Question reference: S5W-34559
- Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 13 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will regularly report the COVID-19 test positivity rate among supermarket and retail staff compared with the general population, and, if it does not collect this information, whether it will consider doing so.
Answer
The Public Health Scotland (PHS) dashboard ( Dashboard - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org) ) contains 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. This includes those who work in a retail environment and those who have been shopping.
In addition, 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. Scottish Government also engages in regular dialogue with retailers to ensure there is an overview of the impact of Covid-19 on the sector.