The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland during 2021. There are significant differences in the legislation and the reporting between the countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Timeline January 2021 1 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warns that the new variant of COVID-19 is "accelerating spread" across Scotland, and that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period since March. A further 14 cases are recorded in Shetland, taking the number in the outbreak there to 72. Police break up a number of New Year gatherings, including one at Edinburgh Castle attended by several hundred people. 2 January – A further 2,137 are confirmed in Scotland, a lower figure than the previous day, which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had described as "worryingly high". Citizens Advice Scotland has warned of an "explosion" of Council Tax debt in 2021 as a result of the COVID pandemic, with average debts at £3,000, twice that of an average Council Tax bill. The Scottish Government says it has set aside an extra £25m for councils on top of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, already worth £351m. 3 January – As a further 2,464 COVID cases are reported in Scotland, it is confirmed the Scottish Cabinet will meet the next day to discuss further restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo, reports that COVID-19 has led to a £2m loss of revenue, and as a consequence the zoo's two giant pandas may have to return to China; the pandas cost £1m a year to rent from China, with the ten-year deal the zoo has with China due to expire in 2022. 4 January – Mainland Scotland is placed under lockdown until the end of January, beginning from midnight; schools are closed and people ordered to stay at home except for essential purposes. Margaret Ferrier, the MP for Rutherglen, is arrested by Scottish police and charged in connection with "alleged culpable and reckless conduct" for using public transport while experiencing COVID symptoms. 5 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says that Scotland hopes to accelerate its vaccination programme given the supplies to allow it to happen. Figures released by Police Scotland indicate more than 300 fines were issued for breach of COVID rules over the New Year. 6 January – Figures have shown that 92,188 people have received a COVID vaccine in Scotland since 8 December, with 33,381 doing so in the week to 27 December. NHS Highland warns of a "significant increase" in COVID cases in the Highland and Argyll and Bute areas, attributing the rise to families socialising indoors. 7 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that medical staff are "well over half way through" vaccinating care home residents in Scotland. 8 January – After a further 93 deaths are confirmed, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon describes the figures as "distressingly high". Plans for students to return to universities in Scotland are delayed until the end of February. 9 January – Figures released by the Scottish Government show there to be 1,596 people in hospital with COVID, the highest number so far. BBC research has suggested that not all schoolchildren in Scotland will receive livestreamed lessons when the new term begins on 11 January, with access to remote learning varying from area to area. Some councils have protocols in place for remote learning while others have left it up to individual schools; vulnerable children and those of essential workers will attend school as normal and have face-to-face lessons. 10 January – As the number of COVID patients in hospital rises to 1,877, Deputy First Minister John Swinney warns that further restrictions cannot be ruled out. Police have warned people to stay away from an anti-lockdown protest planned in Edinburgh for the following day, as the event is illegal. 11 January – The wider rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine begins at 1,100 locations across Scotland. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urges football clubs not to "abuse" the privileges they have been afforded after members of Celtic were forced to self-isolate after a player contracted COVID-19 during a midseason trip to a training camp in Dubai. 12 January – A further 54 deaths take the number of COVID deaths in Scotland past 5,000 to 5,023. Responding to the news, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it is "very unlikely" that lockdown restrictions will be lifted at the end of the month. NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran have postponed all non-urgent surgery because of the pressure being placed on hospital services because of COVID-19. 13 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces a tightening of COVID restrictions from Saturday 16 January for click-and-collect services and takeaways. The new rules will restrict click-and-collect to essential items only, with appointments being required so as to avoid queues, while takeaway food establishments will not be permitted to allow customers into the premises. The outdoor consumption of alcohol is also banned in level four areas. The Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, dies after contracting COVID. 14 January – The Scottish Government removes its COVID vaccination plan from its website after concerns are expressed by the UK government that the document contained sensitive data that should not have been published. NHS Western Isles warns of rising COVID cases on the island of Barra. 15 January – The Scottish Conservatives have claimed that Health Secretary Jeane Freeman may have broken the ministerial code by revealing the location of a COVID vaccination storage facility during a question and answer session with MSPs. Kilmarnock and St Mirren win appeals against match defeats handed them due to COVID breaches, with the Scottish Football Association ruling that half the £40,000 fines each were asked to pay will be suspended, and all matches involved replayed. 