Chamber and committees

Physical distancing measures are steps everyone should take to reduce social interaction between people. This will help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Guidance on physical distancing is available on the Scottish Government website physical (social) distancing guide and has been amended to highlight the additional challenges some people may have in being able to adhere to this guidance. The amendments include a request that people are considerate of others, respecting and accommodating differences by giving way when they are out and about.

Additionally, vision impairment charities have produced some top tips on physical distancing, for those that are blind or visually impaired. Examples can be found here:

• https://www.rnib.org.uk/campaigning/campaigning-news/rnib-sends-supermarkets-guidance
• https://www.henshaws.org.uk/top-tips-for-social-distancing-if-you-are-blind-or-visually-impaired/
• https://www.sightadvicefaq.org.uk/coronavirus-information/Getting-out-and-about/social-dist-CV

The Scottish Government has produced a suite of guidance documents which are reviewed in line with the regular three-weekly review of the lockdown requirements and will be read alongside the legal restrictions and prohibitions contained in the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020. The guidance will be updated in line with the reviews.

Physical distancing duties are set out in Regulation 4(1) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

The suite of Scottish Government Covid-19 guidance can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/collections/
coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/#health,careandsocialwork

The guidance includes, amongst others, a physical (social) distancing guide as well as advice for retailers, customers, service providers, transport services and those in education and childcare settings, on additional considerations for those who are disabled and have difficulty walking, are wheelchair users, are blind or deaf or people with cognitive impairments like dementia. Some sections of the guidance are in the process of being updated and updates will be available to view by 19 June 2020.

In addition, the RNIB website has a link to a coronavirus FAQ section, which provides practical advice on a range of issues, including how to practise social distancing.

The Scottish Government is keeping lockdown restrictions under constant review. Our priority will always be to save lives and reduce the number of people who might die unnecessarily.

Our ‘Framework for Decision-Making’ papers set out the Scottish Government’s approach, principles and the specific options to protect the public and reduce deaths from COVID-19. This includes the possibility of reversing any relaxation of the lockdown conditions if we cannot keep the reproduction rate of the virus, or the R number, sufficiently below 1.

Physical distancing guidelines are the primary method of limiting spread of the disease and saving lives. These are having a positive effect, however, progress remains fragile and the margins for ensuring the virus does not take off again remain tight.

On 28 May, we concluded that, based on this evidence on the spread of the virus, we could move into phase 1 of our four phase route map out of lockdown, by introducing some careful and gradual changes to the rules regarding outdoor activity and non-contact sports. The focus of our Phase 1 changes are on outdoor activity because the risk of the virus spreading is lower in an outdoor environment.

To that effect, we published our updated “staying at home and away from others” guidance.

We have also been clear however that if there is evidence of a minority not abiding by existing guidelines, including travelling unnecessarily or meeting in large groups, the Scottish government may put restrictions on these into law.

The Scottish Government have not met with any NHS board or local authority to discuss the number of COVID-19 related deaths in their areas. However, will soon meet with the Chief Executive of Inverclyde to discuss issues related to COVID-19.

I have also met virtually with NHS Chairs to discuss COVID-19, and the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing meets virtually with NHS Chairs in their Regional Groupings every week.

The Scottish Government’s Director General Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland holds a number of weekly teleconferences with NHS Boards regarding COVID-19.

Officials across the Scottish Government have regular discussions with NHS Boards on many aspects of COVID-19, including planning, public health and care homes. Health Protection Scotland communicates with NHS Directors of Public Health and local health protection teams as part of their day to day work in monitoring the spread of the virus.

The Scottish Government is supporting the care home sector across Scotland and my officials are in regular contact with Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) in Scotland, including Inverclyde HSCP, to support them to manage and deal with the impacts of the COVID outbreak. The Care Inspectorate alongside other partners is also in regular contact with care homes and is providing them with support including infection control.

Directors of Public Health have been tasked with providing enhanced clinical leadership and have contacted every care home in Scotland to assess how they are managing infection prevention and control, staffing, training, physical distancing and testing. This is alongside enhanced clinical support for residents from primary care teams including GPs and community nurses.

From 18 May, new arrangements for ensuring appropriate clinical and professional oversight for care homes have been put in place. As part of this multi-disciplinary teams comprising key clinical leads from NHS Boards and Local Authorities including Chief Social Work Officers are providing oversight of local care homes. This approach builds on recent actions and existing local arrangements in helping to keep residents safe.

To supplement this clinical oversight, the Scottish Government has established a Care Home Rapid Action Group. This is a national group set up to monitor developments in the care home sector, reacting swiftly to developing issues and coordinating our wider package of support to the sector. A clinical and professional advisory group has also been established to provide advice and guidance on preventing and managing COVID-19 in care homes.

We recognise that this is a difficult time for parents and expectant parents.

On 21 May, the First Minister set out the steps and phases by which the Scottish Government will aim to ease current lockdown measures. As detailed in the route map published, our actions will be gradual and incremental and will be matched with careful monitoring of the virus.

Phase 2 of the route map will permit many previously closed retail units to reopen in line with guidance for the retail sector published on 26 May.

We are committed to ensuring a safe and sustainable restart of the economy.

The Scottish Government continues to focus on three objectives for testing: to support those seriously ill, to support essential workers to get back to work, and for the purposes of surveillance.

Testing capacity in Scotland has been significantly increased in response to this outbreak.

On 14 May a formal request has been made to the West of Scotland Regional Resilience Partnership for deployment of a Mobile Testing Unit to the Inverclyde area and work has started on the identification of a suitable site.

As we plan our work for Test, Trace and Isolate we are giving active consideration to the deployment of testing to areas of social deprivation, including increasing local access to having a test taken.

This is not data held by the Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland does break down national data per local authority, available here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/
index.html#/658feae0ab1d432f9fdb53aa082e4130 .

Public Health Scotland also provide a weekly report that offers Covid-19 cases categorised by age, available here: https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/
population-health/covid-19/covid-19-statistical-report/ .

Myself and the Chief Constable have regular discussions on a range of issues. Additionally, Police Scotland provides daily updates on the Covid-19 response and impact which have included reports about enforcement activity in respect of the emergency regulations in Inverclyde, flagging levels of traffic and pedestrians within the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division area. While operational decisions are a matter for the Chief Constable, the Scottish Government is willing to engage in any multi-party discussions about the local response as appropriate.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is working in partnership with the Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership in responding to COVID-19, including ongoing monitoring of its impact.

Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the emergency regulations in respect of retail workplaces. In doing so, they are working closely with Police Scotland to enforce the emergency regulations effectively.

NHS National Services Scotland is working with Public Health Scotland to assess whether antibody tests can be used to determine whether individuals have been exposed to the virus. We do not yet know whether the presence of antibodies indicates that someone is immune to future infection, and if so, for how long that immunity would persist.

Antibody testing is in the early stages of development and the information currently being collected as part of randomised antibody testing from routinely collected blood samples will inform how best to prioritise the testing.