Two important changes have been made to Scotland’s coronavirus contact tracing app for mobile phones.
Scots can now use the Protect Scotland app to download a certificate onto their phone if they have been told to self-isolate.
This certificate can be used as proof when claiming for the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500.
It can used as evidence for your employers when you tell them that you have been notified to self-isolate.
The upgrade has also made it possible for Scots with older phones to now use the app.
iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 users can now use the tool after Apple made its exposure notification system available on both models.
Both changes are now available for use.
Nicola Sturgeon announced that 1.8 million Scots have downloaded the application since it was launched last year.
The First Minister hopes that more will get the software onto their smartphones following the changes.
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus press briefing yesterday, she said: “The app has already been really valuable.
“Is has told, so far, almost 40,000 people to self-isolate. And of course many of these people would otherwise have been notified maybe hours later, or even a day later, or perhaps not notified at all.
“Because where the app is especially useful is in notifying people who have been in close contact with each other, but they don’t know each other.”
Sturgeon added: “The app has already been downloaded 1.8 million times, but we want to increase its reach further.
“So for those of you who have the app already, please check in your App Store or Play Store to make sure that it is up to date and you have all of the recent improvements.
“And if you have an older iPhone, please have another go at downloading it because it very possibly is open to you now.”
A further 830 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Scotland overnight on Friday.
The Scottish Government also announced 67 new deaths from the disease were also recorded over the same time.
More than one million Scots have received their first dose of the coronavirus jab, according to the latest data from health officials.
