First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces change from 10 day Covid isolation to seven days

Residents in Stirling who test positive for coronavirus will now be able to exit isolation after just seven days.Addressing ministers this afternoon, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed that, as of midnight tonight, the self-isolation period is to be cut from 10 days.It comes after pressure was piled on the Scottish government as Scotland’s workforce faces a staffing crisis due to workers testing positive or being identified as close contacts.NHS Forth Valley revealed on Hogmanay that more than 200 staff absences were reported due to Covid.Stirling Council were forced to suspend the uplift of additional blue bin collections due to Covid-related staff absences.Forth Valley Police Division was also impacted, although Stirling’s most senior officer reassured the public that there was “sufficient capacity” of officers in the city.

Chief Inspector Gill Marshall said: “We have sufficient capacity and as a national service Police Scotland can flex resources should there be a requirement to do so.”Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said: “While the initial advice when someone tests positive will still be to self-isolate for 10 days, there will now be an option to end isolation after 7 days, as long as you, firstly, have no fever and, secondly, 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, four months, or who are older than that and fully vaccinated.

By ‘fully vaccinated’, we mean first, second and booster or third doses.“For close contacts in these categories the requirement to self-isolate