Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland (2022) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This article shares what happened with the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland during 2022. Rules and how things were reported were different in Scotland compared to other parts of the UK like England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Key Events in 2022
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Key Events in 2022

January: New Year and New Rules

1 January – Even though big New Year parties were cancelled in Edinburgh, people still gathered to welcome 2022.
Scotland's top doctor, Dr Gregor Smith, was given a special honour (knighted) for his work.
A place where people got COVID-19 tests in Dumbarton was set on fire on purpose.
2 January – Five football games in Scotland were put off because many players had COVID.
3 January – Scotland had its highest number of new COVID cases ever, with over 20,000 in one day.
Kids aged 12–15 could get their second vaccine shot if it had been at least 12 weeks since their first.
4 January – ScotRail changed its train timetable because many staff were off sick with COVID.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney warned that the COVID testing system might get very busy as people went back to school and work.
Some ferry trips to the Isle of Arran were cancelled because of staff shortages due to COVID and bad weather.
6 January – Over one million people in Scotland had officially caught COVID since the pandemic began.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said that current COVID infection rates were as bad as experts had predicted.
Scotland changed the self-isolation period for people with COVID from ten days to seven days, like in England and Wales.
7 January – People coming to Scotland from other countries who were fully vaccinated no longer needed a COVID test before they travelled.
Police Scotland planned to use about 500 extra officers to help because many regular officers were off sick with COVID.
About 60% of people in Scottish hospitals with COVID were there because of the virus. The rest tested positive after being admitted for other reasons.
8 January – The number of people in hospital with COVID in Scotland went up by about 50% in a week.
9 January – Scotland's Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said Scotland was not planning to reduce the self-isolation period to five days.
A group called Scottish Teachers for Positive Change and Wellbeing said that not enough had been done to improve air flow in classrooms.
10 January – Professor Jason Leitch, a top health expert, said that the rules in place were helping to slow down the Omicron variant.
11 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that some COVID rules would be relaxed from 17 January. This included removing the limit of 500 people at outdoor events like football games.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) confirmed that high school exams would go ahead in 2022.
12 January – Nightclub owners in Scotland were unhappy about how slowly they were getting financial help.
Doctors in Lanarkshire paused some services to focus on urgent treatments due to COVID pressures.
13 January – Figures showed that absences among NHS staff were the highest they had been since April 2020.
A study found a link between catching COVID during pregnancy and problems during pregnancy and birth.
14 January – The number of COVID-related deaths in Scotland passed 10,000.
Professor Jason Leitch warned that the next COVID variant could be worse than Omicron.
15 January – A health expert, Jillian Evans, said there was "cause for optimism" about the latest COVID data in Scotland.
17 January – Rules were relaxed to allow large outdoor events like football matches to have spectators again. However, at least 50% of the crowd needed to show vaccine certificates.
18 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed more COVID rules would be relaxed from 24 January. Nightclubs could reopen, large indoor events could happen, and social distancing rules would be removed.
An energy company, Canadian Natural Resources, said only vaccinated staff could work on its offshore sites. A union called this "harsh."
22 January – Scotland recorded 30 COVID deaths, the highest daily number since September 2021.
23 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that even though Scotland's COVID rules were hard on businesses, she believed they were "worth it."
The Scottish Government launched a "Distance Aware" scheme. People could get free badges to show they wanted more space in public places.
25 January – The UK and Scottish Governments announced that fully vaccinated people arriving in England and Scotland would no longer need COVID tests from 11 February.
25 January – Scotland confirmed that advice to work from home would change to a "hybrid" system (some office, some home) from 31 January.
28 January – Rules about physical distancing and wearing face masks were relaxed in some indoor places.

February: Easing Rules and New Concerns

1 February – The Scottish Government said that students taking exams in 2022 would get extra support.
2 February – People were worried about day care services for older and disabled people, which had not returned to normal levels.
3 February – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon defended plans to spend money on cutting the bottoms of classroom doors to improve air flow, calling it "basic common sense."
7 February – Some politicians said there was a "complete lack of planning" during the pandemic, which led to problems in the NHS.
NHS Grampian confirmed that 42 people were accidentally given vaccine doses that were past their expiry date, but said the vaccine was still safe.
8 February – As fewer people with COVID were in intensive care, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was "through the worst" of the Omicron wave.
ScotRail announced that 150 daily train services would be added back to the timetable from the end of May.
9 February – The Scottish Government planned to extend its COVID powers for another six months, including rules for masks and COVID passports.
Professor Jason Leitch warned that the pandemic was only halfway through, even though the Omicron wave was over.
10 February – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that high school students would no longer need to wear face masks in classrooms from 28 February.
12 February – Jillian Evans, a health expert, advised a slow and careful approach to lifting COVID rules.
13 February – Health Secretary Humza Yousaf warned that England lifting COVID rules should not "force" Scotland to do the same.
15 February – Dental leaders were concerned about the huge number of patients waiting for dental treatment.
16 February – Scotland announced plans to offer COVID vaccines to children aged five to eleven.
18 February – Pharmacy staff in Scotland reported more abuse from customers, which they linked to the pandemic.
19 February – Data showed that about four shops closed every day in Scotland during 2021, partly due to more people shopping online.
21 February – Shops asked the Scottish Government for clearer rules about COVID.
22 February – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that all legal COVID rules in Scotland, including wearing face coverings, would be lifted on 21 March.
23 February – Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney said free mass testing for COVID would continue in Scotland beyond 1 April.
Data showed that Scotland's economy shrank twice as fast as the UK economy in December 2021.
24 February – Audit Scotland warned that NHS Scotland faced big problems with hiring and keeping staff after the pandemic.
25 February – The Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland were criticized for privacy issues with the NHS Scotland COVID Status app.
28 February – Changes to COVID rules took effect. Schoolchildren no longer needed to wear masks in class but still needed them in corridors.

