Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament that received Royal Assent on 6 April 2020. It was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced temporary modifications to existing laws to address the public health emergency.

The Act grants the Scottish Ministers broad powers to deal with the outbreak, including the ability to:

• Modify statutory duties of public bodies where compliance would be unduly burdensome due to the pandemic.
• Adjust court procedures to allow for remote hearings and modified timescales.
• Provide increased protection for tenants facing eviction.
• Adjust procedures relating to social care and community care.
• Introduce emergency measures relating to the death management process.
• Modify aspects of mental health legislation.

Many provisions within the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 were initially time-limited, requiring periodic renewal by the Scottish Parliament. The rationale for this sunset clause was to ensure that emergency powers were not retained indefinitely after the immediate crisis had subsided. The Act has been subject to several extensions and amendments since its initial enactment, with parliamentary debates focusing on the ongoing necessity of certain powers and their potential impact on civil liberties.

The Act interacts with and supplements the Coronavirus Act 2020, passed by the UK Parliament, which applies to reserved matters in Scotland. The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 specifically addresses areas devolved to the Scottish Parliament.