Uncategorized – Page 94 – The NEN

FM: No need for panic buying

First Minister’s daily press briefing, Monday 21 December:

Thanks for joining us. Before I start today, can I say mainly for the benefit of the journalists on the line that I will require to end this briefing by 13:30, at the latest, even if we haven’t got through all of the questions, which I will obviously try to do.

I understand that the COBR meeting planned for today is likely to take place from 13:30, at any time from 13:30 onwards. Obviously, I have to be free to participate in that.

I will speak in a few moments about the announcements I set out here on Saturday evening and I will also reflect on some of the decisions that have been made and intimated over the weekend by other countries in respect of closing borders with the UK but first of all, let me begin with today’s statistics.

The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1,504.

That represents 6% of the total number of tests carried out, and the overall number of confirmed cases is now 113,050.

As you will have noticed, today’s figure represents a significantly higher number of new cases than we have seen in recent times.

We think that this may be, in part, down to a processing backlog last week within the UK Lighthouse system.

So please be aware that today’s figures may be affected by that backlog of cases now coming through the system and being reported on. However we are doing further analysis of these case numbers to confirm that.

I can also confirm that 1,078 people are currently in hospital – that is an increase of 17 from yesterday.

59 people are in intensive care, which is 1 more than yesterday.

No additional deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours, of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.

However, as you know, registration offices tend to be closed at weekends – and so the figures we report for deaths on Sundays and Mondays can be artificially low as a result of that.

In total, since Friday’s update, 44 deaths have been registered.

That takes the total number of deaths, under this daily measurement to 4283.

Every single one of those deaths is obviously a source of heartbreak. And yet again, I want to send my thoughts and my condolences to everyone who has been bereaved as a result of this pandemic.

I am joined today by the Chief Medical Officer, and by the Chief Constable. The Chief Constable will talk about Police Scotland’s approach to enforcing Covid regulations as we head into the Christmas period.

For my part, let me stress again, how much I and the Scottish Government values the hard work, professionalism and public service of Scotland’s police officers and the staff who support them. Those qualities are always appreciated, but have been particularly important and valued during the last few difficult months.

The main thing I want to do in my remarks today, is to reflect a bit more on developments over the weekend.

I’m going to spend a bit of time on these, because I do know and I understand how upsetting Saturday’s announcements, in particular, were for so many of you.

The first thing I want to do is reiterate the point that none of the actions I announced on Saturday were taken lightly.

The analysis so far of this new variant of Covid that has been identified in the UK does give us real cause for concern – because the indications at this stage are that it is much more transmissible than previous strains of the virus.

Let me stress through that there is no evidence so far that this new strain causes more severe illness and I think that is reassuring.

Further analysis of this new strain is being carried out, so there is much we still have to learn, but given what we have been advised so far, it is essential to take the risk seriously and act accordingly.

The key lesson of the last ten months is that if we are complacent in the face of this virus, or if we act too slowly, or if we wait for all possible information before making decisions, the virus can run away from us very quickly – with very serious consequences.

So that is the context for the strong precautionary and preventative action we announced on Saturday.

Let me now turn to some of the detail and consequences of that.

Firstly, I will address the announcements yesterday that several countries – including France – have instituted travel bans to prevent people from the UK entering their countries.

Our advice for individuals here is already that you should not travel to or from Scotland, unless it is absolutely essential.

Indeed, travel to and from other parts of the UK without an essential reason is prohibited by law for now.

This is a decision we do not take lightly – but one that is necessary to prevent more of this new strain entering Scotland.

In terms of international travel, most of the attention overnight, of course, has been on the decision by France to put in place a ban on accompanied freight traffic, essentially lorry traffic, entering France.

France has said this morning that they hope to establish a protocol to enable movement to resume – something that we very much welcome. However we do not yet know exactly when that will take effect.

We hope the current situation will improve over the course of the day – but of course for as long as it pertains, it has significant implications for many businesses in Scotland.

It affects the ability of exporters, including our important seafood sector, to deliver to overseas markets. And it also affects our ability to import certain goods and supplies into the UK and into Scotland.

I will chair a Scottish Government resilience meeting on this later today. Before that, as I indicated at the outset, I will take part in a COBR meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, bringing the UK Government and devolved governments together to discuss these issues and we are working very closely with the UK Government and we will continue to do so to mitigate any impacts.

