A ‘local Champions’ network will be established in Edinburgh to provide a direct link between the Council and businesses during the city’s ongoing recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to create a new dedicated network was taken by elected members at an online meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday and is set to involve individuals from local businesses, traders associations, community councils and other local groups to push forward policy proposals to help Edinburgh’s high streets.
It will become the latest in a long line of immediate measures put in place by the Council to provide support to businesses during and in the aftermath of Edinburgh’s lockdown.
Proposals will be brought forward to support businesses applying for tables and chairs licences and a local promotional campaign will also be explored to increase resident and visitor footfall, alongside floral planters to enhance local high streets and the option of ‘green deliveries’ using cargo bikes.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: We want to strengthen communication with businesses and make sure traders are aware of routes they can use to raise ideas and concerns with the Council. This will help us respond as quickly and effectively as possible to the needs of local businesses through these enormously challenging times and beyond.
“It’s vital that we hear from businesses about their experiences and we also need to keep residents and communities’ views central to how we move forward. A Champions network will help us strike the right balance between what is necessary for our people, planet and economy in the coming months as lockdown restrictions continue to ease and we all adapt to a new normal.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Officers and Councillors from all parties have put an enormous amount of work into supporting local businesses during the pandemic and it’s fantastic to see this constructive way of working continue.
“At our Full Council meeting, there was strong consensus that we need to do all that we can to support businesses, for the wellbeing of our economy and jobs but also for our local communities.
“It’s going to be important that we continue to hear from businesses about what they need and what they would find helpful. The creation of a Champions network will help us to do that.”
Other Council steps to promote a sustainable economic recovery and support small businesses have included:
– Supporting businesses to gradually reopen safely with a ‘Ready, Set, Go’ advice service, including guidance provided to 20,000 business owners
– A more flexible approach to licensing to help more businesses apply to use outdoor space
– Accelerating plans to use the Council’s supply chains to better support local business and stimulate economic growth
– Creating more space for people to travel to businesses safely and enjoyably through the Council’s Spaces for People initiative, with priority being given to support walking, cycling, wheelchair use and prams
– Supporting planned promotional activity with the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group to gradually market the City as an attractive place for shopping, dining out and visiting with a £55,000 contribution from the Council.
The full report on support for local businesses is available online.
‘Significant steps back to a less-restricted way of life’
Schools will return from 11th August, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. Ms Sturgeon said she expects all pupils to be back in class full time from 18 August “at the very latest”.
Guidance issued to councils said children should ‘return to school as quickly and as safely as possible’.
Children will return to schools full-time from August 11, with quick access to testing for all those who are symptomatic, and a targeted, enhanced surveillance programme to highlight any impact on pupils and staff.
The First Minister has also announced the return to schools will be supported with an additional £30 million to recruit new teachers. This brings the total additional Scottish Government investment in the teaching profession to £75 million, enough to recruit up to 1,400 new teachers. This funding will help address learning loss and ensure much-needed resilience in our schools as we recover from coronavirus (COVID-19).
On top of £20 million of funding previously committed, a further £30 million will also be available as part of a £50 million education recovery fund for local authorities. This will support cleaning, facilities management, school transport and other practical issues that are vital in ensuring a safe return to school.
The First Minister told Parliament: “In many ways, Scotland is in a better position in relation to COVID than I would have dared hope a few weeks ago. But this position is fragile.
“If we are not careful now, then in two or three weeks we could easily be facing some of the issues here in Scotland that we are currently seeing around the world.
“The two changes I have announced – on schools and shielding – are very significant, and we need to see if there has been any impact from changes that have already taken place. It is important, in particular, that we allow the impact of re-opening our schools to be assessed before we proceed with further major changes.
“Caution remains essential. We want to open up society and the economy as soon as we safely can, but we do not want to have to re-impose restrictions. That start-stop pattern seen in other countries is potentially more harmful to the economy, and our health and wellbeing.
“Do not drop your guard now. Every single time one of us breaches the rules, we give the virus a chance to spread. If we allow complacency to creep in now, it will – without exaggeration – be deadly.”
The STUC has called for the Government and local authorities to heed the advice of teachers and the whole education workforce to ensure that schools are safe environments for pupils and staff.
STUC Deputy General Secretary Dave Moxham said: “Schools re-opening full-time is an enormous step which requires continuing suppression of the virus across communities, the full implementation of safety guidance and a proactive testing regime. We support the call of education unions to ensure that smaller class groupings are the norm with sufficient resources ploughed into schools to ensure this can happen.
“Despite the correct decision not to move into Phase 4, it is vital that we recognise that school re-opening coincides with a wider return to work under phase 3 and that pressures on school and public transport must be carefully monitored.
