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Scottish Government guidance and advice is based on the evidence and informed by both SAGE and our own CMO Advisory Group, who advise on the science with regard to infectiousness.

All Covid-19 testing carried out in Scotland at the moment is PCR testing. The PCR test detects the presence of causative virus (SARS- Cov-2 in the case of Covid-19) in a sample.

PCR positivity at day 7 or beyond does not mean the same thing as being infectious (ie, producing live virus).

Evidence to date suggests that the current advise to isolate for seven days in the case of mild infection, or seven days after major symptoms have ended for more severe cases, remains sound and will be appropriate for the vast majority of cases.

NHS Inform advises that people should wait until they feel well enough before returning to work, and should adhere to the other principles set down in guidance in relation to physical distancing, respiratory and hand hygiene etc, after that point.

Advice and guidance remains subject to the outcome of future research into infectiousness between 7 and 14 days after infection, and will be assessed on an ongoing basis by SAGE and the CMO Advisory Group. Policy will be amended if needed, particularly for those people coming into contact with vulnerable people, or people in other higher-risk situations.

The testing of healthcare workers continues to be our priority, and all symptomatic NHS workers or symptomatic household members are eligible for testing.

On 23 June I announced that we are now routinely testing health care workers where the evidence tells us that it is appropriate to do so. All health care workers connected to a nosocomial outbreak will be tested regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. We will also test, on a weekly basis, staff working in specialist cancer units, in long-term care of the elderly, and in long-stay mental health wards. Boards are being asked to start this additional testing by 8 July.

The nosocomial expert group did not consider wholesale routine testing of asymptomatic health care workers to be an effective and proportionate method of tackling nosocomial risk.

Staff who test positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate at home for 7 days from onset of symptoms (or from date of testing if they are asymptomatic), and can only return to work after 7 days if they feel well enough to do so, and if they have not had a fever for at least 48 hours. Staff do not need to be retested prior to returning the workplace.

During the period from February 2020 to May 2020, user logins to Glow via RM Unify were split:

Staff (Teaching and non-Teaching staff)

• local authority schools 97-98%
• independent schools 0.3-0.5%

Pupils

• local authority schools 99.8 – 99.9%.
• independent schools 0.1 – 0.2%

Notes

1. The figures above are based on users logging into Glow via RM Unify but they do not include users accessing Glow through desktop or mobile apps which may be used on devices such as tablet/iPads distributed by local authorities.

2. Glow does not include a category of private school, instead it uses “independent schools”. This includes schools which are privately funded and special schools.

3. The percentage usage for staff do not add up to 100% as there are also some staff accounts in ITE universities, colleges and national bodies involved in education such as Education Scotland.

(a) Teachers: Due to the complexities of local account management in Glow it is not possible to provide the information requested for teacher usage.

(b) Pupils: Twenty-seven local authorities make use of the Glow platform with five using their own alternative. In the period from 1 August 2019 until 31 May 2020, 482,549 pupils from local authority schools logged into Glow. While a small number of pupils outwith the 27 local authority areas may have accessed Glow, this represents around 85% of the pupil population of the 27 local authorities area that use Glow. It represent 69% of all pupils in Scotland however, it should be noted that this would not be a valid comparison.

The data required to provide the specific answers to the PQ is not available.

Glow usage is monitored monthly and Education Scotland publishes statistics on the use of Glow at a national level on a monthly basis on the Glow Connect website - https://glowconnect.org.uk/about-glow/glow-usage-stats/

These figures cover the period from October 2015 until May 2020 and shows both national unique users and national monthly logins broken down into teaching staff, non-teaching staff and pupils.

The national figures published monthly on Glow Connect are based on users logging into Glow via RM Unify but they do not include users accessing Glow through desktop or mobile apps which may be used on devices such as tablet/ iPads distributed by local authorities.

Glow provides a digital collaboration and productivity platform for all learners in Scotland. Glow and other digital services can provide local authorities, schools and practitioners with data they can use to identify inequalities which can be used to target support.

Practitioners are able to connect with learners within Glow using Microsoft or Google tools and hold virtual meetings, share learning materials, set assignments, monitor progress in learning and track engagement. This enables practitioners to factor in Glow when planning and setting tasks and searching and teaching activities for their learners.

The industry standard productivity tools offered by Microsoft and Google are free to download for all Glow users. There are also learning tools built in to the Microsoft Office suite making learning materials more accessible for pupils.

Schools and practitioners in Scotland are using digital platforms and tools such as those in Glow to engage with our most disadvantaged young people in our communities. School pastoral care and senior leadership teams are using the functionalities of Glow to encourage and communicate positive and motivational messages to learners within their communities as a result of each schools provision of digital resources to young people.

Evidence on this matter has been received through the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and Scotland's Chief Medical Officer. The Scottish Government also monitors international evidence, in particular that from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Under most circumstances, even without cleaning or disinfection, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 72 hours. We know that similar viruses, are transferred to and by people’s hands and therefore frequent hand hygiene and regular decontamination of frequently touched environmental and equipment surfaces will help to reduce the risk of infection transmission.

Local authorities are expected to adhere to guidance on environmental decontamination (cleaning and disinfection) as an important mitigating action to contain the spread of COVID-19. That guidance is disseminated through Public Health Scotland and can be found here:

https://hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-guidance-for-non-healthcare-settings/

Decontamination needs to be done alongside other measures such as physical distancing, frequent hand washing, wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces and on public transport, and cough etiquette; as well as, where it is deemed appropriate, wearing PPE.

Test and Protect is being delivered by Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards and all Boards had an enhanced contact tracing approach in place by 28 May. Scotland’s approach uses established, tried and tested contact tracing techniques, delivered by health protection professionals in local teams, with support arrangements at national level. Local Health Protection Teams and their respective health boards have established processes in place to address accessibility issues which they can draw on. Processes are also being put in place for the national contact tracing service which is due to be stood up later this month.

Technology will support contact tracing, but not replace contact tracing teams who have knowledge of their localities. For these localised interventions, public health teams will be able to use simple digital tools to facilitate phone interviews and enter contact tracing data. People who can access public facing digital tools will be able to do so, to ensure phone interview time is spent on those who need it most.

We are co-designing our digital tools with the Scottish public and the Digital Health and Care Institute is working with Scottish Universities to undertake qualitative interviews, focused surveys and seek feedback from citizens. This will be used to inform and refine our public-facing digital tools. We will seek to ensure the digital service is as accessible as possible by seeking input from representatives from minority ethnic communities, and recognised hard-to-reach groups.

We recognise that not everyone in Scotland will want, or be able, to use digital technology in this way, and so we are working to ensure that telephone support will be available for everyone who needs it.

Guidance for individuals and employers was published on 26 May on the Scottish Government website, for those asked to self-isolate because they have tested positive for COVID-19, or because have been in close contact with a positive case.

A public awareness campaign has started and, during the week commencing 22 June, information will be sent to every household in Scotland which sets out how Test and Protect will work. This Test and Protect mailer is being created in multiple languages and formats, including easy read, audio, British Sign Language and large print format, and will be available on the Scottish Government website from the 22 June.

Our use of contact tracing teams, involvement of the public in the development of digital tools and the option to engage with the programme via telephone will help ensure the Test and Protect Programme is accessible to blind and partially-sighted people.

The Government set out its planning assumption that schools should return full-time for all pupils in August. Further detailed planning will be undertaken with the Education Recovery Group which includes COSLA and the teaching unions.