I have heard calls from our food sector for the UK Government to take a number of steps to enable them to continue to export, and I support those calls.

In particular the UK has planned for port disruption as part of a no deal Brexit, and those plans should now be activated.

We have also urged the UK Government to seek to extend the current Brexit transition period, or to secure a grace period before any deal is implemented, to prevent further disruption.

I think everybody would accept that all of us have enough on our plates to deal with right now, without compounding those difficulties by the end of the Brexit transition period.

For the moment, however, I want to stress two key points.

Firstly, the stockpiles of medicines being built up ahead of Brexit are in place – and so whilst we monitor medicine supply very carefully, we have no immediate concern. We are also assured that there is no risk to supplies of the Covid vaccine.

And secondly, we have been assured by supermarkets that they are well stocked for Christmas. So there is absolutely no need for people to buy any more than you normally would.

I would ask everybody to please support each other and shop responsibly. These are difficult times we are living through but we have been served well by that spirit of solidarity and it is important that it continues over this next period.

Let me now turn to the decisions I set out on Saturday.

Some have questioned, and indeed I anticipated this on Saturday, the need for these actions given that overall prevalence of Covid in Scotland is currently quite a bit lower than in some other parts of the UK.

There is two points it’s important for me to make about that.

Firstly, Scotland’s case numbers have been volatile in recent days – and after some weeks of decline, and I indicated this earlier last week, we think they may be rising again.

Today’s numbers, indeed even with that caveat I put around these earlier on, have shown that may be the case.

Because of that, our R number has risen, and after a couple of weeks of it being slightly below one, we think it is now hovering around 1 again.

So even without the new strain we have no room for complacency as we head deeper into the winter.

However, it is the concern about the new strain that necessitated the very stringent actions I set out on Saturday.

We know this strain already exists in Scotland – though we think it is still at lower levels than in the south of England.

However, if it is the case – as early analysis suggests – that this strain is up to 70% more transmissible and that it could add up to .4 to an R number already hovering around 1, the risk of it rapidly spreading here – as it appears to be doing in some other parts of the UK – is very real.

In London and the south east of England, it is thought that this new strain might already account for between 40 – 60% of all new cases.

That’s what we’ve got to stop here in Scotland and that’s the reason for the actions that I announced on Saturday.

As I said earlier on, over the course of this pandemic, perhaps the most important thing we have learned, I know it is perhaps the most important thing I have learned, is that failing to act quickly, is almost always a mistake in the face of Covid.

If we do nothing now, we are likely to see more new infections in Scotland as a result of this variant – placing an even greater strain on our health service, and unfortunately leading to more deaths.

But as things stand, with our lower prevalence in a relative sense, we still do have a chance of keeping this situation under control while the vaccination programme continues – and while we get case numbers back to very low levels again.

That is why we announced action on Saturday on two fronts – to stop more cases of this new variant from coming into Scotland, and to stop it spreading further within the country.

In relation to the first of those, as I said earlier – we are maintaining a strict travel ban on non-essential travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

That ban – which will not be relaxed at all over Christmas, even on Christmas Day unfortunately – is one of the issues the Chief Constable will talk about in his remarks.

However since this variant has already established a foothold in Scotland, we also need to reduce the risk of it spreading further here.

We have taken three key decisions to do that.

Firstly, we are now enabling indoor mixing between households only on Christmas Day itself, and only within Scotland – rather than over a 5 day period across the UK.

Fundamentally, though, my advice is not to meet indoors at all, even on Christmas day, if you can possibly avoid it. If you can, see family from other households outdoors only.

The second key decision that we have taken, is to impose tighter restrictions after Christmas.

We will apply level 4 measures to all of mainland Scotland from Boxing Day morning, from one minute past midnight on Boxing Day for a period of 3 weeks although we will review these level 4 restrictions after 2 weeks.

What that means is that from Boxing Day morning, non-essential shops will close. So will pubs, cafes and restaurants, apart from for takeaways. And we will be asking everyone to work hard to reduce any unnecessary interactions with other households.

Non-essential travel to and from different local authority areas will also be prohibited from Saturday.

The exceptions to level 4 will be Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, and the other island communities where we have reduced restrictions in recent weeks. These areas will go into level 3 but, again, with no non-essential travel to and from them.