“Government and local authorities will need to listen carefully to staff across the whole school community as they strive to maintain a safe environment, allay the fears of pupils and parents and provide a positive education experience in these abnormal times.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson and Co-chair of the Education Recovery Group said: “The guidance published today was a truly collaborative effort between local authorities, the Scottish Government, trade unions and parent organisations.
“The overriding priority for everyone involved is to ensure a safe return to education for our children and young people. At the same time, we have been extremely conscious of the impact that not being in school has on children, young people and families.
“The guidance is designed to give clear direction to all of those in local authorities preparing for the return to school. There are many issues to consider including arrangements for cleaning, school transport, testing and surveillance. Local authority staff have been working over the summer to make preparations not only for a full return but for the contingency of blended learning.
“Now that guidance has been finalised the hard work of school staff – cleaners, janitors, catering staff, teachers, support staff and youth workers – will be focussed on making sure that our children and young people get the very best from their education in what will be a very different environment from what they were used to before the pandemic.”
Councillor Gail Macgregor COSLA Resources Spokesperson added: “We welcome the additional funding that has been provided by the Scottish Government and this will allow local authorities to move forward on preparations for a full return to school in August.
“Safety is the key priority in returning and we have always been clear that any request for funding is on that basis. As we move through the school year additional costs are likely to be incurred by local authorities.
“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government as we see these costs emerge. It is our expectation that Scottish Government will provide additional funding to meet evidenced and reasonable costs.
“I would like to thank all council staff for the exceptional work they are doing as they continue their preparations for the safe return to school for our children and young people.”
Responding to the First Minister’s announcement that schools will return full time from August 11th, the EIS has warned against complacency and called for more to be done to ensure that schools are safe environments for pupils and staff.
Commenting following the announcement, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The decision of the Scottish Government to reopen schools with a full pupil return is predicated on the current successful suppression of the virus but as we are seeing in parts of Europe, that situation can change quite quickly.
“Even with full implementation of the guidelines and its mitigations, many teachers and parents will be understandably nervous about a return to the classroom.
“The EIS believes more could be done to reassure school communities around safety if smaller classes were introduced as the norm, employing the many unemployed teachers currently seeking work. The additional funding announced is welcome, therefore, but this needs to translate into smaller class grouping to support physical distancing amongst pupils.”
Mr Flanagan continued: “Smaller classes would also provide real extra support to pupils, who we know will have suffered emotionally as well as educationally as a result of lockdown. Reopening schools is only the start of education recovery.”
He went on: “The EIS will be insistent that the broader mitigations proposed are implemented rigorously, particularly physical distancing between staff and pupils, which will have significant pedagogical implications.”
“It certainly will not be ‘business as normal’. We will be seeking, also, further reassurances from the Scottish Government on proactive testing and monitoring of the school estate.”
Eileen Prior, Executive Director of Connect (formerly the Scottish Parent Teacher Council), said: “We know how hard it has been for many, many families, particularly for those facing multiple pressures. So this announcement will be the light at the end of the tunnel for the majority of parents.
“Our recent survey report, reflecting the views of nearly 8000 parents, showed that most parents want their children to get all the social and educational benefits of nursery and school.
“However, parents also told us they are anxious: parents need clear information. We’re calling on the Scottish Government to help schools and parents with an education programme about COVID-19, to make sure we are all able to work together to support young people as they go back to school with a positive attitude and agreed, shared approaches to help our children and young people be healthy and happy.
“We’d like to see a communication plan in every school, so parents know what to expect in the event of a local lock down – how communication between school and home will take place, whether and how school work at home can happen.
“Putting together the plan must involve parents.'”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said:“This is very welcome news for parents, teachers and most importantly school pupils, who will be able to return to school mid-August.
“What is vital now is that the return of schools is managed effectively and teachers are provided full support to implement protocols for reopening schools.
“Even though lockdown rules are easing, it is vital that we don’t become complacent, and continue to social distance wherever possible, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading.”
As lockdown eases the Scottish Government wants us to walk and cycle more, to reduce passenger numbers on public transport and encourage us all to keep fit and healthy.
RNIB Scotland believes this ‘Spaces for People’ initiative could transform active travel for everyone. However, we remain concerned that, if these moves are introduced too hastily, with not enough thought given to people who are blind or partially sighted or who have other mobility issues, it could actually end up putting barriers in place.
We want space for new cycle lanes to be taken from roads not pavements, for new designs to avoid the shared spaces concept, for clutter to be removed from our streets, and for controlled crossings to the road or bus stops to be installed. This will make things safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
The current situation has made us all a little more aware of what it is like to feel vulnerable, to depend more on others. Let’s build on the sense of greater cohesiveness this crisis has created and make sure the Scotland we return to is inclusive for everyone.