March: Cases Rise Again

2 March – Two hospitals for teenagers with mental health issues reported a big increase in young people admitted for eating disorders.
5 March – Chief Medical Officer Sir Gregor Smith confirmed that unvaccinated women should no longer have their IVF treatment delayed.
7 March – Scotland started offering a second COVID booster vaccine to older care home residents, people over 75, and those over 12 with weak immune systems.
8 March – Healthcare workers told BBC Scotland that more patients were using private healthcare to avoid long NHS waiting lists.
10 March – Figures showed that the number of people in hospital with COVID was the highest in 13 months.
14 March – A new version of the Omicron variant, BA.2, was thought to be causing a rise in COVID cases in Scotland.
15 March – Scotland's rules about wearing face masks in shops and on public transport were extended until 4 April because of rising COVID cases.
16 March – A public health expert predicted that the current COVID surge in Scotland would reach its peak in the next two weeks.
21 March – The number of hospital patients testing positive for COVID in Scotland reached a new high.
Some councils warned they might bring back online learning for schools if COVID cases kept rising, but said in-person teaching was still the main goal.
22 March – The Scottish Government confirmed that high school students would still need to wear face coverings in shared areas of school after the Easter holiday.
23 March – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Scotland's largest health board, warned it was facing very serious COVID pressures.
30 March – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that rules about face coverings in shops and on public transport would stay until 18 April.
31 March – Care home residents won the right to have a special visitor, even during a COVID outbreak.

April: Mask Rules End

1 April – Figures suggested that about one in every 12 people in Scotland had a COVID infection in the last week of March.
4 April – Rules requiring people to wear face coverings in places of worship, weddings, and funerals ended in Scotland.
5 April – New figures showed a record number of people in Scotland were waiting a long time for emergency treatment.
NHS Lothian apologized after healthy children were mistakenly invited for COVID vaccines.
6 April – A report showed that more students dropped out of college during the pandemic.
13 April – The Scottish Government and councils published a plan to help town centres recover after the pandemic.
A senior NHS doctor said it would take years to clear the waiting lists that built up during the pandemic.
The Scottish Government confirmed that the law requiring face coverings in many indoor places would end from 18 April.
16 April – Public health expert Professor Linda Bauld urged people to keep following COVID rules during the Easter holidays.
17 April – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was reported to the police for not wearing a mask in a barber's shop. Police spoke to her, but no further action was taken.
18 April – Rules about wearing face coverings in shops, restaurants, and on public transport were lifted.
21 April – A study showed that only a quarter of people in intensive care with COVID were there because of the virus itself.
27 April – It was confirmed that the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo would return in August, for the first time since 2019.
30 April – The yearly Beltane Fire Festival returned to Edinburgh for the first time since 2019.

May: New Guidance and a Memorial

1 May – The advice for people who tested positive for COVID in Scotland changed. Instead of self-isolating, they were advised to "stay at home" if they felt unwell.
20 May – Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tested positive for COVID-19 after having mild symptoms.
27 May – A special memorial was revealed at Glasgow's Pollok Park to remember those who died after testing positive for COVID-19.

June: Cases Increase Again

10 June – Data showed that COVID-19 cases in Scotland had increased from one in 50 people to one in 40 people in a week.
11 June – A leading expert, Professor Linda Bauld, said there was no need to bring back COVID rules in Scotland, even with the increase in cases.

July: No Major Events

No major events were reported this month.

August: Exams and Festivals Return

4 August – A study found that people in poorer areas of Scotland and those under 30 were more likely to get fines for breaking COVID rules.
6 August – The 2022 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo began. It was the first time the event had been held since the pandemic.
9 August – The results for the 2022 Scottish Higher exams were released. This was the first time Scottish students had taken these exams since 2019. The pass rate was higher than in 2019.

October: Festivals Return

11 October – The Celtic Connections Festival returned for the first time since January 2020. It had been postponed or held online due to the pandemic.