Human Rights and COVID-19

30 March 2020

• Briefing: COVID-19 Emergency Legislation in response to the Coronavirus Act 2020

• News article: Commission flags human rights implications of coronavirus emergency laws

2 April 2020

• Briefing: Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020  

• News article: Briefing: Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

17 April 2020

• Joint letter to Ruth Maguire, Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Equalities and Human Rights Committee (EHRiC) with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS)

• News article: Scottish equality and human rights bodies join together in call for inquiry into implications of Covid-19  

27 April 2020

• News article: Scottish equality and human rights bodies welcome inquiry into implications of Covid-19

28 April 2020

• Letter in Response to Equalities and Human Rights Committee on COVID-19 Emergency Legislation 

• Letter to Equalities and Human Rights Committee on COVID-19 Emergency Legislation 

18 May 2020

• Briefing: Human rights implications of digital contact tracing technology

29 May 2020

• Briefing: COVID-19 Committee Call for Evidence on Reducing and Refining Lockdown

23 June 2020

• Letters to SPSO and CoSLA on suspension of local authority complaints procedures. SPSO's response and COSLA's response are also available. 

23 July 2020

• Submission to Inquiry into COVID-19 and Human Rights by Scottish Parliament Equalities and Human Rights Committee

27 July 2020

• Compiled links to international guidance and statement on human rights and COVID-19  (updated)

15 Sept 2020

• Letter to the COVID-19 Committee with further information on proposals to renew the emergency legislation passed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic

2 Oct 2020

• Statement on human rights of students in Scottish universities

10 Dec 2020

• Comment piece in the Scotsman on COVID-19 and human rights for International Human Rights Day 

14 Dec 2020

• Briefing on students' human rights and COVID-19

26 Jan 2021

• Compiled links to international guidance and statement on human rights and COVID-19  (updated Jan 2021)

28 April 2021

• Briefing: COVID-19 Status Certificates and Human Rights Considerations

• Statement: Commission cautions that any moves to introduce COVID-19 status certificates must take full account of human rights

21 May 2021

• Letter to Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery and Cabinet Secretary for Health & Social Care on public inquiry into the handling of COVID-19 pandemic

8 September 2021

• The Commission prepared a briefing to MSPs on COVID-19 vaccine certification in advance of a debate in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 9 September 2021

22 September 2021 

• Letter to Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, reiterating the Commission's call for the Scottish Government to set out a full and transparent assessment of the human rights issues engaged by COVID-19 vaccine certification  

5 October 2021

• Submission to the Scottish Government's call for views on the terms of reference for the COVID-19 Public Inquiry

5 October 2021 

• Letter to Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP on COVID-19 vaccine certification 

1 November 2021

• Response from the Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery in relation to our letter on Covid-19 Vaccine Certification and the human rights considerations. 

25 November 2021

• Statement: Commission welcomes change to Scotland’s COVID-19 certification scheme. 

15 December 2021

• Statement: Commission welcomes appointment of Covid-19 inquiry Chair and presses for further action to put human rights at heart of inquiry.

28 October 2022

• Statement: Commission welcomes new Scottish COVID-19 inquiry Chair and commitment to embed human rights