Two years since Scotland's first official Covid case identified

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a coronavirus update in the Scottish Parliament Building.
Some rules have been eased in Scotland this week. Credit: PA

It has been two years since Scotland's first official case of Covid was diagnosed.

The first known case of coronavirus in Scotland was found on 1 March 2020, with more than a million reported over the last two years.

Jeane Freeman, who was the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport at the time, said the first patient was thought to have travelled to northern Italy before contracting the virus.

This week saw some coronavirus restrictions eased in Scotland including face masks no longer being worn in classrooms and the scrapping of vaccine passports.

The remaining restrictions will be lifted on 21 March.

No more vaccine passports

From this week vaccine passports were scrapped across Scotland which means the public no longer have to prove they are vaccinated or have taken a Covid test and have received a negative result.

Businesses now do not need to ask to see vaccine passports but some may still choose to do so.

When they were introduced on 1 October 2021, they started being used for venues such as nightclubs and concerts.

No more face coverings in the classroom

Pupils and school staff do not now need to wear a facemask while they are in the classroom.

But they do still need to be worn in "indoor communal areas" according to the guidance.

Students and school staff in the areas with the highest rates of coronavirus were asked to start wearing masks in the classroom on 2 November 2020.

This was then later extended to all secondary school staff in Scotland.