a limited period, keep in place the processes through which organisers of outdoor events involving more than 5,000 people and indoor events involving more than 2,000 people will have to apply for permission. That will simply allow us and local authorities to be assured of the arrangements that are in place to reduce the risks of large-scale gatherings.

Last, but by no means least, we will continue to issue clear guidance to assist individuals and businesses to reduce the risk of transmission as much as possible. Rigorous hygiene, including regular hand washing, will continue to be essential, and good ventilation will also be important. I will set out shortly our intention to strengthen the guidance on ventilation in schools, but we will also work across the public and private sectors to ensure an approach to improved ventilation.

Even though, from Monday, the law will not stipulate physical distancing, we will continue to advise the public that, especially indoors, keeping a safe distance from people in other households and avoiding crowded places will minimise risk. We will also engage with businesses and issue guidance as necessary to ensure that safe environments for staff and customers are provided and that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce the risk of outbreaks.

I can also confirm that we continue to consider very carefully the possible, albeit limited, use of Covid status certification for access to certain higher-risk venues in future. We are developing an app to make access to Covid status certificates, which will include vaccination details, easier for international travel. That will be launched next month. The app will have functionality to support the use of such certificates for domestic settings, should we decide that that is appropriate. However, I assure the Parliament that we do not underestimate the ethical, equity and human rights issues associated with Covid status certification and that we will keep members updated and consulted on our thinking on that issue.

The decisions that I am confirming today reflect the fact that, principally due to vaccines, we are now in a different stage of the pandemic. Vaccination has weakened the link between case numbers and serious health harms, and that means that it is no longer appropriate or necessary—and therefore not necessarily even lawful—for us to rely as heavily as we previously did on blanket rules and regulations. That will be welcome for many, but a source of anxiety for some. The chief medical officer will write to those who have been at the highest risk from Covid, who might previously have been asked to shield, to provide advice and information and to give assurance that they, too, can return to a much greater degree of normality. The needs and concerns of that group will not be ignored now or in the future.

I turn to the changes that we propose to the current rules on self-isolation to ensure that they remain reasonable and proportionate. Let me be clear at the outset that those who have symptoms of, or test positive for Covid will still be required to self-isolate, as they are now. However, from 9 August, an adult who is identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid will no longer be required automatically to self-isolate for 10 days. Instead, if someone is double vaccinated, if it is at least two weeks since the second dose, and if they have no symptoms, they should get a polymerase chain reaction test as soon as possible. If the PCR test is negative, self-isolation can then be ended. As PCR results come back quickly—frequently within 24 hours—that will greatly reduce the time that many people will need to spend in self-isolation.

We are proposing a similar change for people aged 17 or under, most of whom, of course, are not yet eligible for vaccination. If a young person aged from five to 17 is identified as a close contact, they will need to take a PCR test, but they can end their self-isolation if they test negative. Children under the age of five will be encouraged but not required to get a PCR test.

In addition, test and protect will implement revised guidance for under-18s, including in schools. That means that the blanket isolation of whole classes will no longer be routine. Instead, a more targeted approach will identify close contacts at highest risk of infection, so fewer young people will be asked to self-isolate, and most will be asked to self-isolate for a much shorter period of time. Obviously, that is especially important as we approach the start of the new school year.

Let me turn to the wider arrangements for the return of schools. Updated guidance is being published today. As a consequence of the new approach to self-isolation, which is important to minimise disruption to education, and in line with advice from our expert advisory sub-group on education and children’s issues, we have decided to retain, for the first six weeks of the new academic term, most of the other mitigations that are currently in place in schools.

That reflects the unique environment of schools, where large numbers of unvaccinated children and young people mix with adult staff. Therefore, for up to six weeks—and subject thereafter to review—there will be a continued requirement for staff to keep at least 1m from each other and from children and young people while they are on the school estate.

After careful consideration, we have also decided to retain the current requirements for face coverings in schools for staff and for children aged 12 or over. That includes asking young people and staff in secondary schools to wear face coverings during lessons and while they are inside school buildings. I am acutely aware that many, many young people find that really difficult, so the approach will be kept under review, but for now, we consider it to be an important protection for them and for others in the school.

The expert advisory sub-group also emphasised the importance of good ventilation. We are therefore strengthening guidance in that regard. Many local authorities have already taken steps to improve ventilation in the school estate, and that work has highlighted the value of CO2 monitors. Such devices are useful in assessing how well ventilated a space is and therefore how likely it is that the virus could be present.

The new guidance that is published today makes it clear that all schools and day-care services for children must have access to CO2 monitoring, through fixed or mobile devices, which should be used to assess the quality of ventilation in schools and childcare settings, so that necessary improvements can be identified. Those assessments will be on-going over the coming weeks; we expect them to be completed—and necessary improvements identified—by the October half-term.

I confirm today that we are making available to local authorities an additional £10 million to support that work. Ventilation is one of the most important ways in which the risk of Covid transmission can be reduced, so improving it will be vital, now and in the future, to ensure that schools and childcare centres are as safe as possible.

Finally, local authorities and schools will ask all secondary pupils and all school staff to take a lateral flow test one or two days before they return after the holidays, and to take tests twice a week after that. Testing continues to be an important additional way in which Covid can be identified even in people who do not have symptoms.

