The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland during 2020. There are significant differences in the legislation and the reporting between the countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Timeline January 2020 24 January – Five people were tested for COVID-19 in Scotland, all returning negative as an incident team was established for the disease.
February 2020 10 February – 57 tests had been conducted (all negatives), a figure which rose to 412 by 25 February. 22 February – COVID-19 was made into a "notifiable disease", and a surveillance network involving 41 GP locations was established to submit samples of suspected patients, even if they had no travel history. 26/27 February – There is a coronavirus outbreak at a Nike conference in Edinburgh from which at least 25 people linked to the event are thought to have contracted the virus, including 8 residents of Scotland. Health Protection Scotland establishes an incident management team, and full contact tracing is done for delegates who have tested positive. 29 February – Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, Catherine Calderwood announces that surveillance will begin at some hospitals and 41 GP surgeries in Scotland.
March 2020 1 March – Authorities confirm the first case of coronavirus in Scotland. 2 March – It is reported that Health Protection Scotland was alerted by international authorities about a person, not from the UK, who tested positive after the Nike conference in late February. The public were not told. 3 March – First person from the Nike conference tests positive. Public still not informed, but Scottish Ministers are now told. 4 March – Two further cases are confirmed, one having travelled from Italy and the other having had contact with a known carrier. 5 March – Three further cases are confirmed, taking the total to five cases. 6 March – The number of confirmed cases double to 11. 9 March – Cases have more than doubled again to 23 cases out of 2,101 tests conducted. 11 March – First case of community transmission which wasn't linked to travel or confirmed cases. 13 March – Authorities confirm the first death from coronavirus in Scotland. 16 March – 171 cases have been confirmed from 4,895 tests, with positive cases being reported by all health boards of NHS Scotland except in NHS Orkney and NHS Western Isles. 20 March – The Scottish Government tells cafes, pubs, and restaurants to close.Also told to close are nightclubs and other drinking establishments, Cinemas, theatres and bingo halls and concert halls, Spas, wellness centres and massage parlours, Casinos and betting shops, and Indoor leisure facilities such as gyms and swimming pools. 23 March – With the UK death toll hitting 335 deaths and 14 in Scotland, Boris Johnson announced a nationwide "Stay at Home" order would come into effect as of midnight and it would be reviewed every 3 weeks. Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood said, "This is no longer a rehearsal for something that might happen." This would become known as the UK lockdown. 24 March – 16 patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 had died. The Scottish Parliament closes, with plans to reconvene on 1 April to discuss emergency legislation. 25 March – The First Minister confirms that the Scottish Government will establish a COVID-19 Advisory Group to supplement the advice it receives from the UK-wide Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. It will be chaired by Professor Andrew Morris of Edinburgh University, the Director of Health Research UK, with support from vice chair David Crossman, Dean of Medicine at the University of St Andrews and Chief Scientific Advisor for Health at the Scottish Government. 26 March – It is announced that 25 deaths have been reported, with 896 confirmed cases in Scotland. 28 March – Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, announces that he is self-isolating after experiencing coronavirus symptoms.
April 2020 1 April – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 pass 2,000 across the country, with 76 deaths in hospitals. The Scottish Government announces 3,500 tests a day by the end of the month and construction starts at the SEC in Glasgow to become NHS Louisa Jordan, a 300-bed capacity hospital, but expandable to 1,000 if required. The 2020 Edinburgh festivals, planned for August, are cancelled. 5 April – Catherine Calderwood, Scotland's chief medical officer, resigns from her post after it emerged she had been spoken to by police for visiting her second home during lockdown. 6 April – The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020, introduced as an Emergency Bill in the Scottish Parliament on 31 March, gains Royal Assent, becoming law. 7 April – The Scottish Government announces that 12,000 nursing and midwifery students from across the country and returning workers who had worked in the Health and Social Care sector have signed up to join the NHS workforce to help fight COVID-19, Chief Nursing Officer Fiona McQueen says, "I want to thank each and every student who has volunteered their support so far." In addition, 2,000 final year students had already joined the workforce since the call for help was sent out. 11 April – Occupancy of critical care beds in England peaks at around 58% of capacity. Occupancy in the month of April for Scotland and Wales will only briefly exceed 40%, while Northern Ireland reported a peak of 51% early in the month. 16 April – After reviewing the lockdown with all nations in the UK, the decision is made to extend it for another three weeks until 7 May. 20 April – Prof Dame Angela Maclean, the UK's deputy chief scientific adviser, says the number of confirmed cases is "flattening out". The number of people in hospital for COVID-19 has begun to fall in Scotland, Wales and every region of England, with significant falls in London and the Midlands. NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow opens as confirmed cases pass 8,400 with 915 fatalities in hospitals. 22 April – The National Records of Scotland (NRS) releases data up to 19 April. The number of deaths in Scotland was up 80% above the 5-year average. 537 deaths had been recorded in care homes, double the number of the previous week, 910 deaths had been recorded in hospitals, and 168 deaths in homes or other settings. Public Health Scotland's daily figures were under-counting deaths by up to 40%.Deaths in Scotland with COVID-19 mentioned as a cause: 910 in hospitals (57%) 537 in care homes (33%) 168 in homes and other settings (10%) as it was reporting deaths in hospitals only. 23 April – As the Scottish Government publishes details of a strategy for ending lockdown, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, says the lifting of restrictions in Scotland is "likely to be phased" with some measures remaining in place until 2021 "and beyond". 25 April – Confirmed cases surpass 10,000. 28 April – *The Scottish Government recommends people cover their faces while in some public places such as shops and on public transport.