The third key decision on Saturday was to delay the return of schools after the holidays. Again, a decision we did not take lightly. Everybody knows how hard all of us have worked to keep our schools open from August.

This decision means that – with the exception of children of key workers and more vulnerable children – pupils will not return to learning until 11 January and then, until the 18 of January at least, schools will be online only.

These were all decisions I wish we didn’t have to make, and I know they were horrible decisions for all of you to have to hear.

I am well aware of the impact that level 4 restrictions in particular will have – on people’s wellbeing, and on businesses such as retailers and the hospitality sector.

I spent a fair bit of time when I went home on Saturday night after doing the media briefing here, reading the many emails I had received.

I think it is important for me to do that. And these were from people, many completely understanding of the need for these decisions – but nevertheless who wanted me to know the impact on them and their families. It is heart breaking for so many of you.

And I want you to know I do understand. And if I thought there was an alternative to any of these decisions, I would take that alternative in a heartbeat.

But I know the consequences of not acting now to stop this virus could be catastrophic.

So I am genuinely sorry to have to do these things. But believe me when I say they are necessary.

We can’t take the risk of allowing this new variant to spread as rapidly in Scotland, as it appears to be doing in some other parts of the UK.

We know that this virus, like all other viruses, it exists solely to spread to as many other people as possible, that’s how it survives. And what we unfortunately now know, is that it seems to have become much better at doing that through the new variant.

So if we don’t act now to curb it’s spread, we run the risk of cases running out of control in the early part of the new year.

The restrictions we have put in place and that will come into effect over the weekend give us a much better chance of preventing that while we allowing more of the population – especially those who are most vulnerable to the virus – to become vaccinated.

And while I know that it is very difficult to hear talk of lights at the end of the tunnel right at this moment in time, we shouldn’t forget that the vaccination does give us that hope for the future that we haven’t had at any point in these last 10 months.

The final point I want to make before handing over to the Chief Constable, is that although the new variant of the virus seems to transmit more easily – it can still be stopped in its tracks and the way to stop it in its tracks are through the same measures we have emphasised so many times before.

Physical distancing from people in other households, 2 metres if and when at all possible; washing hands as often as you can; wearing face masks; opening windows while indoors; staying outdoors with other households as much as possible – all of these things still work in reducing the transmission of the virus.

In fact, this new variant has made them more important than ever. So after ten months of all of us becoming really fed up of all of these measures, it is important now more than ever that we really do try to remember them at all times.

That’s why we are asking you to avoid indoor meetings on Christmas Day as far as possible, difficult though I know that is – because indoor meetings are the best possible environment for the virus to spread.

And it’s also why every single one of us should still be remembering the facts advice.

face coverings
avoid crowded places
clean your hands and clean hard surfaces
keep two metres distance from people from other households
and self-isolate, and get tested immediately, if you have symptoms.

I know how difficult all of this is. The last 10 months have been unremittingly hard for everybody. And I suspect this next two weeks are going to be even harder yet, it’s a time of year when we should be looking forward to spending time with our loved ones. I do know how tough it is but this is necessary.

We must do these things to get us through this next phase of the pandemic, while the vaccination programme gathers pace as safely as possible.

I can never thank you enough for continuing to bear these sacrifices and continuing to do all of the things necessary to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe. So thank you, for all of that.

Morrisons extends key worker discount scheme

Morrisons has extended its 10% ‘Thank you’ discount until further notice meaning key workers can use it throughout the festive season and into the new year.

The discount is available to NHS staff, teachers and Blue Light Card holders to recognise and thank them for the care and support they have offered to the British public throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

Morrisons has also made it easier and quicker for NHS staff and teachers to redeem the discount after listening to feedback from key workers. They can now join the More For NHS Club or More For Teachers Club and use the Morrisons More Card app at the till.

Blue Light Card holders still need to present their card at the till of any of Morrisons 498 stores in order to receive their discount.

David Potts, Morrisons Chief Executive, said: “As we approach the Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, we want to continue to support those that have gone above and beyond their usual roles this year, often in exceptionally difficult circumstances. This discount is a thank you for all that they have done and continue to do for us all.”

Morrisons introduced the first ‘Thank you’ discount in April to NHS staff alongside a dedicated shopping hour from 6am – 7am (Mon – Sat). The service has since been extended to include teachers and their support staff as well as emergency service workers via the Blue Light Card.