James Adams
Director, Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland
‘Exhausted’ staff try to recover from summer term, but few anticipate opportunity to switch off and relax
Lockdown and home learning has presented huge challenges for parents and children, but how have teachers fared?
As the school holidays begin, they have been reflecting on the strangest term in their careers – and they say that it was a period of significantly increased workload, but less actual teaching.
And most believe there is little prospect of a stress-free summer break, with a number starting preparation for the next academic year as soon as schools have broken up.
A survey of hundreds of primary school teachers by lesson resources experts PlanBee revealed that 60 percent of primary school teachers had seen a marked increase in their workload during the summer term, compared to previous years, as schools scrambled to introduce completely new ways of learning in a matter of just weeks.
This chimes with the report from the National Foundation for Education Research found that, overall, 90 per cent of parents whose children were not attending school in April 2020, reported receiving some school work to complete at home. At least 94 per cent of primary pupils received school work. Close to half of primary (42 per cent) received at least three offline lessons a day.
For 40 percent of recipients to the PlanBee survey, lesson planning and preparation took the majority of the additional time, while for a quarter of respondents, it was communicating with parents.
But 32 percent said the time they spent on actual teaching had fallen, while 39 percent said they had done less marking and feedback.
Over half report feeling well supported by their schools as they grappled with the demands of the summer term. On a scale of 1-5, with five being the highest rating, 51 percent gave their schools top marks, feeling ‘very supported’.
But the media’s reporting of changes to schools, and the role of teachers, were an area of conflict. Nearly half (49 percent) of respondents gave journalists the lowest ranking on a scale of one to five.
The government, too, could do better. Nearly 40 percent of primary school teachers gave ministers the lowest ranking, saying they didn’t feel supported. And only 2 percent gave the government top ranking, reporting that they felt ‘very supported’.
Are holidays a time of rest and recuperation for the teaching profession? Apparently not. Most described themselves as ‘exhausted’ – with one respondent saying it ‘was a different type of exhausted’ from other years.
Many reported being ‘relieved’ the term was over. Some 42 percent had already started preparation for next academic year during the summer term, predicting that lesson planning would occupy by far the biggest draw on their time. Over a quarter of respondents (27 percent) said there preparation for next term begin at the start of the holiday.
One respondent commented: ‘There is far too much prep and planning we need to recharge over the summer. Especially mentally.’
‘Part of me enjoys getting things ready for a new school year,’ said another, ‘but part of me resents the time I spend doing this that could be spent with my family.’
Another complained that it is ‘portrayed in the media that we have six weeks off!’.
This snapshot is backed by a survey from Education Support carried out during the summer term which found that as school closures, home teaching and learning continued, over half (59 per cent) of primary school teachers said they are feeling higher stress levels than usual.
Some 10 percent of PlanBee survey respondents say that they will have no opportunity at all to relax and switch off from school during the holidays while 27 percent rated their chances at two, on a one-to-five scale, with five being the best chance of putting school work behind them. Just 9 percent ranked their chances of switching off at five, the highest level.
Teacher back at school after covid-19 quarantine and lockdown, disinfecting desks at break time.
Catherine Lynch of PlanBee said: ‘The survey findings, which were gathered just as term was ending, provide a really interesting snapshot of the state of the profession – ‘exhausted’, in a word.
“The government made huge demands of teachers during lockdown and the results are clear to see. Teachers are used to being tired at the end of the school year, but this year is clearly different in terms of what the term has taken out of them and their feelings of trepidation at the prospect of what the next one will bring.’
The Scottish Government is expected to confirm 11th August as the return to school date later today.
Public urged to watch out for insurance claims scams exploiting financial losses caused by Covid-19 disruption
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) are urging the public to be alert to Covid-19 insurance claims scams.
Experts are concerned there may be a rise in insurance claims scams that aim to exploit the financial losses individuals have suffered during the pandemic.
Nuisance scammers claiming “you may be entitled to compensation because of covid-19 financial losses” could become the ‘new PPI’.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) in partnership with City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) are warning the public to be alert to a potential rise in insurance claims scams that offer to recover financial losses caused by the pandemic.
With big numbers of people across the UK taking an economic hit because of the disruption caused by Covid-19, there are concerns members of the public will be financially desperate and more susceptible to falling victim to insurance claims scams.
Fraudsters or unscrupulous claims management companies (CMCs) could cold call or message victims with unrealistic offers to help recover financial losses caused by the disruption of Covid-19.
Insurance claims scams could appear in the form of claims phishing, where a victim is told they are entitled to compensation and then asked to provide their personal and financial information in order to process a claim. The scammer can then use these details to steal their identity or attempt to gain access to funds from their bank account.