May 2020 7 May – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 pass 11,500 across the country, with 1,515 deaths in hospitals. The Scottish Government announces that it had reached its testing goal of 3,500 tests a day in NHS labs laid out in April with 4,661 tests carried out on 30 April. They also announce that their next target is 8,000 tests a day in NHS labs across Scotland by Mid-May. Nicola Sturgeon extends the lockdown restrictions in Scotland for another three weeks, but says they could be changed if there is evidence it is safe to do so. 8 May – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reports that there is some recognition that each of the four nations of the UK might move at different speeds with regard to loosening the lockdown and that she will not be pressured into lifting restrictions prematurely. 10 May – The UK government updates its coronavirus message from "stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives" to "stay alert, control the virus, save lives". The Opposition Labour Party expresses concern the slogan could be confusing, and leaders of the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say they will keep the original slogan. Nicola Sturgeon removes the once-a-day outdoors exercise limit in Scotland starting from the following day. 11 May – In a national address to Scotland at the beginning of the seventh week of lockdown, Nicola Sturgeon asks the nation "to stick with lockdown for a bit longer – so that we can consolidate our progress, not jeopardise it[...] I won't risk unnecessary deaths by acting rashly or prematurely." This marks the moment when the four nations of the UK begin to take different approaches to handling lockdown restrictions. The public are made aware of the Nike conference outbreak by an edition of the documentary series BBC Disclosure. 18 May – First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon sets out plans to begin easing Scotland's lockdown restrictions from 28 May. Anyone aged 5 or over, presenting symptoms of COVID-19, becomes eligible to get tested, while Anosmia is added to the COVID-19 symptom list. Celtic are declared Scottish champions for the ninth season in a row while Hearts are relegated after the Scottish Professional Football League ends the 2019–20 season early because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 19 May – More information about the Nike conference comes out from the BBC and Sky News, showing that none of the people the Nike delegates were in contact with were approached for testing or support, including 20 Lloyd's Banking Group employees they shared facilities with. The Nike delegates were taken on a walking tour of Edinburgh, the tour guides were not traced, tested or informed. 21 May – First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon outlines a four-phase "route map" for easing lockdown restrictions in Scotland that will include allowing people to meet up outside with people from one other household in the first phase. The lockdown will be eased from 28 May subject to the number of new cases of COVID-19 continuing to fall. Schools in Scotland will reopen on 11 August, when students will receive a "blended model" of part-time study at school combined with some learning at home. 24 May – Two Dutch employees attended the Nike conference, one of whom is believed to have been the cause of the shutdown of the HQ in the Netherlands. The Nike conference is proven to have started the outbreak in the North-East of England, as one of the delegates was infected and went to a birthday party and infected more people. 26 May – The Scottish Government announces plans for Test and Protect, a track and trace system. Douglas Ross resigns as a junior minister with the Scotland Office over the UK government's defence of Dominic Cummings, while at least 35 Conservative MPs call for Cummings to be removed from his post. 27 May – It is reported that 10 Nike delegates from the conference were taken for a kilt fitting, during which a woman fitting the kilts was infected by them. 28 May – Contact tracing systems go live in England and Scotland – NHS Test and Trace in England, and Test and Protect in Scotland. However, Dido Harding tells MPs the system in England will not be "fully operational at a local level" until the end of June. First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon announces an easing of lockdown measures in Scotland from the following day, when people from two different households can meet up outdoors as long as they are groups of eight or less. 29 May – Lockdown measures are eased in Scotland.
June 2020 7 June – *No new deaths are recorded for Scotland or Northern Ireland over the most recent 24 hour period; it is the first time Scotland has recorded no new deaths since lockdown began in March. 8 June – No deaths are reported in Scotland for a second consecutive day. 13 June – The Scottish Retail Consortium urges the Scottish Government to set a provisional date for the reopening of non-essential shops.