Additionally, Morrisons is also continuing to offer a 5% discount to its 2,700 farmers to thank them for feeding the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The discount is not valid on fuel, spirits (England), all alcohol (Scotland and Wales), tobacco, lottery products, gift vouchers & cards, infant/formula milk, cash-back, dry cleaning, fireworks, online games & instant tickets, photo printing, saver stamps, postage stamps, ‘Top-Up’ mobile phone cards, garden centre & pharmacy. Full terms and conditions are available here: https://my.morrisons.com/discounts/

SSSC Annual Report published

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) have published their their 2019 – 2020 Annual Report. This report is the final annual report of our 2017-2020 strategy and sets out our achievements against our four strategic outcomes.

SSSC Chief Executive, Lorraine Gray said: ‘This year has seen a focus on concluding the final Register parts, support workers in care at home and housing support. We now have 216,000 entries on our Register. We continue to work hard to improve our customer’s experience to serve our expanded Register by developing our online registration platform MySSSC.

‘Our achievements in 2019-20 in support of a safe and skilled workforce include publishing revised Standards in Social Work Education and piloting new approaches to a supported year for newly qualified social workers. These will improve the learning experience of the workforce and protect the people who use social services. We also laid the foundation for the final part of the registration phase which would see all groups set out in legislation registered by 30 September 2020.

‘Although this report is for our work in 2019-2020, we can’t help but reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on this sector and the people they care for and support. The pandemic has highlighted the passion and dedication of people working across social care, social work and early years and also concerns with the way our society values both the work that they do and the people they support. We await the outcome of the review of adult social care in the new year and will continue to work with our partners across the UK to influence the discussions on the future for this sector.

‘Our staff worked tirelessly throughout the year to make sure that people who use services can count on skilled and safe people to provide support and care. As an organisation our business transformation continued throughout 2019-2020 and allowed us to immediately offer the same service to our registrants from our kitchen tables and spare rooms the minute we went into lockdown in March.’

Highlights from our 2019-2020 Annual Report:

In December 2019 we reached the milestone for our final group, support workers in care at home and housing support services to submit their applications for registration. During 2019-2020 the number of registrations and renewals granted increased in line with our forecast, with 77,507 applications registered, and 13,219 renewals processed.
We continue to focus on the learning and development of the social service workforce. During 2019-2020 we assessed 678 qualifications for registration. Our Open Badges web platform continues to be a success with 5,342 Open Badges awarded during 2019-2020 compared with 4,000 in 2018-2019.
We received 4,122 fitness to practise referrals in 2019-2020 compared to 3,617 the previous year. This increase reflects the rapid expansion to the Register over the period. We launched a dedicated case management system to manage fitness to practise referrals. We recruited more staff to our intake and engagement team and designed new processes to complete preliminary investigations before opening a case, allowing us to close 1,848 concerns at the screening stage.

Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2019-2020 Download

Have your say on North Edinburgh’s active travel connections

Residents in north Edinburgh are being invited to help shape a key project to improve connections and public spaces in their local community.

The city council is asking people from across Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton and Drylaw to contribute to the future of Pennywell Road and its links to existing paths at Crewe Toll, Gypsy Brae, Silverknowes and West Granton Access Road.

Through the North Edinburgh Active Travel (NEAT) Connections scheme we’re proposing changes to Pennywell Road and the surrounding area. These include increasing space available for walking, cycling and wheeling, making it easier to access local shops and community spaces without the use of a car and working with members of the community to improve public areas and green spaces.

We’re seeking feedback from residents via a dedicated Commonplace map, a tool recently used as part of Spaces for People engagement, which attracted more than 4000 comments.

This will help to identify existing problem areas and opportunities for new crossings, green spaces or where other improvements could be made.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: This project will create a much more welcoming, relaxed environment for those travelling on foot, bike or wheelchair.

“We’ve already seen how temporary Spaces for People initiatives across the city have encouraged people to walk, wheel or cycle and we want to see this happen long-term, with the associated benefits to health and the environment.

“Of course, we want any changes to work for all the people who live and spend time in this area, which is why we want to hear what they think and where improvements can be made. By sharing their thoughts and ideas they can help shape the final design, which will make travel to nearby schools, shops and local areas much easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Interim Head of Infrastructure Delivery for Sustrans Scotland, Chiquita Elvin, said: “Despite being close to existing walking, cycling and wheeling routes, such as the North Edinburgh Path Network, it can be challenging to access them for Muirhouse and Pilton due to the volume of traffic and the focus on roads in the original design of the area.

