Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on tackling financial insecurity over winter

Public health advice and resources

For the most up to date health advice please visit NHS Inform.

Further guidance is available from Health Protection Scotland.

A coronavirus communication toolkit, including posters and social media posts for organisations to print and share, is available to download. The information is also available in several languages, easy read, BSL and audio formats.

Staff, volunteer and service user safety

Local authorities should ensure the organisations they work with have appropriate processes for safeguarding and data protection in relation to employees, volunteers and the people they are supporting.

To lower the risk of transmission and protect us all, social distancing advice should be followed at all times.

Public Heath Scotland and Scottish Community Development Centre have produced guidance on supporting communities safely. This includes information on social and physical distancing, hand hygiene, and preparing, handling and delivering food. The information is updated regularly:

Food safety

Consider the use of food safety advice in food parcels or in delivery notices. Useful practical information that could be included within advice:

• follow good hygiene practice at all times when handling food
• wash hands thoroughly throughout the preparation of food, in particular after coughing or sneezing, after going to the toilet, before eating and drinking
• hand sanitiser gels can be used in addition to hand washing but only work on clean hands. They should never be used as a substitute for hand washing.
• try to minimise direct hand contact with food by using tongs and utensils. Disposable gloves can be used to minimise direct contact with food. However, gloves can become contaminated in the same way as hands so are not a substitute for good personal hygiene and hand washing.

See further information and guidance from Food Standards Scotland.