Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘unwavering commitment to strengthen and sustain the United Kingdom’ took a step forward yesterday with the completion of Queen Elizabeth House, the new UK Government flagship hub in Edinburgh city centre.
The hub will house nearly 3,000 civil servants from 11 departments, to deliver a bigger, better and more coordinated service to people and businesses.
The seven-storey, 190,000 square feet, ultra-modern office space, located near Waverley Station in the heart of the capital, is now officially complete and ready for occupation.
This follows on from the official key handover ceremony on 13th June 2019 when the building contractor, Artisan, completed the physical building works, prior to the internal fitting out work commencing.
HMRC has delivered the project. Construction was completed last year and the internal fitting out has now been finished.
The completion was marked by a visit from the Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack. He was joined on a tour of the facility, which includes Scotland’s first dedicated UK Government Cabinet meeting room, by UK Government Ministers for Scotland David Duguid and Iain Stewart as well the Advocate General for Scotland, Lord Keen.
Mr Jack said: “Less than three weeks ago the Prime Minister came to Scotland to reaffirm his unwavering commitment to strengthening the United Kingdom and the completion of Queen Elizabeth House is a further visible and tangible sign of the UK Government delivering on this.
“As we look forward to ensuring our economy can bounce back after coronavirus, and making the most of new global opportunities outside the EU, the case for the Union has never been stronger. It was exciting to tour the completed building and I very much look forward to seeing the UK Government’s expanded and more co-ordinated presence in Scotland deliver even better services for people and businesses.”
The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (OSSS) and the Office of the Advocate General, will be joined in the hub by other UK Government departments and bodies including HMRC, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, the Office for Statistics Regulation, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Government Actuary’s Department. Additional UK government departments are expected to confirm occupancy in the coming months.
The OSSS continues to work with partners to ensure the building is fully occupied as quickly as possible once COVID-19 conditions allow.
Work is also underway on a Glasgow Hub. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Hubs are ‘a key part of the UK Government’s commitment to delivering excellent public services for people in Scotland, building a strong civil service outside London and leading the way in regional regeneration.’
Just Festival, Edinburgh’s social justice and human rights festival, is set to deliver a carefully curated hybrid of online and live events to celebrate 20th Anniversary.
The free to attend programme will run online and at St. John’s Church, Princes Street from 16th – 23rd August.
Helen Trew, who was recently appointed as the Festival Director for Just Festival, said: “Just Festival has been an important part of the Fringe for many years and, when I took over, I hadn’t expected it to be under the strange and unusual circumstances we all find ourselves in!
“We’d like to extend a special thanks to Helen Foord, CEO of ELE Global and Just Festival Board Member, who has gone above and beyond, volunteering her skill sets to support the delivery of this programme. Her skills and knowledge have been invaluable, and her energy has been amazing.”
ELE Global have volunteered their services to Just Festival, supporting them with all of their digital communications, project management, social media and event promotion.
Helen Foord, CEO of ELE Global, commented: “The Just Festival is an event very close to my heart, and directly linked with our own business values, as it works to challenge perceptions, celebrate differences and encourage dialogue on the key issues of our time.
“During these uncertain times, it’s never been more important for us to unite and support one another, so I have been delighted to offer my team, to help.”
The online programme, based on the theme of ‘transformations’, will draw together a programme of digital events accessible online via Zoom. These virtual events will create an important space for dialogue and platforms for engagement in local, national and international questions of social justice, equality and identity, both from the religious and non-religious perspectives.
The live element of the festival will take place at Cornerstone Centre, St. John’s Church on Princes Street from 18th – 22nd August. Stan’s Cafe will bring the internationally acclaimed ‘Of All The People In All The World’ back to Edinburgh.
In this simple performance installation, artists build small and large mounds of rice representing the political and social realities in the world: one grain of rice for the Queen, twelve grains for people who have walked on the moon, a pile for teachers in the UK, a heap for millionaires in Europe, and a mountain for people fleeing from war and disaster.