“We want the local community to tell us how we can make walking, cycling and wheeling easier for them, be that with new path connections, wider pavements, dedicated space for cycling or new crossings. These changes have the potential to transform how people get around North Edinburgh and every opinion matters.”

As well as benefiting local residents, changes could make it easier for travel to Craigroyston Community High School, Craigroyston Primary, Oaklands Primary, Forthview Primary and the new civic centre being developed at the former Muirhouse Shopping Centre.

In addition to the Commonplace website locals can leave their feedback on maps displayed in the North Edinburgh Arts centre café.

NEAT Connections has been funded through Sustrans’ Scotland’s Places for Everyone programme, with support from Transport Scotland.

Separate temporary measures to make cycling safer and easier on Pennywell Road, Muirhouse Parkway and Ferry Road are currently in place and have been implemented through the Spaces for People programme.

Usdaw: FM’s remarks on Ne’er Day shop closures are not enough

It’s time for the Scottish Government to consult, says shop workers union

Retail trade union Usdaw is calling on the Scottish Government to reverse its opposition to consulting on closing large stores on 1 January, after the First Minister has twice expressed sympathy for shopworkers having a break on New Year’s Day.

The Scottish Parliament Petitions Committee will be debating the Usdaw call tomorrow (Wednesday 16 December).

In January the First Minister committed to “looking very closely at the Usdaw campaign” and conceded that shopworkers deserve a festive break. Last week Nicola Sturgeon responded in First Minister’s Questions claiming to have “not yet had the opportunity to look at the specific request”, but supermarket workers “deserve rest and recuperation”.

Yet, only a few weeks ago the Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills responded to the petitions committee by restating the Government’s opposition to holding a consultation, as required under the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007.

Stewart Forrest, Usdaw’s Scottish Divisional Officer, said: “The Scottish Government is guilty of mixed messages on this issue. I hope it isn’t the case that Nicola Sturgeon says one thing to get her through First Minister’s Questions, while her ministers are saying the opposite behind the scenes.

“The very least that key workers in retail can expect is that the Scottish Government shows their appreciation for the essential work they’ve done through this appalling pandemic by being straight with them.

“Given what the First Minister has said to the Parliament, I am stunned that the Government continues their thirteen year opposition to even holding a consultation. If ever there is a year that their position should be reversed it’s this year.

“Surely it is not too much to ask to hold a consultation on closing large stores on New Year’s Day, so that shopworkers can get a proper break over the festive period.

“Hogmanay and New Year is a special holiday, but this is not reflected in the experience of many retail workers, with three-quarters saying they spend too little time with friends and family. On behalf of Scotland’s retail workers, we are urging the Scottish Government to open that consultation and for MSPs to listen to shopworkers’ concerns about their work and life balance.

“After everything Scottish shop workers have been through this year, as key workers on the frontline of delivering essential services, they deserve a decent break over New Year.”

What shopworkers say:

“You’re tired from working and don’t really relax or enjoy the limited time you get with the kids. Then you start all over again working New Year’s Day too!!!”
“As a store manager I have had to work Christmas and New Year. A lot of hard work goes into the weeks leading up. By Christmas Day you are exhausted and then back to work on Boxing Day. This year I also have to work New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and on the second.”
“I am not happy working till 1930 on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. By 4pm our store was fairly empty.”
“Finishing times on Christmas Eve and Hogmanay are creeping up later, which has a severe impact on family life for retail workers.”

UsdawSurveyOnNewYearWorkingScotland Download

Childcare expansion from August next year

All eligible children will benefit from at least 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) from August 2021, the Children’s Minister has announced.

The expansion of funded ELC, originally intended for August 2020, was paused in April to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A new date has now been agreed with local authority umbrella group COSLA.

Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: “I’m very pleased that we now have a new date for the full implementation of expanded ELC, and that children will benefit from more high quality funded childcare.

“We took the difficult decision in August to pause the statutory roll-out to allow local authorities to focus on responding to the pandemic and providing critical childcare, which was crucial to supporting key workers.

