Covid in Scotland: Self-isolation change 'considered' to tackle staff absences
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Changes to the self-isolation rules in Scotland are being considered in a bid to ease pressure on public services, the deputy first minister has said.
Fully-vaccinated people who have coronavirus currently have to self-isolate for 10 days.
In England, that has been cut to a week for people who get negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven.
John Swinney said such a change could help tackle the "immediate threat" of public sector staff absences.
He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that reducing isolation periods was a measure "that would contribute" towards tackling staffing issues.
But he warned that stopping the circulation of the virus - and the now-dominant Omicron variant - remained "the inescapable challenge that we face".
He said: "We will of course consider the proposition that the United Kingdom government has brought forward.
"There are options that can be taken forward about the self-isolation arrangements which can try to ease pressure on public services.
"But what we have to recognise is that the number of cases is likely to become so significant that it is going to give rise to significant absence levels from our private and public services."
It comes as the number of daily positive tests in Scotland increased to about 5,500 a day compared to 3,500 a week ago.
Mr Swinney said that "brings into question the sustainability of some of these services, which is why we have to act to try to slow down the circulation of the virus".
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the change in England would minimise disruption caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
He said the move was based on the latest guidance from health experts.
Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland's large-scale Hogmanay celebrations "will not proceed"
Scotland's national clinical director, Prof Jason Leitch, said expert groups in Scotland would look at the latest data "over the next few days" before advising on any rule change.
He said: "Self-isolation has changed over time - we went from 14 days down to 10. We now test and release quite a lot of people for critical infrastructure, health and social care and other things.
"We will put that (data) to our expert groups and we will then give advice to the politicians in Scotland about what we should do."
The Scottish Conservatives' health spokesman Sandesh Gulhane described the current rules on self-isolation as "unsustainable".
He said: "If there are not urgent changes, the consequences for our emergency services, our transport network and the economy could be dire.
"People understand the need to self-isolate until they have a negative test but keeping people inside beyond that is likely to result in the breakdown of essential services over the coming weeks."
Events cancelled
Labour's health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "Increasing staff absences are set to bring hospitality to its knees and pile pressure onto already-stretched services.
"If the evidence says we can safely help ease this, there is no excuse for delaying while businesses and public services suffer."
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that tough new Covid rules would be introduced in Scotland after Christmas Day in a bid to help slow the spread of Omicron.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay events have been cancelled and football matches will, in effect, be spectator-free for at least three weeks.
All outdoor events will be limited to just 500 people, while indoor events such as concerts will be limited to 200 people if they are seated, or 100 for standing.
Pubs and other hospitality venues selling alcohol will need to reintroduce table service from 27 December.
And indoor hospitality and leisure venues will be required to ensure there is a 1m distance between groups of people who are attending together - which could force nightclubs to close.
'Open in name only'
Hospitality bosses described the latest moves - which come two weeks after advice from Public Health Scotland for people to cancel Christmas parties - as a "knockout blow" to many businesses already struggling because of the pandemic.
Colin Wilkinson, managing director of Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said the industry had faced a "tsunami of cancellations" and that "we effectively remain open in name only".
He told Good Morning Scotland: "The industry is in a far more precarious position than last year when we had the furlough scheme.
"The problem we have is we can see when we get through the winter period a number of businesses will be folding because of the Covid debt they have accrued over this period.
"We've gone beyond the point of calling for support. We're in the position where it is aid the industry needs if we are to survive."
