Shetland secondary school pupils urged to download Protect Scotland app

The Scottish government launched the app in September. 

Secondary school pupils across Scotland are being urged to download a contact tracing app aimed at suppressing the spread of Covid-19.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced today (Monday) that the Protect Scotland app was now available for for younger children. 

The app, which launched in September, was first available only to those aged 16 and older, but can now been accessed by any pupils of secondary school age. 

Ms Sturgeon said 1.7m people across Scotland had already downloaded the app. It has also notified more than 20,000 people they needed to self-isolate, who would not otherwise have known. 

“By downloading the app, young people will be helping to control and mitigate any outbreaks among young people and I think that will be particularly important over the holiday period,” Ms Sturgeon said. 

She advised parents and grandparents to encourage children to download the app. 

The app is now available to download for free via Apple and Google stores.