“The pandemic has had an obvious impact on construction and recruitment plans across the country, however local authorities have worked exceptionally hard and continued to make good progress in very challenging circumstances, and the majority of children receiving funded ELC are already receiving 1,140 hours.

“We were always clear that the suspension of the statutory duty on local authorities to provide 1,140 hours was a pause, not a stop. We will continue to work with partners over the coming months to deliver this transformational policy that will benefit families across the country.”

COSLA’s Children and Young People’s Spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “Local government remains committed to increasing the number of funded early learning and childcare hours, recognising the transformational effect for Scotland’s families, ensuring that children have access to the highest quality learning and care, and providing significant savings to parents and carers.

“Despite the massive challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on infrastructure projects and our recruitment programmes, all councils are delivering more that the current 600 hours entitlement to some or all families.

“We are pleased that we have jointly agreed a new date of August 2021 for the reinstatement of the statutory duty for 1140 hours. We look forward to working with all our partners, including the Scottish Government, to ensure Scotland’s children and families can benefit from almost doubling funded hours of ELC and to support the recovery from the impact of coronavirus on our communities.”

Latest data from the Improvement Service, compiled in August, shows that more than 56,000 children (61% of those receiving funded ELC) are already receiving 1,140 hours, despite the statutory expansion being paused in April to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blood donor criteria updated

Changes to the questions asked of blood donors will ensure more gay and bisexual men are able to donate blood in the future.

Currently, men are not able to donate blood in the UK if they have had sex with another man in the past three months, in line with previous expert advice.

New recommendations, which the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is satisfied will continue to ensure blood safety, mean men will no longer be automatically barred from giving blood if they have had sex with another man in the last three months. Instead, everyone will be given a more individual risk assessment, which will involve all potential donors being asked a few additional questions about their sexual behaviours.

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) will ensure there is information available for donors to explain the reasons for the changes and to give reassurance that all information provided by donors is kept strictly in confidence.

The changes follow recommendations by the specialist steering group for Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR) made up of leading medical and academic experts and LGBTI+ groups.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “I welcome the recommendations of the FAIR group, which will enable a more individualised risk assessment approach to blood donor safety checks while continuing to ensure the safe supply of blood to patients.

“We are committed to equality and inclusion, and these changes will ensure a fairer and more up to date assessment of risk is applied to both men and women to identify whether donors may be at risk of a blood-borne virus infection.

“I am pleased to announce SNBTS expects to be able to implement these changes by summer 2021. They will be working to prepare their systems and staff for these changes and will also be working to raise awareness of the changes with existing and potential donors in advance.”

SNBTS Director Craig Spalding said: “We are proud to have been involved in the work that has been undertaken to enable the Scottish Government to make an informed decision on reviewing and changing donor eligibility requirements.

“Donor eligibility based on personal risk assessments, rather than on broader demographic information such as sexuality, is a welcome change.

“We are grateful for all the donors of Scotland and are looking forward to welcoming a broader cross section of the population, in particular those men who have sex with men who will be able to donate blood under the new criteria.”

More information about the FAIR Report will be made available on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.

Teachers edge towards industrial action over COVID-19 safety

Teachers’ union the EIS has announced that an increasing number of its local associations are now moving towards balloting members on disputes with local authorities over school COVID-19 safety.

At present, six EIS local associations are moving to ballot members with at least four others currently considering whether to take this step towards a formal dispute with employers.

The EIS had called for a move to teaching and learning via remote online platforms for the pre and post-Christmas period, in the interests of minimising infection risk and protecting the health and wellbeing of students, teachers and their families over the festive season.

Despite broad support from many parents, teachers and others this call was flatly rejected by the Scottish Government, which has pledged to keep school buildings open at all costs right up to Christmas.

Following this rejection by the Scottish Government, EIS local associations called on local authorities to utilise their devolved powers to move to remote learning platforms around the festive season.

Subsequently, these pleas have been rejected by local authorities, with many councils citing a recent letter from the Scottish Government which urged them not to utilise their devolved authority to move schools to remote learning.

Yesterday, the EIS also released its latest themed briefing, based on teacher comments in a recent national survey. The briefing highlights teachers’ views on the importance of moving to remote learning around the festive period, as a means to protect staff, students and their families.

