COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
The COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland is part of the COVID-19 pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Scotland on 1 March 2020. Community transmission was first reported on 11 March 2020, and the first confirmed death was on 13 March 2020.
| COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland | |
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(clockwise from top)
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| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Scotland |
| First outbreak | Northern Italy (local) Wuhan, Hubei, China (global) |
| Index case | Tayside |
| Arrival date | 19 February 2020 |
| Confirmed cases | 217,127 (up to 28 March 2021) |
| Hospitalised cases |
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| Critical cases |
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| Recovered | 14,917 (total, up to 28 March 2021) |
Deaths |
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| Fatality rate |
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| Government website | |
| Scottish Government: Coronavirus in Scotland | |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies |
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COVID-19 became a notifiable disease in Scotland on 22 February 2020. The first cases were detected in Scotland in the following weeks. By 16 March and following the outbreak in Italy, and based on forecasting by epidemiologists at Imperial College London—the Scottish Government advised the public to avoid all "non-essential" travel and contact with others, and to remote work if possible. Those with symptoms, and their household, were asked to self-isolate. Pregnant women, the over 70s, and those with certain illnesses were asked to self-isolate for longer. On 20 March 2020, schools were told to close, along with pubs, cafes and cinemas. On 23 March 2020, a 'Stay at Home' order was announced; this would come to be referred to as the UK lockdown.
COVID-19 policies in Scotland began to diverge with those elsewhere in the UK as the first lockdown was lifted starting in April 2020. The Scottish government pursued a zero-COVID strategy aiming to eliminate the virus entirely in 2020, lifted lockdown rules more gradually than the rest of the country, and expanded testing capacity. Personal protective equipment supplies and guidance were major issues early in the outbreak. A four-tier restriction system that applied to different regions of Scotland came into force later in 2020, and a lockdown applying to the whole country applied from early 2021 as the Alpha variant spread from elsewhere in the UK. A vaccination programme began in December 2020. As many restrictions were lifted later in 2021, the Delta variant and Omicron variant have since posed further challenges and prompted responses in Scotland.
Scottish healthcare service capacity was substantially reorganised in response to the outbreak and clinical studies into COVID-19 have also taken place in the country.
The pandemic has had major impact across Scottish society. Care homes and healthcare were directly affected by the spread of the disease. Beyond that, it has caused major disruptions to education, law enforcement, and economic activities.