Another insurance claim scam tactic is claims farming, where a victim is told they are entitled to compensation and encouraged to make an insurance claim. Often there is no ground to claim so the person is manipulated into providing false or misleading information leaving them implicated in a criminal act of insurance fraud.
With several big-name firms now marketing legal services for those who have suffered financial loss due to the pandemic, there is an indication that insurance claims for Covid-19 disruption may become common practice.
Considering the possible audience reach of sophisticated fraud networks and existing unscrupulous CMCs, there is a worrying potential for a nuisance covid-19 insurance claims scam culture to emerge.
“With the pandemic causing so many people to lose out financially, scammers and unscrupulous companies could try to exploit the situation. Nuisance Covid-19 claims scams could become the new PPI. We encourage everyone to be vigilant and to report evidence of insurance fraud to the IFB’s confidential Cheatline”. – Stephen Dalton, Head of Intelligence and Investigations at the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).
The IFB, IFED and the ABI which work in tandem to tackle insurance fraud, are urging the public to be alert to insurance claims scams and to take action to report suspicious activity:
If contacted out of the blue, never provide personal or financial information.
Only make a claim directly through the insurance provider and only use the contact details provided at the point the policy was taken out.
If support is required to manage a claim, use a reputable FCA-registered (Financial Conduct Authority) company or SRA-regulated (Solicitors Regulation Authority) Solicitors firm.
Report any suspicions of insurance fraud to the IFB’s confidential Cheatline service.
Take steps to protect personal data from being stolen to help to prevent being targeted. Guidance can be found at the Information Commisioner’s Office.
“Criminals will use whatever means they can to try and exploit innocent members of the public and will have no qualms in using national tragedies, including COVID-19, to commit fraud. It is therefore vital that people remain vigilant to the threat that fraudsters pose and be wary of unsolicited calls, text messages or emails about COVID-19-related insurance claims and offers of compensation. If in doubt – do without! Report any suspicions to the IFB’s Cheatline.” – DCI Edelle Michaels, Head of City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).
“Scammers thrive in times of economic uncertainty and target the vulnerable. The key is to be on your guard – if someone approaches you out of the blue with an offer that seems too good to be true, then it probably is. If in any doubt, then walk away.” – Mark Allen, Manager of Fraud and Financial Crime at the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Insurance fraud can be reported confidentially and anonymously to the IFB’s Cheatline via its phone service which is powered by CrimeStoppers on 0800 422 0421 or online at insurancefraudbureau.org/cheatline
Social enterprise supporting people who have experienced homelessness, have implemented new measures to ensure everyone is safe and having fun
Tours are the perfect activity for families looking for something new and exciting to do in their home city, as well as those travelling from further afield on UK staycation
Invisible Cities have recently announced that their family friendly guided walking tours are back open and available to book, following the recent lock down, which forced all of their guides into isolation for a number of months.
The social enterprise that trains people who have previously experienced homelessness, to become walking tour guides of their own city, offers a number of themed family friendly tours across the UK in cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow and York.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities CIC said: “We have worked really hard to put new measures in place to ensure everyone is safe and having fun!
“Our tours are the perfect activity for local families looking for something new and exciting to do in their home city, as well as those travelling from further afield on UK based staycations and international visitors.”
Safety for all guides and guests remains a key priority for Invisible Cities with the tours now welcoming smaller groups of up to 10 people, with safe distancing applying for people who are not from the same household. Guides will also be wearing plastic visors and using a voice amplifier.
Customers will be offered the opportunity to purchase a disposable mask at check out, when booking their tours and guides will hand these out at the start of each tour as well as disposing of them at the end of the walk. They will also be able to leave a cashless tip for their guide directly, via a QR code on the tour.
Paul, one of the Edinburgh tour guides for Invisible Cities comments: “Going for a walk outside is one of the safest and healthiest things you can do, I have really missed doing Tours in the last few months.
“I’m super excited to be welcoming our guests back to Edinburgh and Leith and with the safety measures that we have put in place, I feel confident that you will be safe as well as myself. Please support us by coming on one of our tours, and even if you are local, I can assure you that you will learn something new about our beautiful City.”
According to Shelter, an estimated 320,000 people are homeless in the UK. This equates to one in every 201 people living in the UK and was an increase of four per cent on the previous year’s number.
Shelter says its figures, which include rough sleepers and people in temporary accommodation, are likely to be an underestimate of the problem as they do not capture people who experience “hidden” homelessness, such as sofa-surfers, and others living insecurely in sheds or cars, for example.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery continues, “These numbers are far too high, and we must work as a nation to lower them. Invisible Cities raises awareness about homelessness and through our tours, we aim at change perceptions and break down the stigma that exists around it.
“We want to take all of our tour guests on a journey through the lives of those who find themselves homeless, finding their motivation to be the best version of themselves.”
Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that doesn’t believe in labels or stereotypes. They want to show that everyone has great potential. They train people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city and offer these alternative tours to tourists and locals.
Training focuses on confidence building, public speaking and customer service. They partner with professional tour guides to build bespoke tours and practice their routes.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wedneday 29 July):
Good afternoon everyone thank you for joining us. As usual I will start with the most recent statistics on Covid.
I can report that an additional 22 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.7% of those who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland now to 18,580.
The health board breakdown of these new cases will be available later but my provisional information is that 14 of the 22 are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde area.
I have also been advised that a possible cluster of cases is currently under investigation by Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
An Incident Management Team meeting will take place later this afternoon, which I hope will give more detail, and an update will be provided after that. But I want to give an assurance today as I always do that all new positive cases are thoroughly investigated for any links and Test and Protect of course gets to work to make sure that all contacts are appropriately traced.
I can also report today that a total of 260 patients are currently in hospital who have been confirmed as having the virus. That is 4 fewer than yesterday.
And a total of 2 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid and that is no change on the figure yesterday.
Finally, I am very pleased to say that yet again during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test in the previous 28 days as having COVID-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,491.
In addition though, National Records of Scotland has just published its regular weekly report. Unlike the daily figures, it includes deaths of people who have been confirmed as having Covid by a test within the previous 28 days.
But the NRS report also covers cases where the virus has been entered on a death certificate as a suspected or contributory cause of death – even if its presence was not confirmed by a test, or if the test had been more than 28 days previously.
That is a wider measure, and therefore captures more cases and between our daily figure and the NRS report, let me be very clear that all deaths that are associated with Covid either on a confirmed basis or suspected or contributory are captured and reported.
The latest NRS report covers the period to Sunday 26 July. Let me remind you at that point, according to our daily figures, 2,491 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus had been registered but none of those deaths were registered in the 7 days up to Sunday.
Today’s NRS report shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths with either a confirmed or a presumed link to the virus was 4,201. Of those, 8 were registered in the seven days up to Sunday. That is an increase of 2 from the week before.
National Records of Scotland has also reported that the total number of deaths recorded last week – from all causes not just the virus – was 24 lower than the five year average for the same time of year.
Now I want to say just a bit more about the fact that the number of Covid deaths rose very slightly last week – especially given that we reported no deaths at all over that period in our daily figures. 4 of the 8 deaths reported by NRS were in hospital; 2 were in care homes; and 2 were in other settings – for example at home.
Now the reason why the 4 deaths in hospitals weren’t captured by our daily figures, is that those daily figures –as I’ve mentioned already today– record people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.
However some people who test positive receive care for more than 28 days afterwards, but sadly some of them do not manage to recover.
So if these people die after the initial 28 days, but have Covid recorded on the death certificate as a contributing factor, then they would be included in the NRS report, but not in the daily figures but again that is to give you assurance that all deaths associated with Covid are being captured and reported between our daily figures and the National Records of Scotland report .
I want to make just two more general points about today’s figures, .
First obviously, any increase in deaths, however small it might be, is regrettable and very unwelcome . But when we have very low levels as we do now thankfully – fluctuation is to be expected.
However, the second point is this one. These figures are a reminder of the continuing impact of the pandemic – and of the fact that, despite the progress we have undoubtedly made, we should never underestimate how cruel a virus this can be.
We’ve always got to remember that every single life lost to this illness, is of an individual who is being mourned by friends and loved ones. I want to send again today my condolences to everyone who is grieving as a result of Covid.
I also want, as always, to thank our health and care workers for the extraordinary work you continue to do, in what remains very testing circumstances. You have mine and the entire Scottish Government’s gratitude for that.
Now, I have two other issues that I want to briefly update on today and both of them relate to further improvements to our presentation of Covid data.
We have had some discussions with the other nations of the UK about providing regular and consistent reports on the distribution of personal and protective equipment, PPE. Our first report will be published on the Scottish Government website today.
That shows that in the past week alone, more than 16 million items of PPE have been distributed across Scotland by National Services Scotland. These include almost 12 million gloves, 3 million masks, and nearly 1 million aprons. In total, since the 1 March, more than 362 million items have been distributed.
These figures give some idea of the scale of the ongoing work to ensure that health and care workers have the equipment they need to keep them safe and I am grateful to everyone involved in that effort.
In addition, from 2pm today, Public Health Scotland will be presenting a much wider range of Covid information on its website. And doing so, in what I hope you will find to be, a more accessible format.
It will publish our new Covid dashboard which will include summary data of recent cases and deaths, broken down both by health board and by local authority area.
And it includes much more detailed information according to the date of someone’s test result, and also the date on which people have sadly died. So you can, for example, find out exactly how many women or men within a certain age range, tested positive in Scotland on a specific day.
