rules regarding quarantine to bring them into line with those in england, which are set to change from 19 july. 13 july – scottish first minister nicola sturgeon announces that scotland will move to level zero restrictions from 19 july, but that the wearing of face coverings will remain mandatory for some time. deputy first minister john swinney suggests that they could be compulsory until christmas. 14 july – scotland records 11 covid deaths in its latest figures, the highest number since 30 march. 16 july – figures from the office for national statistics indicate one in 90 people in scotland is infected with covid. two of scotland's football clubs are given permission to have spectators for upcoming matches. celtic will be allowed 9,000 fans at their uefa champions league game against midtjylland on 20 july, and aberdeen 5,655 for their europa conference league match with hacken on 22 july. 17 july – mass testing is under way at hmp perth after 97 prisoners tested positive for covid-19. with the mass vaccination centre at glasgow's sse hydro set to close, opposition politicians urge the scottish government to keep it operating. the clinic is being closed in order to prepare the venue for a un climate change conference. 18 july – with all adults having been offered a vaccination, it is reported that a third of younger people in scotland remain unvaccinated. 19 july – scotland moves to level zero restrictions, allowing larger numbers of people to meet up indoors, as well as attending weddings and funerals. the ms island sky becomes the first cruise ship to dock in scotland since the onset of the pandemic when it arrives at lerwick harbour. 20 july – rangers are given permission to have 17,000 spectators at ibrox stadium for a scottish premiership match against livingston on 31 july. 21 july – figures from national records of scotland show covid was mentioned on 47 death certificates in the week of 12–18 july, a rise of 16 on the previous week. the scottish government has clarified its position on covid tests for school pupils after official minutes said they would be required before the beginning of the autumn term. their position is that the tests will not be mandatory. 22 july – the scottish government unveils plans to make critical workers such as health and care staff exempt from having to self-isolate. supermarket workers and airline staff may also be added to the list. scotland records 22 new covid deaths, the highest daily number for four months. 23 july – figures from the scottish government indicate that 50,000 people have stopped using the contact tracing app protect scotland during july. critical staff in the health, food and transport sectors can apply for exemption from self-isolation under a scheme launched by the scottish government. 27 july – first minister nicola sturgeon says there are "strong grounds for hope" that most covid restrictions in scotland will be removed in august. 29 july – figures from hm revenue and customs show that 141,500 workers in scotland were on the job retention scheme at the end of june 2021, down from 175,300 at the end of the previous month. 30 july – claire herriot, who flew home to glasgow from turkey to see her terminally ill father has been exempted from hotel quarantine after criticising the rules that would prevent her from saying goodbye. she had originally been told she would not be required to quarantine, but found herself facing the prospect often days in a hotel when she arrived back in scotland. 31 july – a digital vaccination certificate is reportedly in development to replace the paper certificate, with the scottish government having awarded a £600,000 contract to a danish firm to develop the scheme. august 2021 1 august – the scottish governmentannounces plans to vaccinate thousands of teenagers with health conditions that class them as vulnerable before the start of theautumn school term. around 4,000 children aged between12 and 17 fall into this category, with term set to begin on 16 august. 3 august – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms most covid restrictions in scotland will be lifted from 9 august. sturgeon confirms the number of people allowed to attend football matches will rise from 2,000 to 5,000 from 9 august, but clubs wishing to host more will need to apply to their local authority for permission to do so. sturgeon confirms that the wholesale self-isolation of entire classes of schoolchildren following a positive covid test among their number will no longer be "routine". 4 august – national clinical director professor jason leitch confirms that drinking at the bar will be allowed once most covid restrictions are lifted in scotland from monday 9 august. 5 august – the scottish ambulance service has drafted in firefighters to drive ambulances because of high levels of demand and staff shortages caused by the pandemic. it is reported that strict conditions over director pay and bonuses have been attached to emergency covid loans issued to scottish professional football league clubs. 6 august – scotland's r number has shrunk to below 1 for the first time since may 2021, with it estimated to be between 0.7 and 0.9 in the week to 2 august. the edinburgh fringe festival returns, having been cancelled in 2020 because of covid. new guidelines issued ahead of the lifting of most covid restrictions in scotland on monday 9 august state that face masks can be removed for drinking, dancing and dining in a hospitality setting. 7 august – drop in vaccination clinics begin for 16 and 17-year-olds in scotland. ahead of the lifting of covid restrictions in scotland, health secretary humza yousaf confirms that physical distancing will remain in healthcare settings such as doctors' surgeries, dental practices and hospitals. 8 august – scotland unveils its largest ever winter vaccination programme, with four million people set to be offered the flu jab over the coming winter. 9 august – the bulk of pandemic related restrictions are removed in scotland. rules that remain include compulsory mask wearing in some locations and restrictions surrounding the administration of schools in the early part of the new academic year. children under the age of 12 are no longer legally required to wear face coverings in public places. nightclubs are among the venues allowed to reopen following the lifting of restrictions. 