The key issues highlighted include:

Teachers believe that moving to blended or remote learning would help reduce infection spread in the new year
Teachers are concerned about being able to safely mix with family during the holidays, without having the ability to isolate for 5 days beforehand
There are concerns that with schools remaining open full time, right up until the 23rd December in some areas, many school staff will have to work over the Christmas period to ensure the track and trace policies are enacted – a fact that was confirmed by the National Clinical Director earlier this week.
A small adjustment in the final few days of term would make an immeasurable difference to staff and pupil wellbeing.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The Scottish Government and local authorities seem determined to keep schools physically open, at all costs, right up to Christmas.

“Scotland’s teachers are clear that this will present a very real risk to their health, their pupils’ health and the health of their families by increasing the risk of COVID-19 spreading through family festive gatherings. Making a very slight change to arrangements around the holiday period, by allowing teachers and students to work remotely from home for a few days, would significantly reduce the risk of pupils or staff taking the virus into their family groups in the festive period.”

Mr Flanagan continued: “It was extremely disappointing when the Scottish Government rejected calls from teachers, and many parents, for schools to move to remote learning to protect families over the festive season. It is quite incredible that the Scottish Government has then placed pressure on local authorities not to use their devolved authority over education to move schools to remote learning in the run up to Christmas.”

Mr Flanagan added: “The number of EIS local associations moving to consultative ballots, together with the number still considering this action, is a clear indicator of the strength of feeling amongst teachers.

“Scotland’s teachers see governments in other countries increasingly taking steps to close school buildings early and move to remote learning in order to protect families over Christmas – this raises the question of why the Scottish Government apparently values its teachers less than governments in England, or Wales, or Sweden or Germany value theirs.”

The briefing paper, published on Sunday, focuses on teacher comments on the value of moving to blended or remote learning.

One teacher said, “It was with disappointment that I heard that the Scottish Government chose not to allow schools to move to a blended model for the 21st and 22nd December and while I welcomed the relaxing of lockdown tiers over the Christmas period, in reality, for me this won’t change the fact that I shouldn’t visit with my 80 year-old mum and other family members who are in the vulnerable category for fear of taking the contacts of the many pupils I work with on a daily basis to them.”

Another teacher said: “I am physically and mentally exhausted at the moment and am looking forward to Christmas as a time to relax a little and recover from the stress. I am now faced with the choice, however, of seeing my family at Christmas and risking the possibility of carrying infection to them or of isolating and not seeing them. Every day I am sitting in a room with 31 upper school children and whilst measures are in place, they are at times impossible to maintain. Should I carry the virus to anyone let alone my elderly in-laws I would never be able to live with myself.”

Another teacher added: “Going to blended learning on the 18th would not have a massive impact on the education of the children … but it would have a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of staff who would be able to isolate, and then confidently visit with their bubble at some point over the holiday period.

“It would also be considered a gesture of goodwill in a season where it is supposed to be at its most prominent.”

The EIS is continuing to urge its members to share their experiences of working in schools during the pandemic and their views on keeping school buildings open around the festive period using the hashtag #NotAtAllCosts, tagging the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister in their posts.

Recently, the EIS also wrote to all Directors of Education and the Deputy First Minister, calling for an urgent rethink on their refusal to move to remote learning around the Christmas holiday period.

The letters highlight the health & safety implications of the decision and note that governments in other countries are increasingly taking the decision to close their school buildings early ahead of Christmas to protect students, staff and their families.

For further information on the EIS #NotAtAllCosts campaign, visit https://www.eis.org.uk/Coronavirus/NotAtAllCosts

Four charged following march in central Edinburgh

Four men have been arrested and charged following an illegal march in Edinburgh from outside the Scottish Parliament to Charlotte Square yesterday (Saturday, 12 December, 2020).

The men, aged 37, 31, 53 and 31, are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

Chief Inspector Murray Starkey said: “Today people marched in contravention of legislation. We would urge people to find alternative ways to protest, such as online and on social media.

“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance, and encourage compliance, only using enforcement as a last resort.

“Our response today has been measured and appropriate.”

Edinburgh residents urged to Go Green This Christmas

A multi media campaign encouraging residents to recycle this Christmas is being launched tomorrow.

This follows last year’s tremendous effort when residents helped the city council recycle 5431 tonnes of waste – that’s about the same weight as 46,000 Santas – over the festive season!