We know from the information requests that we receive, that there is a desire from many people to have easier access to more detailed data about the pandemic – both in terms of the current position, and of course the risk we will continue to face in the weeks ahead but also in terms of how the pandemic has developed over the past few months.
We hope that the new dashboard will help anybody who is interested, to see data about the pandemic in their area or across the whole of the country.
One of the features of the dashboard is that it will use local data to colour-code local authority areas, based on the proportion of neighbourhoods which exceed 55 confirmed cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period.
An average-sized neighbourhood on the map – which would have about 4,000 people – would need to have three cases in the previous week to exceed that limit.
That figure is considerably higher than the current prevalence of Covid within the population, and so – in contrast to the peak of the pandemic – many local authority areas are currently likely to be shown as having no neighbourhoods above that threshold.
That, however, should not be taken as a sign that there is no cause for concern or a signal for any of us to be complacent and I want to stress that very clearly.
The new figures will show, as the figures I report every day right now thankfully show, that Covid is at low levels in Scotland and we have all worked very hard to get to this position. But we also know from the case numbers I have reported today for example that the virus is still circulating in Scotland. And the clusters we have seen, and undoubtedly continue to see, demonstrate how quickly the virus can spread again, if we give it the opportunity to do so.
In addition to that as I was talking about yesterday, news reports from other countries – in Europe and around the world – remind us of how easily progress against Covid can start to go into reverse.
For that reason, when I announce the outcome of the Scottish Government’s formal review of the Covid restrictions in Parliament tomorrow, I’m likely, very likely, to adopt a very cautious approach.
We have made some very significant changes over the last three weeks – including the resumption of indoor hospitality and tourism, and it is still too early to be completely assured about the impact of these or hopefully the absents of the impact of these.
And we also intend to make some very major changes over the next three weeks – for example I hope I can confirm tomorrow the pausing of shielding at the end of the month, and as you know it is our central objective for the next three weeks to get schools back full time from 11 August.
Ensuring that those changes can take place, without raising the prevalence of the virus too far, is not going to leave us very much room for many other immediate changes.
I know sometimes what appear to be anomalies right now, about what is allowed and not allowed can seem confusing – although I would assure you that there are rational explanations for what might appear on the surface to be inconsistencies.
But more fundamentally, and this is a key point that I want to leave you with, we can’t just look at whether an individual change is safe, although that is an important part of our consideration – we also have to consider the cumulative impact of all of the changes we make, and we have to be sensible about the order in which we make changes so we don’t create a situation in which we are doing too much too quickly and therefore giving the virus a chance to overwhelm us again.
So there will be, I’m sure parts of our economy and people, who will be disappointed tomorrow if changes they want to hear are not happening as quickly as they would like and I recognise that and I am genuinely, as I always have been, sorry about that. I don’t relish any of the implications and consequences of what we are dealing with right now.
Where we are unable to move to a further opening up tomorrow, we will indicate as far as we can. indicative dates for the future even though they will be conditional on continued suppression of the virus.
As ever, the decisive factor in ensuring how quickly we can make further changes in the weeks ahead, will be how successful we continue to be at driving this virus to low levels and keeping it at the low levels we see right now.
And as ever, that depends on all of us. Each and every one of us have to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid creating opportunities for the virus to spread.
What I’m about to say, firstly you’ve heard me say it before and secondly it is not intended as a criticism.
We are all human beings and even the politicians among us, and human behaviour is very instinctive and I know, and I totally know from my own observations and I know how hard it is in my own life, that some of the things that we have been getting used to doing for the past four months, physically distancing in particular, we are all perhaps beginning to just drop our guard a little bit on these things.
And this is a moment and I say this directly and I will just say it from the bottom of my heart, it is a moment for all of us just to pause and think about whether that is the case and if we are dropping our guard and letting those standards slip, give ourselves a bit of a shake and make sure we do all the things that we have been advised to do rigorously in the period ahead and that is of course encapsulated in the FACTS advice that I always end with and that I will end with today.
• Please wear face coverings, it’s mandatory as you know in shops and on public transport and I think you will see high levels of compliance with that but in any enclosed space where you might find it more difficult to physical distance, wear a face covering. It gives an added bit of protection against transmission. • Continue to avoid crowded places. Even if they are outdoors, crowded places wherever they are, increase the risks of this virus spreading, so avoid crowded places. • Remember to clean your hands and clean any hard surfaces that you’re touching. This one will be cleaned after this briefing today because the virus stays around on hard surfaces and we know it can spread through lack of hand hygiene. So clean hands, clean hard surfaces. . • Keep a two metre distance. And this is the one more than any of the others that we all need to check ourselves on. Keep a 2 metre distance unless you’re in a premises where there is permission to go to 1 metre with appropriate mitigations the general rule remains 2 metres . • and lastly Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
Test and Protect right now is performing I think well and those who are working through Test and Protect are doing a sterling job when outbreaks and clusters appear.