Visitors are invited to put their questions and suggestions to the artists, ensuring an ever-changing rice landscape. By making normally abstract statistics tangible and placing them in thoughtful relation to each other, this powerful work of art is witty, shocking and ultimately moving.
Helen Trew concludes, “Despite all of the logistical challenges and physical social distancing restrictions, we decided to carry on and rethink our programme in a way that would best maintain the unique spirit of the Just Festival and create the space for people to gather online to discuss those issues that most affect our lives today with our fantastic range of eclectic and expert panellists.
“This year has brought serious difficulties to our lives, and we are mindful of the insecurity left by the lockdown for many people. As a result, we have decided not to charge for our events however, if you are able, we would appreciate your support through our donation scheme on registration which will enable the Just Festival charity to sustain its work.”
The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA has opened nominations for the 2020 Cllr Awards. The Cllr Awards are the only national awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of individual councillors across Scotland.
Since 2018, LGIU Scotland and CCLA have been honouring the hard work of councillors that so often goes unrecognised. The Award categories celebrate the varied work of councillors. New categories for 2020 include Covid-19 Hero and Collaborative Working alongside the coveted Champion for Education, Leader of the Year and New Councillor of the Year awards.
Nominations are now officially open until 18 September with the shortlist due to be unveiled in the middle of October. Nominations can be made by anyone who would like to recognise a councillor doing outstanding work for their community.
“The winners will be decided by a panel of judges composed of senior councillors and officers as well as leading stakeholders from across the sector. This year’s ceremony will take place at the end of November. Due to the ongoing health crisis, it will be held virtually with winners announced on the night.
This year’s awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU Scotland, said: “Now, more than ever, we need to honour the unsung heroes of local government who are working tirelessly to keep the country afloat during the pandemic.
“This is why we are proud to once again open nominations for this year’s Cllr Awards. It has never been more important that we take the time to recognise the vital work of our councillors.
“We want to hear from as many members of the public, councillors and local leaders as possible about the individuals who are making a real difference in your communities.
“We are always overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the nominations we receive each year. However, we know that this year’s Awards will shine a light on the highest calibre of nominations yet.”
Scotland’s future workforce will be at the heart of rebuilding the economy following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said.
Announcing £10 million for a range of measures to recruit and retain apprentices, including additional funding for the Scottish Government’s Adopt an Apprentice programme, Ms Hyslop said the funding would help modern and graduate apprentices who are facing redundancy as a result of COVID-19 get back into work.
Ms Hyslop (above) said: “The young people who will make up our future workforce are among those who have been hardest hit by this pandemic. As such, it is crucial that we support them and ensure they are at the heart of our economic recovery from COVID-19.
“This targeted funding will extend the reach of our support for apprentices, including our Adopt an Apprentice programme. Combined with our commitment of at least £50 million for youth employment and the Youth Guarantee, we will ensure no one is left behind.
“Apprenticeships are not only valuable for our young people, they are a key way for all employers to invest in their workforce, and provide the skills the economy needs both now and in the future.
“Our focus is on protecting jobs, creating jobs, ensuring quality jobs and supporting skilled jobs. By taking this action to protect and support skilled jobs now, we will rebuild a stronger, fairer and greener future for Scotland.”
Frank Mitchell, Chair of Skills Development Scotland, said: “This welcome announcement underlines the importance of apprentices to the Scottish economy and the crucial role they will play in supporting individuals and businesses in the recovery from COVID-19.
“We will continue to liaise with the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board and other employer organisations on the development and delivery of employer incentives and subsidies. SDS is also fully engaged with the work Sandy Begbie is leading on the development of a jobs guarantee for young people in order to maximise the use of all available incentives towards the retention and recruitment of apprentices.”
Further immediate investment to support economic recovery from COVID-19 was set out last week by the Scottish Government, with additional funding for workforce training and digital technology announced.
The Flexible Workforce Development Fund, which helps employers upskill and reskill their existing workforce through college courses, will be increased from £10 million to £20 million.
