Scots should continue to work from home even though Scotland has “turned a corner” on the Omicron wave, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
In her update to MSPs in Holyrood the First Minister lifted a number of Omicron restrictions but said the default for the rest of the month at least should be to work from home as the number of covid cases across Scotland, although declining, remains high.
She told MSPs: “We will continue to ask people to work from home whenever possible at this stage and for employers to facilitate this.”
In a signal that the new strategy for living with covid is on the horizon the First Minister said the government “will engage with business now about a return to a more hybrid approach from the start of February”.
She added that other baseline measures that were in place before Omicron, like the requirement for businesses, service providers and places of worship to take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus on their premises - will be retained.
Sturgeon added: “That means face coverings must still be worn in public indoor settings and on public transport.
"Businesses and other organisations should continue to have regard to guidance, and take reasonable steps to minimise the spread of Covid.
"And hospitality premises should continue to collect contact details for customers which is important for the effective operation of Test & Protect.”
As she encouraged people to continue to take up the offer of booster vaccines, the First Minister thanked people for following the rules.
She said: “The situation we face today is much less severe than it might have been without the sacrifices everyone has made over these past few weeks.”
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