This weekend will see the Scottish government change the Covid self-isolation rules and adopt a new “Stay Home” message instead.
Starting this Sunday, May 1, the change will make public health advice to tell people to stay home instead of isolating themselves when they show Covid symptoms or report a positive Covid test.
People who have symptoms of Covid and are too ill to perform daily activities will be asked to stay home until they are well, but they are no longer recommended to take a PCR test.
READ MORE: Edinburgh Covid walks to malls to close this weekend as restrictions weaken
This comes as the NHS progresses in its plan to test and protect the transition, published last month, which will also end contact tracking.
Testing for the general population will end on Friday, April 30. At this point, the test sites will be closed, leaving only a few open to high-risk groups, monitoring and supporting clinical care. For example, health workers, visitors to nursing homes and hospitals, hospital patients, unpaid carers and those in prison.
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Adults with symptoms of Covid and other respiratory illnesses, or who are not feeling well enough to work, are advised to stay at home until their temperature disappears or they feel well.
Children and young people who have only mild symptoms will not have to stay at home and can continue to go to school. They are advised to stay at home only if they are not well or have a high temperature.
The Protect Scotland app will be closed soon, but people are encouraged to keep it on their phones in case it is needed in the future.
NHS Scotland is also coming out of emergency at the end of Saturday as cases continue to decline.
However, the government insists that caution is still needed to protect vital services. Patients should only contact A&E if their condition is urgent to limit the pressure on services.
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Patients are encouraged to contact their GP during the day, at your local pharmacy or by calling NHS24.
Health Minister Humza Youssef said: “Scotland’s Test and Protect program was one of the key interventions in our response to Covid-19, which was largely due to the remarkable staff and volunteers working in Test and Protect – my sincere thanks are to them.
“I would also like to thank the Scottish public for their commitment and willingness to engage with Test and Protect when required to do so, and to help protect their fellow citizens.
“However, we realize that we are now in a different phase of the pandemic. The main goal of testing is to move from testing for the general population to reduce transmission to a targeted response focused on reducing severe virus damage.
“As we now see a steady decline in new covid cases, the NHS will no longer remain in emergency after Saturday, April 30. But we must continue with a measured approach to support the recovery and renewal of our NHS.
“This will require balancing the capacity of the NHS and the well-being of the workforce to meet the growing demands for emergency care, while reducing the backlog of planned care.
Information on current guidelines and the steps you can take to limit the spread of Covid can be found in the “Stay Home Guidelines” from 1 May. nhsinform.scot/covid19 .
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