The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 and The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2022: equality impact assessment

Policy Objectives

In line with our strategic intent to 'suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms while we recover and rebuild for a better future', the policy objectives of Covid Status Certification remain to:

• Reduce the risk of transmission of Coronavirus, by ensuring that specified public spaces where transmission risks are higher are used only by those who are fully vaccinated including a booster when required, can provide a record of a negative test within the previous 24 hours, or are exempt. Vaccination or a negative test within the previous 24 hours reduces (but does not eliminate) the risk of being infected, the risk of serious illness and death if they are infected and the risk of infecting others;
• Reduce the risk of serious illness and death thereby alleviating current and future pressure on the National Health Service, by reducing transmission in specified settings where transmission risks are higher;
• Reduce the risk of settings specified in the scheme being required to operate under more restrictive protections, or to close, by ensuring that the risk of transmission in these settings is reduced; and
• Increase the protection enjoyed by those using settings covered by the scheme and their contacts, by incentivising those using the settings to get vaccinated and to test regularly and self-isolate if positive.

An evidence paper summarising the range of evidence available on certification schemes was published. Consistent with our approach throughout the pandemic, the paper adopts a four harms approach covering the direct health harms of Covid-19, the indirect health harms, the social and the economic harms. Evidence is drawn from clinical and scientific literature, from public opinion and from international experience. A follow-up evidence paper which sets out the evidence on certification schemes since the original paper was published is available. An evidence paper on the Omicron variant was published on 10 December 2021. This impact assessment should also be considered alongside the latest State of the Epidemic report.