Question reference: S5W-32388
- Date lodged: 8 October 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 October 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the transmission rates of COVID-19 in supermarkets.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to monitor the transmission of Covid-19, including in retail settings. Guidance for the retail sector which set out our expectations on the steps that retail business should take to safely conduct business was published in May 2020. We have worked with employers and trade unions to ensure that this guidance is evidence-based, fair and ethical, clear and realistic.
Since then a range of additional measures have been introduced depending upon the sector and the risks posed, including the wearing of face coverings, physical distancing, additional cleaning regimes, test and protect and isolating cases. We will continue to work with sector leads to protect workers and customers in retail settings.
We updated our Regulations on 10 October to ensure supermarkets take all reasonable measures to ensure that a distance of two metres is maintained between any persons on the premises, with the exception of those within the same household or a carer assisting another person. They must also take all reasonable measures to ensure that it only admits people to its premises in sufficiently small numbers to make it possible to maintain that distance. This includes those queueing awaiting entry to the premises.
We continue to monitor the transmission of Covid in retail settings and, if appropriate, we will amend the guidance and Regulations currently in place.