Covid Scotland: When to self-isolate in Scotland after First Minister's update

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon offered fresh advice on self-isolating during a coronavirus briefing.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon held a coronavirus briefing at 12.15am on Friday December 10th.

This came following advice from Public Health Scotland saying that people should avoid holding or attending Christmas parties.

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Ms Sturgeon gave an update on how the Omicron variant is spreading in Scotland and why it is vital to combat it.

“Given the volume of people who could be infected by Omicron because of its greater transmissibility, even if most of those cases are mild, the number of cases of serious illness will put massive strain on the ability of the NHS to cope,” the First Minister said.

The First Minister went on to say that the Scottish Government will “consider its next steps very carefully” in the wake of the Omicron variant spreading through the country.

The key major change that Ms Sturgeon introduced was around self-isolating.

Here are the new rules that apply to self-isolation in Scotland and when they should be adhered to.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned of a "tsunami" of Omicron infectionsFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned of a "tsunami" of Omicron infections
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned of a "tsunami" of Omicron infections
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When to self-isolate in Scotland

During the briefing, Ms Sturgeon announced stricter isolation rules in response to the Omircron variant.

She confirmed that, from Saturday, household contacts will be asked to self-isolate for ten days, regardless of their vaccination status or a negative PCR test.

The main change in rules has been around self-isolating. Photo: Yui Mok/PA.The main change in rules has been around self-isolating. Photo: Yui Mok/PA.
The main change in rules has been around self-isolating. Photo: Yui Mok/PA.

This applies to contacts of any Covid case, not just the Omicron variant.

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Essentially, if you are in the same household as someone who has tested positive for Covid, you need to self-isolate for ten days.

“I know this is not easy,” said Ms Sturgeon. “We will obviously keep it under review, we will also ensure careful exemptions for critical services but we believe this to be essential at this moment to help slow transmission.”

Rules for close contacts who are not living in the same household remain unchanged.

Omicron in Scotland

There have been 389 confirmed or possible cases of the Omicron variant in Scotland, a rising number that Ms Sturgeon described as a “tsunami of infections”.

According to a paper published ahead of the briefing, the Omicron variant is on track to become the dominant variant of Covid-19 in between mid-December and early January.

The First Minister stated that this threshold could be reached within days during her briefing.

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