Meanwhile a further £1.5 million will be invested into the Digital Boost programme – almost trebling the capacity of the initiative for the remainder of this financial year.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack visited Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Redford Barracks yesterday.
The factory makes five million poppies and 15,000 wreaths every year to raise funds for Poppyscotland’s veteran support services. During lockdown the factory staff worked from home, continuing to make poppies for this year’s Scottish Poppy Appeal.
Mr Jack met factory manager Major Charlie Pelling (retired) and many of the former service men and women who work in the factory.
Speaking after his visit, Alister Jack said: “It was a real privilege to visit Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory and meet the former service men and women who produce the famous poppies.
“It was heartening to hear how hard they had all worked to make sure that production continued right through lockdown. Every year Poppyscotland raises much needed money for veterans charities, and I wish them the very best of luck with this year’s appeal.
Charlie Pelling, Manager at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, said: “The lockdown has been a very challenging period for us but it is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of our workforce that they adapted to home working so enthusiastically.
“In doing so that have ensured that the millions of poppies needed for the 2020 Scottish Poppy Appeal would be ready in time. While we expect this year’s Appeal to be different due to the ongoing pandemic, it is vital that we continue to have the support of the public, without which Poppyscotland would not be able to continue offering it’s life-changing support to our Armed Forces community.”
Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, a subsidiary of Poppyscotland, is currently located in Redford Barracks while their permanent premises in Canonmills are refurbished.
Poppyscotland raises money through the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal to deliver support to members of the armed forces community. The charity funds services in advice, employment, housing, mental health, mobility and respite.
Local DJ Jim Henderson – aka DJ Edinburgh – handed over a cheque for £900 to Drylaw Rainbow Club Day Centre’s Jacke Brown yesterday.
Jim staged a ‘Live Aid 2020’ event last month to support the Rainbow Club, who are part of an area-wide network of local organisations who are supporting our community’s most vulnerable people with food parcels and essential supplies during the coronavirus pandemic.
ForeverEdinburgh encourages residents and visitors to share what they love about Edinburgh and invites them back into the city
Campaign is a joint initiative from Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, City of Edinburgh Council and industry partners
Tourism and hospitality industry is one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic
A new initiative to support Edinburgh’s hard-hit tourism and hospitality industry has gone live. The ForeverEdinburgh campaign has been developed by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG), working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and industry partners from across the sector, including hoteliers, visitor attractions, bars and restaurants, events and festivals and transport.
The campaign aims to maintain Edinburgh’s position as the UK’s top visitor destination outside of London, attracting over 4 million visitors a year and employing 34,000 of the city’s 513,000 residents. Its launch follows the recent relaxation of lockdown restrictions for many parts of the tourism and hospitality sector which has allowed businesses to reopen over the last month.
Edinburgh’s tourism sector has gone from strength to strength in recent years but has seen a very dramatic reversal of fortunes recently. It was only a few short months ago that the key challenge was how to address the concerns around over tourism in the city.
However, the impact of the COVID19 pandemic has hit the city particularly hard and while the relaxation of lockdown rules has seen a boom in staycations in more rural parts of Scotland, visitors remain cautious about visiting city locations and key draws to the city, such as major events, festivals and business conferences have had to be cancelled.
The ForeverEdinburgh initiative aims to ‘inform and inspire’ residents and visitors alike, giving them the confidence to come into the city by communicating the new safety measures in place right across the city, ensuring people feel prepared and reassured.
A new website soon to be launched, will provide information to help people plan their visit responsibly as well as recommend things to see and do and, for those from further afield, where to stay.
Edinburgh residents and visitors will be invited to share what they love most about Edinburgh using #ForeverEdinburgh. From local walks and cycle routes to favourite restaurants or the best place to get a cappuccino, ForeverEdinburgh will inspire people to get into the city again, whether that’s to revisit an old gem or discover a new one.
Local businesses are encouraged to engage with the ForeverEdinburgh campaign and be part of a united, city-wide movement with increased visibility and social engagement through #ForeverEdinburgh.
