Q&A

Q: What is the purpose of Test and Protect scheme?

A: Lockdown measures are due to be eased towards the end of this week, which will see more people out in public. The focus of the Scottish Government response will now move to ensuring people find out if they have been in contact with someone who has the virus.

Q: What do you do if you think you have the virus?

Book a test as soon as you have any symptoms – a cough, temperature, or the loss of taste and smell. Do not wait a day or two to see if they get better. Tests can be booked via the website nhsinform.scot or by calling NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816. Tests can be booked at a drive-through testing centre, mobile units which travel round the country or, in some cases, through a test at home.

While awaiting a result, people must self-isolate for seven days from the start of their symptoms, while all members of their household must self-isolate for 14 days.

Q: What happens after test results?

A: If the test comes back negative, the individual and the members of their household can end their selfisolation. If it is positive, contact tracers will ask them for details of people within their household, people who they have had face-to-face contact with, and anyone else who has been within two metres of them for a period of 15 minutes or more. The process raises the prospect that workers could be forced to self-isolate for 14 days several times if people they come into contact with fall ill at different times.

Q: What about people you don’t know, such as those next to you on a train journey?

A: This appears to be a flaw in the scheme, as nobody could be expected to pass on these details. However, a new UK Government ‘proximity’ app is due to be launched in the coming weeks and could be a vital enhancement. It notifies people if they have been in close contact with someone confirmed to have the virus.

Q: What do contact tracers do with the information?

A: They call people and tell them to self-isolate for 14 days. Even if they subsequently get tested and are negative, they must still see out this quarantine period.

Q: Are there risks?

A: Some may have concerns about calls by scammers and the privacy of data held.