Question reference: S5W-34353
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 8 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 (a) in supermarkets and (b) among supermarket staff.
Answer
The Scottish Government participates in the Defra Food Resilience Forum where there has been regular reporting of the absence across the whole of the food and drink sector, including supermarkets. Information is also collected on outbreaks so we are able to identify whether there are issues at particular retail outlets or supermarkets. Scottish Government also engages in regular dialogue with retailers to ensure there is an overview of the impact of Covid-19 on the sector.
A range of management information including some information on likely exposure settings based on interviews conducted with people who have tested positive for Covid-19 is collected and by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and used by the Scottish Government. This information is available on the PHS dashboard ( Dashboard - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org) ) and includes details of possible exposure within retail environments, such as supermarkets, and those who have been shopping.