Coronavirus

More than 140 former heads of state and government and Nobel laureates today called on the candidates to be the next German chancellor – Annalena Baerbock, Olaf Scholz, and Armin Laschet – to declare themselves in favour of waiving intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines and tr

So-called "vaccine passports" will be required to enter certain events and higher risk venues, such as nightclubs, music festivals and some football grounds under plans being put to MSPs next week. The Scottish Parliament will be asked to vote on the introduction of a Covid-19 vaccination verificati

A defence lawyer in Canada has praised a judge's decision to exclude unvaccinated jurors – because he "wants intelligent people on the jury". Justice Kevin Phillips, who is overseeing a murder trial in Ottawa, said in a pre-trial ruling that he would dismiss any potential jurors who said they

International travellers to Scotland will be able to use private sector Covid tests when arriving from green or amber list countries under a change to international travel restrictions. People will soon be able to choose from a list of approved providers when booking the tests they need to take afte

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed the Scottish government's committent to a "human rights-based" inquiry into its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Kavita Chetty, head of strategy and legal for the rights watchdog, briefed MSPs last week on why human rights need to be embedded in th

A judge-led public inquiry into the Scottish government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic will be established by the end of the year, ministers announced today. A consultation has been launched on the draft aims and principles of the inquiry, and the government said discussions are "underway with

Police have been "fair and proportionate" in their enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions, according to new research published by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). The independent advisory group chaired by John Scott QC has published a major 141-page report into police use of Covid-19 powers ahead

A new consultation launched today seeks the public’s views on legislative reform to support Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic. The consultation sets out a range of proposals, including whether some beneficial temporary provisions made under Scottish and UK coronavirus legislation and

A solicitor who refused the Covid vaccine has died after becoming infected with the virus. Leslie Lawrenson, 58, said on Facebook people ought to “trust your immune system” and that he would rather develop “antibodies in my blood” than have the vaccine.

Measures no longer necessary to support the ongoing public health response will be removed from the Scottish Coronavirus Acts after Holyrood approved their expiration. The Coronavirus (Extension and Expiry) (Scotland) Bill was voted for by MSPs after three days of scrutiny.

Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray MP has called on the UK government to support a judge-led inquiry into the handling of Covid-19 in Scotland. At Scotland Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Murray said grieving families deserve answers from both governments after a catalogue of mistakes during

A six-month extension of emergency measures granted under the Scottish Coronavirus Acts will be debated in the Scottish Parliament next week. The Coronavirus (Extension and Expiry) (Scotland) Bill will be scrutinised and debated by MSPs over three days from 22 June.

The range of new laws introduced to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic have not been subject to adequate parliamentary scrutiny, with government guidance and ministerial statements often failing to set out the law clearly, misstating the law or laying claim to legal requirements that did not exist, accord

Lawmakers around the world should include “sunset clauses” in legislation to ensure Covid-19 health status certificates are only used during the pandemic, a new study says. Safeguards should be in place to guarantee against the risks posed to people’s privacy and human rights by ne

Calls have been made for an inquiry to address how failings by the Scottish government led directly to Covid transmission in care homes and the death of residents. Following the announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that there will be a public inquiry in Spring 2022 into the handling of the C