Nicola Sturgeon update: These are the changes to Scotland's Covid rules

The First Minister was speaking as she laid out the updated strategic framework for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

She said that Scotland would "seek to rely much less on legally imposed measures and more on vaccines, treatments and sensible adaptations".

The Covid certification scheme will come to an end on Monday February 28, although some businesses may choose to continue with it if they wish.

The legal requirement to wear masks in public settings is also to be lifted from March 21, becoming guidance instead.

The First Minister added: "We also expect on March 21 to lift the legal requirement for businesses, places of worship, and service providers to have regard to Scottish government guidance on Covid, and to take reasonably practicable measures set out in the guidance. 

"And the legal requirement on businesses and service providers to retain customer contact details is also expected to end on 21 March."

Sturgeon said that as part of the effort the vaccination programme would be extended. This includes rolling out first doses to five to 11-year-olds from mid-March.

The news comes one day after Boris Johnson announced that all of the remaining covid rules in England would be scrapped.

The legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test will be ditched from Thursday, February 24, and free testing for the general public ended from April 1.

Ending free testing in England means that the knock-on Barnett funding for the devolved nations' testing programmes will also end.

Testing in Scotland

The First Minister signalled that Scotland would continue with a free testing programme moving forward, despite moves in England.

She told MSPs: "If you have Covid symptoms, you should continue to go for a PCR test. Access to these tests will remain free of charge at testing sites across the country.

"Second, you should continue to make regular use of lateral flow tests even if you don’t have symptoms...

"We will from Monday revert to advice to test at least twice a week and in particular if you are going to a crowded place or mixing with someone who is clinically vulnerable.

"Lateral flow tests will remain free of charge in the transition phase.

"Indeed, we consider it important - in line with the principle of healthcare free at the point of use - that they should remain free of charge for any circumstance in which government recommends testing.

"This is a principle we will seek to uphold in our longer-term plan."

Self-isolation

The First Minister said she wanted to "emphasise that in Scotland, for now, we will continue to ask those who test positive for Covid to isolate for the recommended period".

This is in line with advice from English chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty (above), who asked people who test positive for Covid-19 to isolate.

Sturgeon said Scotland would also continue to make self-isolation support payments available to those who are eligible, despite them being scrapped south of the Border.

She said self-isolation "remains one of the most fundamental public health protections that we have available". 

Devolution 'frustration'

Sturgeon expressed "frustration" at the Tory government's moves, and criticised the UK system which means decisions made in England affect the devolved nations' approach.

She said: "Current funding arrangements mean that though taxpayers in all four UK nations contribute to the costs, it is decisions taken for England that determine the resources available to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for testing and other Covid measures.

"As of now, we have no clarity on how much of the Covid testing infrastructure the UK government intends to retain, no clarity on how much investment will support it in future, and no clarity on whether the Treasury will provide additional resources to pay for it or demand instead that funding is taken from elsewhere in the health budget.

"I hope we get this clarity soon so that we can out in more detail our longer-term approach to testing."

The strategic framework

Sturgeon said that Scotland would not be taking a "one-size-fits-all approach", instead using a framework that categorises the current level of Covid threat as either low, medium, or high.

Depending on the level of threat, the First Minister did not rule out the return of restrictions.

She said that if a new coronavirus variant emerged that was both more severe and more transmissible then people may be advised to limit social interactions and work from home.

If a variant emerged that, like Omicron, was either more severe or more transmissible but not both, then face masks and business guidance may be brought back in.

If the situation remains the same, Sturgeon said, "the threat classification would likely remain low". 

"Obviously, this is the level we hope to reach and stay at on a sustainable basis. 

"In these circumstances, there would be no legally imposed protective measures. Instead, we would continue to advise individuals and organisations to adopt sensible public health behaviours," she said.

The First Minister also confirmed the latest coronavirus figures. She said Scotland has recorded 18 new Covid-linked deaths and a further 6427 cases in 24 hours.

This brings the number of deaths under this measure, of people who tested positive for the virus in the previous 28 days, to 10,614.

Some 1060 people were in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed Covid, with 12 people in intensive care.

A total of 4,433,160 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,152,325 have received their second dose, and 3,404,119 have received a third dose or booster.