But they need the cooperation of each and every one of us, so please make sure if you are experiencing a cough, a fever, or if you are aware of a change in a loss in your sense of taste or smell, then you self-isolate immediately and you take a test immediately because that helps Test and Protect do its job.
If we all follow all of these things, we don’t take away the risks of this virus unfortunately it’s not that simple but we do significantly reduce those risks and we collectively try to protect the progress that we’ve made and hopefully keep that progress and keep this virus under control, so thanks all of you for listening.
COVID-19 Cluster Identified within Greater Glasgow and Clyde
A cluster of eight positive COVID-19 cases have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and a thorough investigation is underway.
Contact tracing of individuals has identified a number of businesses across Greater Glasgow and Clyde including a pharmacy in Inverclyde as being linked to the cases.
An NHSGGC-led Incident Management Team is working with Scottish Government, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and local environmental health teams to provide advice and support.
None of the cases are experiencing anything but mild symptoms.
Close contacts are being advised to self-isolate and other identified contacts are being followed up and given appropriate advice.
To respect and maintain patient confidentiality no further details will be released at this time.
The UK Government’s “slow, inconsistent, and at times negligent approach” to social care in the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the “tragic impact of years of inattention, funding cuts and delayed reforms”, leaving the sector as a “poor relation” that has suffered badly in the pandemic.
The Public Accounts Commons Select Committee is demanding from Government a “3-point plan” by September, ahead of the second wave, covering health, the economy & procurement of medical supplies and equipment.
This was illustrated early on by the “appalling error” committed when 25,000 patients were discharged from hospitals into care homes without ensuring all were first tested for COVID-19 – even after there was clear evidence of asymptomatic transmission of the virus.
Thanks to the commitment of thousands of staff and volunteers and by postponing a large amount of planned work, the NHS was – just – able to weather the “severe and immense” challenges to health and social care services in England and meet overall demand for COVID-19 treatment during the pandemic’s April peak – “unfortunately, it has been a very different story for adult social care”.
The Committee is particularly concerned about staff in health and social care “who have endured the strain and trauma of responding to COVID-19 for many months” and who are now expected to “cope with future peaks and also deal with the enormous backlogs that have built up”.
Failure to protect staff by providing adequate PPE has hit staff morale and confidence, while a lack of timely testing led to increased stress and absence. These same staff will be called upon in the event of a second peak and the NHS will need extra staff to deal with the backlog of treatment.
As well as its calls for a “second wave ready” plan, for health and the economy, the Committee expects an account to be provided in September of the spending under “policies designed to create additional capacity quickly” which – while necessary, especially in the haste the Government was acting in – have resulted in “a lack of transparency about costs and value for money”.
Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “The failure to provide adequate PPE or testing to the millions of staff and volunteers who risked their lives to help us through the first peak of the crisis is a sad, low moment in our national response.
“Our care homes were effectively thrown to the wolves, and the virus has ravaged some of them.
“Vulnerable people surviving the first wave have been isolated for months, in the absence of a functional tracing and containment system. Yet there were bold and ambitious claims made by ministers about the roll out of test, track and trace that don’t match the reality.
“The deaths of people in care homes devastated many, many families. They and we don’t have time for promises and slogans, or exercises in blame. We weren’t prepared for the first wave. Putting all else aside, Government must use the narrow window we have now to plan for a second wave. Lives depend upon getting our response right.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, patients across Lothian and the south-east of Scotland have continued to receive cancer treatment through a range of clinical trials.
Recently, with pandemic restrictions easing, more patients have resumed participation in cancer trials. And today (29 July) teams in the South East Scottish Cancer Research Network (SESCRN) are pleased to announce that any remaining trials that have been on hold in the region are all now able to reopen and would like to reassure patients that all trial options will be available to them.
The SESCRN teams – based in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital – are also recruiting patients to take part in a series of new clinical trials.
Stefan Symeonides, a Consultant Oncologist and Clinical Lead for SESCRN, said: “COVID-19 presented us with significant challenges – and still does – but our teams have worked hard to minimise disruption caused by the pandemic.
“We’ve had to adapt how trials are delivered to patients, implementing a range of infection prevention and control measures required as a result of COVID-19, including social distancing. This enabled all patients already started on clinical trials for cancer treatment to remain on those trials.”
However, COVID-19 has restricted access to clinical trials for other patients who would have started treatment during the peak of the COVID-19 challenges.
