Test, Trace, Isolate: Scotland’s TTI strategy to ease lockdown

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed her government’s new approach to ease restrictions  which is ‘Test, trace, isolate’.

What does the strategy mean?

Test – Ramping up the testing capability.

Trace – After a positive test, contract tracers find people that person may have been in contact with.  People may be contacted ‘numerous’ times.

Isolate – Isolating those people for 14 days so they don’t come into contact with others.

However, Sturgeon said that there will not be major changes for another three weeks,

“Although we’re making real and significant progress, and that is definitely the case, the numbers still being infected by the virus,remain too high right now to make any meaningful change without risking the virus running quickly out of control again.” She added

Sources claim that 15,500 tests will be needed every day and 2000 extra staff will have to be recruited to run the contact tracing.

Talking about the strategy Sturgeon said, “Test, trace, isolate and support will be one of a number of actions we will have to put in place to maintain suppression of the virus, to interrupt chains of infection and disrupt the spread and will require the support of everyone in our society to be effective.”