10 august – higher results are published in scotland, with 87.3% achieving a to c grades. 11 august – a bbc scotland report highlights the pressure being placed on hospitals as they attempt to catch up on lengthy waiting lists brought about by the covid crisis. 12 august – the scottish government announces that doctors and dentists will be awarded a 3% pay rise in recognition of their efforts during the pandemic. the rise is also to be backdated to 1 april 2021. 13 august – four health boards have cancelled non-urgent procedures and outpatient appointments amid rising pressure on the health service from covid. a bbc news report highlights the potential difficulties of scotland's covid certificate system. while other parts of the uk are using an app through which people can scan a qr code to obtain their covid certificate, scotland is relying on a paper-based system, which may not be accepted by some countries. 15 august – ferry operator caledonian macbrayne cancels its campbeltown to ardrossan service after two crew members tested positive for covid. the mv caledonian isles will be deep cleaned during the suspension of crossings. 16 august – as schools in scotland begin to return for the new academic year, education secretary shirley-anne somerville says that face coverings in classrooms will be scrapped "as soon as possible". 17 august – the scottish government launches a consultation process making some of its emergency covid powers permanent. the coronavirus (scotland) act 2020 is due to expire in march 2022, but the scottish government would like to retain some powers, such as the ability to impose lockdowns, close schools, make it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants and release prisoners early. 18 august – scotland's spending deficit doubled to £36.3bn during 2020 because of the decrease in revenue due to the covid-19 pandemic, figures have shown. the scottish government confirms that secondary school examinations will go ahead as normal in 2022 as long as it is safe for them to do so. 20 august – scotrail publishes plans to cut 300 train services from its daily timetable to make adjustments to new post-covid travel patterns. 22 august – education secretary shirley-anne somerville is self-isolating after testing positive for covid. 23 august – figures show that 40% of 16 and 17-year-olds in scotland have had their first covid vaccination. edinburgh university's professor linda bault, a behavioural scientist, is appointed as a scientific adviser to the scottish government, taking up the position on 27 september. 24 august – as scotland reports a record 4,323 daily cases, first minister nicola sturgeon says she cannot rule out the reintroduction of some covid measures, but says these would be as limited and proportional as possible. the scottish government announces plans to hold a separate public inquiry into the handling of the covid crisis in scotland, expected to be at the end of the year. the national union of students has urged the scottish government to end a postcode lottery of quarantine fees for international students. around 3,000 are expected to arrive from red list countries, with their £2,300 hotel bills covered by some universities, but not all. 25 august – scotland's deputy first minister, john swinney, says the surge in cases in scotland is partly due to the return of schools. 27 august – scotland records 6,835 new covid cases, the highest daily increase to date and the third in a week, but first minister nicola sturgeon says the scottish government is not considering the introduction of a circuit-breaker lockdown. 28 august – as large scale events are allowed to resume in scotland, national clinical director jason leitch emphasises the importance of being vigilant, both for the public and the organisers of events. 29 august – another record number of daily covid cases is recorded, with 7,113 new cases reported. the news comes as health secretary humza yousaf says that the nhs in scotland is facing a "perfect storm". first minister nicola sturgeon self-isolates after being identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for covid. she is released from the requirement the following day after providing a negative test. 30 august – figures indicate covid cases have virtually doubled each week since the lifting of restrictions, leading to an increase in hospitalisations, and prompting national clinical director professor jason leitch to suggest a "reverse gear" may be needed with some restrictions. 31 august – death figures released by national records of scotland appear to show the pandemic has widened the gap between those living in deprived areas of scotland and those living in more affluent areas, with deaths registered in 2020 for deprived areas double those of other areas. bbc news reports that at least half of the pupils at an east dunbartonshire school were absent due to covid-related issues. september 2021 1 september – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that vaccine passports will be required for people who wish to enter nightclubs or attend large events. the practicality of the plans are questioned by the scottish professional football league, which says they could have unintended consequences. the health charity chest heart and stroke scotland says that thousands of patients are not being referred to long covid clinics by the nhs because of bureaucracy. 2 september – school attendance figures for 1 september show over 32,000 pupils were absent from school – 6,471 because they had tested positive for covid and 25,622 who were self-isolating. health secretary humza yousaf says the benefits of scotland's planned covid passport scheme for large events outweigh the concerns and are preferable to another lockdown. 4 september – pride celebrations return to glasgow following their cancellation in 2020. 5 september – bbc news reports that opposition to a vaccine passport scheme in scotland is growing, with scottish labour saying it will not support the proposals, which are scheduled to be debated in the scottish parliament on 9 september. 7 september – first minister nicola