The Scottish government has allowed community pharmacies to apply for exemption from self-isolating under the health category in the Critical National Infrastructure.
To request an exemption, organisations should send an email at covid19outbreakmanagement@gov.scot with the name of the organisation, mention the sector under the critical national infrastructure along with the evidence of how self-isolation is currently impacting your critical functions and services, including the quantitative impact.
Exemptions only apply to staff who have agreed to return to work, following a risk assessment of their personal circumstances. The employers’ duty of care to all employees must be respected.
Strict criteria must be met before a staff member who is in close contact with a positive case can return to work. Staff must:
- have had their second Covid-19 vaccination more than 14 days before
- have a vaccine certificate to show they are fully vaccinated (you can request a copy of your vaccination status at the NHS Inform website).
- not have symptoms of Covid-19
- have evidence of a negative PCR test
- take daily lateral flow tests for up to 10 days after being exposed to the virus
- fully comply with any PPE requirements, hand hygiene, and other infection control measures
Staff who cannot reasonably isolate from ongoing exposure to a Covid-19 positive household member will not usually be asked to return to work.
