Talking in the Scottish Parliament today, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that the self-isolation rules for Scots will be changing in a bid to tackle covid and the latest omicron variant.
Until recently, household contacts were asked to isolate for 10 days if someone tested positive for covid. This meant that even if they returned a negative PCR test, they still had to isolate for nearly two weeks.
As a result, many people - such as Scotrail and hospital staff - have been missing work resulting in trains and hospital appointments being cancelled and causing a disruption to the general public.
But following suit with England, Scotland will now reduce the isolation period from 10 days to seven.
Here's everything you need to know about the latest changes.
So what are the self-isolation rules in Scotland?
Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the first change to self-isolation applies to those who test positive.
Whilst the advice for anyone who tests positive will still remain the same with the requirement to isolate for 10 days, there will now be an option to end isolation after seven days.
However you can only do this if you meet the following criteria:
- You have no fever
- You record two negative lateral flow tests - one no earlier than day six after testing positive and another at least 24 hours later
The second change applies to close contacts of positive cases - including household contacts - who are either under the age of 18 years and 4 months or who are older.
Those who are also fully vaccinated will come under this exemption however this means you must have had your first, second and booster or third dose. Two vaccines will not count.
For close contacts, the requirement to self-isolate will end and be replaced by a requirement to take a lateral flow test every day for seven days and if positive, self- isolate as instructed above.
Anyone identified as a close contact who is over 18 years and four months and not fully vaccinated will still be asked to self-isolate for ten days and take a PCR test.
All of these changes will take effect from midnight tonight.