A key message this Christmas is a reminder to residents to recycle as much of their Christmas waste as possible and, due to the huge increase in online shopping from March, the council is encouraging people to fold up their cardboard neatly before putting it in the correct recycling bin to make sure they leave enough room for all the additional waste likely to be generated over the festive season.

If there is no room left, they encourage you to make an appointment at your nearest recycling centre and take any extra waste there. If that is not possible, fold it up neatly and place it next to your bin on your collection day. Stickers are also being put on communal bins as well with instructions on how to recycle your cardboard.

Around 50,000 letters have also gone to residents to advise them that there are no collections on Christmas Day (Friday 25 Dec) or New Year’s day (Friday 1 January).

People who use our kerbside wheelie bin recycling service who are due a collection on these dates should instead put their bins out for collection on the following Mondays (28 Dec and 4 January). People in the city centre who use our red and blue box recycling service should put them out for collection on the Saturdays (26 Dec and 2 Jan).

Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “Going green this Christmas is so important as we all need to change our behaviour to live more sustainably to look after our beautiful city and precious planet.

“To give it some context – did you know that the amount of Christmas wrapping paper thrown away in the UK each year could stretch from Edinburgh to the North Pole 100 times – I know when I think about that, I’ll make sure I recycle mine.

“Many more people are shopping online due to the current health pandemic and the amount of cardboard being used has already shot up. When clearing up this Christmas, please remember to fold cardboard up neatly and recycle it responsibly and I think it is also important to point out that when shopping remember that while foil and metallic wrapping paper and cards may add sparkle to your Christmas, they can’t be recycled.”

Cllr Karen Doran, Vice-Convener of the Environment Committee, said: “There are many ways you can help us to recycle the waste you generate when celebrating this Christmas.

“We turn all your food recycling into energy and fertiliser and recycling one kitchen caddy of food waste can create enough energy to power a TV for five hours. Other fun facts we’re sharing to encourage people to recycle are six clean mince pie foil cases saves enough energy to watch up to an hour of TV and one glass bottle saves enough energy to make 14 slices of toast!

“When the fun is over and you’re taking down your tree, if you are recycling it, check which day we’re collecting trees in your street on our website, remove its base, decorations and cut it in half if it’s over 6ft before popping it neatly on the kerbside on its collection day.”

Festive recycling tips

Save money and avoid food waste by turning your leftovers into delicious meals. Check out www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for tasty recipes. Any scraps that are leftover can be popped in your food waste bin.
If you have any extra cardboard you can’t fit in your recycling bin, make sure it’s bundled up and place it neatly beside it and we’ll recycle it for you.
You can use any bag to collect your food waste (biodegradable, paper or plastic bags including bread bags, cereal packets or old shopping bags).
Use your leftover wrapping paper to cover school books or to make festive bunting to decorate your house.
We can recycle your Christmas cards and the envelopes they come in – except glittery, foil or metallic ones!
Give your plastics and cans a rinse before they go in the bin. They don’t need to be sparkling clean but doing this helps make sure the recycling is high quality and can be properly recycled.
If you’re recycling your Christmas tree remember to remove its base, decorations and cut it in half if it’s over 6ft before popping it neatly on the kerbside on its collection day.

What goes where?

Green lidded recycling bins and red recycling boxes

Paper – including wrapping paper, envelopes and Christmas cards (no glittery, foil or metallic ones!)
Cardboard and drinks cartons
Plastic bottles (with lids), pots, tubs and trays – including empty plastic toiletry/household cleaning bottles
Tins/cans
Empty aerosols
Clean tin foil – including mince pie cases!

Blue boxes and purple lidded communal glass bins

Glass bottles and jars
Blue boxes only – small electricals (eg hairdryers and toasters) and batteries in a clear plastic bag

Grey lidded food recycling bins

All your cooked and uncooked food including meat and bones

Christmas trees

You can check which dates we’re collecting Christmas trees in your street on our website. You can also book an appointment online to take it to one of our recycling centres.

Recycling centres

Please not there are some changes to the opening hours at our recycling centres over the festive period and you must book an appointment at edinburgh.gov.uk/bookrecycling to visit one.

Garden waste collections

There will be no garden waste collections from 14 December to 10 January.

If you don’t use the garden waste service but would like to sign up for it, there will be one more opportunity to register for this service year, which runs until November 2021. Registration opens from 2 February to 16 February and more information about what you you need to do will be availble on our website nearer the time.