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Category: Covid-19

Update on We’re Good to Go Scheme

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

We’re Good to Go, the industry standard that has supported businesses throughout the pandemic, has now closed.

VisitEngland, VisitScotland, Visit Wales and Tourism Northern Ireland have agreed this key partnership initiative has achieved what it set out to and collectively thank all businesses who stepped up to the challenge that enabled us and each business to demonstrate the COVID-19 protocols they have put in place to keep visitors safe.

What happens next?

Businesses currently signed up are encouraged not to display the certificate and to remove the logo where possible, but are not expected to incur costs in doing so and therefore may retain the logo on any printed marketing material currently in use on the understanding this will not be in place beyond September 2022.

VisitScotland asks however that the logo be removed from your website and social media channels on or before 30 April 2022.

If you registered to use the World Travel & Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ Stamp, as the collective awarding body for the UK – VisitEngland, VisitScotland, Visit Wales and Tourism NI – you may still utilise the stamp for your international marketing until such time that WTTC confirm they no longer run this scheme. However, no new applications will be accepted by us and anyone wishing to apply for Safe Travels after that point will need to apply directly to WTTC.

Covid Restrictions

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

Most of the remaining legal requirements in the Coronavirus regulations were removed today (21 March), specifically requirements for workplaces to:

  • collect and share visitor information;
  • have regard to Scottish Government guidance about minimising risk of exposure to COVID-19 on its premises;
  • take reasonably practicable measures, as set out in the guidance, to minimise incidence and spread of COVID-19.

Guidance for businesses and workplaces on reducing the risk of COVID-19 and supporting staff and customers has been updated to reflect these changes.

A toolkit to assist businesses is available here, a further toolkit for event organisers and businesses who are continuing with the option to check COVID status is available here.

By law, people must continue to wear a face covering in most indoor public spaces, unless exempt from doing so because of specific circumstances. This will be reviewed on 29 March and any changes implemented from 4 April.

First Minister’s Covid-19 Update – 22nd February 2022

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out the Scottish Government’s new update to its Strategic Framework for dealing with Covid-19 and outlined some policy announcements which would flow from this approach.

Key Points

Scotland’s Strategic Framework

  • In her update to the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out the Scottish Government’s updated Covid Strategy.[1]
  • This would entail fewer “legally imposed protective measures” and instead “rely predominantly on vaccines, treatments, and sensible public health behaviours and adaptations”.
  • In terms of future developments, the new framework provides three broad levels of future potential threat – low, medium and high. These levels would be guided by data and evidence

Policy Announcements

The First Minister also announced the indicative timetable for the remaining legal protections to be removed:

  • Scotland’s Covid certification scheme would end on 28th February but that it would remain available to any business who wished to use it on a voluntary basis.
  • Face coverings would cease to be mandatory from 21st March but would still be recommended on a voluntary basis through guidance.
  • The collection of customer details for contact tracing purposes, and for businesses, service providers and places of worship to have regard to guidance on Covid and to take reasonably practicable measures set out in the guidance, are also expected to be lifted on 21st March.
  • The Scottish Government would continue to provide people in Scotland with continued access to PCR and lateral flow testing free of charge, ahead of a detailed transition plan being published on the future of Scotland’s test and protect programme in March. The First Minister expressed frustration at the approach taken by the UK Government on testing and the lack of clarity provided on testing infrastructure and funding.
  • Unlike the approach in England, guidance on self-isolation would remain.

[1] See: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-scotlands-strategic-framework-update-february-2022/