Job related contacts double despite work from home guidance
The number of work related contacts people in Scotland are meeting face to face has doubled in the past two weeks, a Scottish Government publication on Covid has revealed, despite the guidance remaining to work at home where possible.
The data from the weekly Coronavirus (COVID-19): modelling the epidemic report from the Scottish Government said that the average person had 5.1 daily contacts between 4 and 10 November. All age groups had increased the number of people they had close contact with, it added, driven by a rise in the number of people meeting for work reasons.
The largest increase was reported by the 18-29 age group, increasing overall contacts by 44 per cent.
However, contacts within the home and other settings not related to work or school have remained at a similar level over the same period.
The proportion of individuals visiting a healthcare facility increased from approximately 22 per cent to 26 per cent while individuals visiting a pub or restaurant decreased from 49 per cent to 44 per cent in the last two weeks.
Contacts reported to have been indoors only has remained at similar level to two weeks prior at 69 per cent, while the number of people wearing a face covering where they have at least one contact outside of the home remains at a similar level to two weeks prior, at 83 per cent.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, Liz Smith said: “Scottish businesses have faced 18 months of hardship, and are now desperate to get back to normal. Working from home has been one of the most effective measures for cutting Covid transmission, but for many people homeworking is simply not possible or sustainable.
“Thesnphaveturnedablind eye to the economic damage and harmful inequalities caused by ‘work from home’ requirements, for months. Their Business Ventilation Fund, to make workplaces safer, was expected to start making payments by November, yet applications won’t even open until Monday.
“The onus is on the SNP Government to ramp-up efforts to ensure a safe return to in-person working, as we learn to live with this virus.”