Question reference: S5W-32478
- Date lodged: 13 October 2020
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Current status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has that determined that contact sports such as football should not take place in a non-professional capacity under the current COVID-19 restrictions.
Answer
Contact sports for those aged 18 and over is currently not permitted in areas under temporary restrictions. From 2 November 2020, a strategic approach to outbreak management based on five levels of protection is due to be introduced and as currently drafted, contact sports for those aged 18 and over will not be permitted in level 3 and level 4 areas.
Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed.
This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate. We have used scientific evidence on transmission coupled with the social and economic benefits which Ministers have used to make decisions. There are a number of relevant factors that would have been considered:
- Duration of contact.
- Ability to maintain distancing.
- Challenge of cleaning surfaces, spaces between and around users.
- Aerosol transmission risk since such activities could give rise to heavier breathing, panting, shouting etc which would all increase the chance of transmission particularly as masks cannot be worn.
The Scottish Government is currently preparing to publish this information in due course.