We are also working with the further and higher education sector on plans for the year ahead. Specific guidance for universities and colleges on operating beyond level 0 has now been published. In addition, students will be encouraged to take a PCR test before any move to term-time accommodation, and then to test twice a week after that.

The last year and a half has been—and this, inevitably, is an understatement—difficult and stressful for children and young people, parents, and all staff who work in education settings. I am so grateful to them for the understanding and co-operation that they have shown. The new school and academic term will still bring challenges—there is little doubt of that—but I hope that it will also bring fewer disruptions and allow a much more normal learning environment for all our young people.

Today’s decisions are—in my view; I hope that people who are listening will agree—positive. They are possible only because of vaccination and the prolonged sacrifices of people across the country. Once again, I want to convey my deep appreciation of that to everyone across the nation.

The past year has reminded us all just how precious some of the simplest things in life really are. I suspect that many of us will resolve not to take them quite so much for granted in the future. Undoubtedly, the best way of doing that in the short term is to continue to be careful, cautious and sensible, even as legal restrictions are lifted. The Government will continue to provide guidance to help to get that balance right.

We all hope—I certainly do—that the restrictions that we lift next Monday will never again have to be reimposed, but no-one can guarantee that. The virus remains a threat, and as we enter winter it may well pose challenges for us again. As we have done throughout, the Government will seek to take whatever action is necessary to keep the country safe.

As has also been the case throughout, we all have a part to play in keeping the virus under control. As always, although this is perhaps counterintuitive, it is when we lift restrictions and inevitably give the virus more opportunities to spread that it becomes even more important for us to remember the basic actions that can reduce risk.

I want to stress again what we can all do to help to ensure that the next step forward is a sustainable one. The first and most important thing is to get vaccinated. If you have not done so already, please do so, particularly if you are in one of the younger age groups and are looking forward to resuming a more normal social life. You can get vaccinated by registering on the NHS Inform website for an appointment or by going to a drop-in centre.

Secondly, please test yourself regularly. Free lateral flow tests are available by post through the NHS inform website or by collection from test sites and local pharmacies. If you test positive through a lateral flow test or if you have symptoms of the virus, you should self-isolate and get a PCR test.

Thirdly, stick to the rules that remain in place—for example, those on face coverings—and keep being sensible about the things that we know can help us to keep ourselves and one another safe. Meet outdoors as much as possible, especially for as long as we have reasonable weather. If meeting indoors, open windows, because the better ventilated a room is, the safer it will be. Remember that keeping some distance from people in other households and avoiding crowded indoor places are still sensible precautions, even if they are no longer legally mandated. Please continue to wash your hands and surfaces as much as possible.

In short, enjoy being able to do more and meet up more—we have all waited a long time for that—but please protect yourself as you do so, principally through vaccination, and continue to take the greatest of care. If we all do that, we will increase our chances of keeping the virus under control. We will protect ourselves and our loved ones, and we will safely and securely return to the ways of life that we all value so much.

No, I will not give a date, not least because Parliament has to be fully involved in all those discussions. If I were to say that we will have decided that by such and such a date, I would not be doing justice to parliamentary consultation.

It is important that we consider all this carefully and consult sectors that could be part of the debate. There is work to be done on this and we are seeking to have a four-nations discussion. However, when the Prime Minister announced that the UK Government was going to use vaccine passports for nightclubs, we had not been consulted in advance; in fact, that was a change in what we thought the UK Government position was. We will try to have sensible discussions across the UK but, fundamentally, and in proper consultation with Parliament, we will take decisions that we think are right for Scotland. Given the sensitivities around the issue, we will do so with all the proper discussion and appropriate consideration.

In answer to the question, “What can all of us do?”, I say that we can all behave in a way that minimises the risk of Covid transmission, even as legal restrictions lift, because the more we reduce the pressure from Covid on our national health service, the more we enable it to catch up with the backlog and treat non-Covid patients as quickly as it wants to. We all have a responsibility to protect our NHS, and the vast majority of people have taken that responsibility extremely seriously since the start of the pandemic.

The Government continues to work through our NHS recovery plan, which, as I indicated earlier, will be published shortly, and to make additional resources and other support available to health boards. For example, NHS Lanarkshire will have received its share of additional funding to support a reduction in waiting times for urgent and emergency care, as well as funding to boost staffing levels and the number of available beds. We remain in daily contact with boards as they manage their capacity effectively between Covid and non-Covid care. We are, and I am, very conscious of the on-going pressure on those who work in health and care, and it is important that we do all those things and more to support them as effectively as possible.

I do not want to get overly philosophical, but I am really confused about Graham Simpson’s concern. If his argument is that everybody is going to wear face coverings anyway, why is he so concerned that we are asking people to wear them? If he thinks that everybody is going to wear face coverings anyway, what freedom does he think that people need? Maybe I have been on my feet for too long today, but I am genuinely struggling to understand what the point of that question is, other than just to try to find a point of disagreement with the Scottish Government.

We think that it is really important that people continue to wear face coverings, so we will tell them that by saying that the law requires it. We will keep that under review. However, if, at the end of the day, Graham Simpson is saying that he agrees that everybody should wear a face covering, how we choose to do that seems to me to be of secondary concern. If I am missing something in that, I apologise, but I think that it is right to say to people, “You should still wear face coverings.”