Collection of track and trace details becomes mandatory in Scotland

It comes as the Scottish First Minister confirmed that it was now mandatory for the country's reopened hospitality businesses to collect customer details, in order to help public health officials track and trace potential outbreaks of the Coronavirus.

Speaking at a press briefing earlier today (14 August), Sturgeon said: "It is now mandatory for hospitality businesses, including cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars to collect customers and visitors' contact details.

"That requirement already exists in guidance and I know a lot of businesses already are doing this but it is now law.

"It's an essential step to ensure the test and protect system can function as effectively as possible.

"From now on, businesses must collect contact details for all visitors to their premises. That includes customers and staff but also people such as cleaners and delivery drivers."

The First Minister was also clear to state that if customers refuse to provide their details, they should not be served.

Sturgeon's announcement comes just a couple of days after she extended a local lockdown in Aberdeen for at least another week​​.

The city had been placed back into lockdown, with all pubs and restaurants ordered to close, on 5 August, following what Sturgeon described as a 'significant outbreak'.

To date there have been over 170 confirmed cases of Covid-19 linked to the outbreak in the city, many of them connected to the Hawthorn bar in Aberdeen (although more than 20 other pubs and restaurants are involved in the cluster).

Speaking today, Sturgeon stressed that nobody's social life should feel exactly as it was before.

She said: "We're asking customers to minimise the number of premises you visit in any one day.

"The more settings you go to, the more likely you might be to get Covid-19, and the more likely you might be to spread it.

"Visiting lots of pubs in a single day or evening massively increases the workload of tests and protect, so please think about that - it makes a really big difference if you stay in one pub."

In a similar development, the Welsh Government has also announced today that it will be introducing new enforcement powers to make sure all premises follow Covid rules.

Amendments to the regulations will also come into force next week to make it obligatory for hospitality businesses and other high-risk settings to collect contact details of customers.

By contrast, the collection of track and trace details from customers is not mandatory in England, although the Government's advisory guide for hospitality operators does include asking businesses to keep a temporary record of all customers for 21 days in order to assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme.

Earlier this week trade body UKHospitality reiterated the importance of hospitality businesses playing their part in supporting the track and trace schemes​​ across the UK.

It said businesses must present a united front in showing team members, customers and Government that it is committed to providing safe spaces and supporting efforts to fight Covid-19.