16 January – Scotland begins a mass vaccination of healthcare workers. A further 17 COVID-19 cases are identified on the island of Barra, prompting health officials to describe the situation as "serious, and escalating". 17 January – Doctors leaders have warned that a "patchy supply" of vaccines to GPs surgeries in Scotland is hampering its deployment. Data published by Friends of the Earth Scotland indicates that air pollution levels were within the legal limit for the first time during the March 2020 lockdown. 18 January – The Armed Forces are helping to establish a further 80 COVID vaccination centres in Scotland, it is reported. A £1,500 grant for taxi cab and private hire drivers is announced, but those claiming Universal Credit will not be eligible for the payment. 19 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon extends Scotland's lockdown until mid-February, meaning schools will remain closed. Sturgeon says that Scotland will meet its vaccination targets after opposition parties express concerns about vaccine supplies amid frustration from GPs who say they are still waiting for deliveries. The islands of Barra and Vatersay are moved from level three to level four restrictions from midnight, due to a "significant outbreak" of COVID-19 there. 20 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insists that Scotland is not lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to COVID vaccination after opposition parties expressed their concern that many GPs surgeries have not been given supplies of the vaccine. Official figures released by the National Records of Scotland indicate 2020 had the highest number of peacetime deaths since 1891. 21 January – It is reported that a special Crown Office unit established in May 2020 to investigate COVID-related deaths is probing deaths at 474 care homes in Scotland. Figures indicate the Edinburgh suburb of West Liberton and Braid Hills has Scotland's worst COVID death rate, with 1 in 100. The suburb has had 38 deaths, and the 1 in 100 figure is largely due to deaths at a care home. 22 January – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there are grounds for "cautious optimism" that lockdown measures are working. 23 January – A day after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that 34% of those aged 80 and over have been vaccinated, volunteers at a Midlothian food bank reveal that they have received the vaccine before the majority of those aged over 80. 24 January – Police Scotland say they have charged two women with COVID breaches after they were rescued when they got into difficulty while climbing Ben Lomond the previous afternoon. 25 January – NHS Scotland begins sending out vaccination appointments for people aged 70–79, but a plan to have them sent in blue envelopes is delayed, meaning they will arrive in white envelopes instead. The Scottish Government is looking into ways to accelerate the rate at which vaccinations are given, including piloting 24-hour vaccination centres. 26 January – Vaccination figures indicate 51% of those aged 80 and over in Scotland have had their first COVID vaccine, a figure lower than the UK average of 78.7%. Work on a COVID testing "mega lab" at an undisclosed location in Scotland is halted while the UK government assesses the "long term need for it"; if built the lab would increase the daily testing capacity by 300,000. 27 January – Mass testing finds a COVID outbreak at an Aberdeen care home, where 85 test positive for the virus. 28 January – Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Scotland, where his trip includes a tour of the Lighthouse Laboratory at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus, Scotland's largest facility where COVID testing is processed. 29 January – The number of COVID deaths in Scotland passes 6,000 after a further 70 deaths take the total to 6,040. The whole of the Western Isles is moved to level four restrictions from midnight to control a spike in COVID cases. 30 January – National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch suggests that spectators may be able to return to Scottish football stadiums for the 2021–22 season "if we get it right as a nation".
February 2021 1 February – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms that 98% of elderly care home residents have been offered their first COVID vaccination, together with 80% of those aged over 80 in the wider community. Sturgeon announces that rules requiring passengers arriving into Scotland from high risk "red list" countries to quarantine in hotels do not go far enough, and confirms plans to introduce a "much more comprehensive" approach to "managed quarantine". Speaking about the pressure COVID placed on government policy makers, Health Minister Vaughan Gething suggests that an earlier lockdown could have saved more lives, but says that the right decisions were made given the information available at the time those decisions were made. 2 February – The Scottish Government outlines plans for a phased return to full-time education beginning on 22 February, though a final decision will be made in the week preceding that date. The reopening of schools will begin with preschool and the years P1–P3. There will also be a limited return for senior pupils to allow them to complete work for national qualifications. 3 February – The University of Dundee launches the UK-wide VAC4COVID study to measure the safety and effectiveness of COVID vaccines as they are delivered, and appeals for volunteers to participate. Airport bosses have expressed their concern at the Scottish Government's new tougher quarantine plans which they say are unclear. Scottish National Party MP Margaret Ferrier appears in court charged with "culpable and reckless" conduct over her decision to travel on public transport after testing positive for COVID-19 in September 2020. 4 February – The percentage of people testing positive for COVID in Scotland falls to 4.9%, its lowest for a month.