“We share the concern and frustration experienced by these patients, which is why we are pleased that the recent easing of pandemic restrictions has allowed us to open trials back up again and widen patient access to other trials,” said Stefan Symeonides. “We are now able to reopen all remaining studies and we are excited to have started recruiting patients to new clinical trials.”
Dot Boyle, Network Manager with SESCRN, said: “Colleagues across the Network have made monumental efforts to continue clinical trials.
“For example, we were able to keep some trials running, where there were no safety concerns for patients and, since June, a range of other trials have resumed. We are currently engaged in over 100 clinical trials, half of which are open, with the other half now due to open imminently.
“In addition, every day, our teams work in collaboration with a range of partners to help facilitate more and more new trials, the first of which have opened, covering a range of different areas, including cancer of the bladder, breast and kidney.”
Professor Charlie Gourley, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, Western General Hospital, said: “Clinical trials offer cancer patients new opportunities, either in addition to standard treatments, or after standard therapies have failed.
“They provide patients with hope and are a vital part of our armoury. The South East Scotland Cancer Research Network is rapidly reinstating these studies in order to offer our patients the best possible treatment options.”
Darren Jones, Chair of Westminster’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, has written to Secretary of State Alok Sharma outlining a number of key issues for the UK Government to address in its approach to support for business and workers as the country emerges from the Covid-19 lockdown.
The correspondence to the Secretary of State recognises the efforts of many workers and businesses who rose to the challenges brought about during the pandemic.
The letter also highlights a number of issues, including gaps in support for workers, the tapering of support for workers through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the treatment of workers during the pandemic and health & safety issues.
The letter tackles a number of areas concerning the Government’s support for businesses, recommending the Government review the success of the various loan schemes and the behavior of banks, and also highlighting problems arising from unpaid business rent and the calls for targeted support for sectors that are likely to continue to be hit by restrictions which threaten their future revenue and viability.
Darren Jones, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee said: “The Business Department and the Treasury deserve significant credit for their efforts in addressing the unprecedented challenges faced by business and workers following the impact of Covid-19.
“Given the evolving situation around Covid-19, it’s inevitable that issues would emerge concerning the effectiveness of the Government’s support package and its impact on workers and businesses.
“However, it is also the case that the alarm over gaps in the Government’s support, such as for women, and those affecting freelancers and agency workers, were being raised repeatedly by those affected and yet these warnings continued to go unheeded.
“Rishi Sunak echoed a previous Chancellor in suggesting that the coronavirus has seen us all in it together. However, it’s clear that the reality of the economic lockdown is that its impact has not been shared out evenly and that it is falling very heavily on some parts of our economy.
“For example, we heard from sectors, including retail, the creative industries and manufacturing, who expressed concern over increasing redundancies in the wake of the furlough scheme changes coming in this weekend.
“It’s clear that some sectors of our economy will continue to face very challenging conditions. The shutdown of the aviation and aerospace sector will, for example, have a longer-term impact on these industries compared to others. In some parts of hospitality and in other sectors too, difficult trading conditions and continuing restrictions threaten future revenue and their viability.
“It’s important the Government quickly learns the lessons of recent months so that they can act in future with more policy sophistication and transparency and be able to step up and deliver the most effective support possible to workers and businesses.
“If we face the prospect of a second-wave and the likelihood of increased local lock-downs, it’s essential the Government looks again at its approach to sector support and to the additional measures which will be necessary to secure our economic recovery, help businesses prosper and enable workers to protect their livelihoods”.
The letter to the Secretary of State notes the examples highlighted by Which? of price-gouging, profiteering, and the inability of consumers to obtain refunds which they were legally entitled to when their holidays and flights were cancelled.
The correspondence also notes the comments from Lord Tyrie, former Chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority, stating that the pandemic had revealed that the CMA needed new powers to deal with profiteering.
The Committee calls for the Government to undertake a review of the powers and responsibilities of the CMA, and other consumer regulation enforcers, to address bad business practices and the effective enforcement of consumer law and the action needed to tackle market abuses, such as profiteering, that took place during the pandemic.
The letter to the Secretary of State highlights issues around the impact of late payments and the problems that many small businesses were experiencing throughout the UK’s supply chains because of cash flow problems.
Following evidence from SMEs, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) on these issues, the Committee recommends the SBC be given additional powers to proactively investigate late payments, that the Prompt Payment Code be made compulsory, and that late payers should be excluded from government contracts.
Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection at Which?, said:“Our research has highlighted terrible practices during the coronavirus pandemic, including airlines that have refused to refund passengers and sellers that have unjustifiably bumped up prices on essential goods.
“In too many situations consumers have been left with nowhere to turn, which is why regulators need to be given stronger and more targeted powers so they can take effective enforcement to tackle the types of bad practice we’ve seen during the crisis.”