A digital toolkit with flexible campaign assets designed for easy integration with existing brand and marketing collateral will be available to download at www.etag.org.uk.
Donald Emslie, Chair of ETAG, said: “The impact of COVID-19 and the implications for the tourism sector in Edinburgh are unlike anything we have experienced before. It was clear from the very early days of the crisis that Edinburgh’s tourism sector was going to be particularly hard hit, putting many jobs and businesses at risk.
“It was also clear that a new approach to promoting the city’s tourism offer would be required, making public health issues the top priority to ensure the safety of residents, visitors and those working in the industry.
“A key challenge is also the rapidly changing situation, so rather than create a traditional tourism marketing campaign, the #foreveredinburgh initiative is designed to ‘inform and inspire’ people and importantly create a platform which tourism businesses of all types and sizes can be part of.
“ETAG recently surveyed the city’s tourism sector and this demonstrated that their collective social media reach is over 3 million followers, so working together and harnessing this huge resource to promote the city creates a very strong voice for the city.
“ForeverEdinburgh will also encourage residents and visitors themselves to share what they love about the city, creating a genuine ‘Team Edinburgh’ effort to support the many jobs and businesses that rely on visitor income and contribute to the wider city economy, and so we are hoping as many people as possible will get behind the Forever Edinburgh campaign.”
Adam McVey, Leader of City of Edinburgh Council said: “There is no underestimating how important tourism and hospitality is to Edinburgh, whether that’s in terms of our city’s economy, local businesses and jobs or our residents’ wellbeing and enjoyment.
“We’re lucky to have such an incredibly vibrant and varied offering at our fingertips – in part driven by the high levels of visitors that our beautiful city attracts – and we need to act urgently to provide support to our local businesses and help build the industry back to be as sustainable and resilient as possible.
“At the same time, we have to carefully balance this support with ensuring that Edinburgers can enjoy these businesses safely and without compromising their own health or that of others.
“Like all of our recovery efforts, we’re taking a Team Edinburgh approach to backing and implementing the campaign and we’re confident that by working together we can encourage Edinburgers to rediscover parts of their city safely and fall in love with it all over again. We’ll not only see the buzz that we’ve missed so much return to our streets, we’ll also see a positive impact on our local high streets across the city to boost local business and help protect jobs.”
The ForeverEdinburgh campaign has been created in partnership with Edinburgh-based The Lane Agency, who have an award-winning track record with high-profile destination campaigns across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Chris Bruce, Director of The Lane Agency, said: “We’ve worked on City of Edinburgh campaigns in the past, however this one was more poignant and important than ever.
“We’ve all experienced eerily silent offices and shops and share a desire to see Edinburgh safely returning to the vibrant, buzzing city we know. It has been a privilege working on a campaign that will reintroduce the city to its residents and visitors.”
Elaine Green, Edinburgh Capital Group, commented: “Edinburgh Capital Group members are delighted to cement their role as reasons to visit Edinburgh by being part of Team Edinburgh’s #ForeverEdinburgh campaign and hope it will encourage locals to get to know their beautiful city better and the array of attractions, tours and events it has to offer.
“Our members are all certified by the UK-wide ‘We’re Good to Go’ scheme and ready to welcome visitors.”
Neil Ellis, Chair Edinburgh Hotels Association, said: “The Edinburgh Hotels Association as a #ForeverEdinburgh partner, is grateful to ETAG for spearheading on this very much welcome and needed campaign for our amazing capital city. Our members stand ready, as they always have, to safely welcome guests from near and far for that no doubt, well-earned city break.
Lyndsay Wilkie, Director, Business Development at The University of Edinburgh who run three hotels and multiple venues across the City, said: “Edinburgh’s tourism and hospitality industry has always been so vibrant and something we are all proud of, which is why it makes it so hard to see the City’s hotels, venues and restaurants so quiet at what would normally be our busiest time of the year.
“That’s why we are delighted to be partnering with ETAG, City of Edinburgh Council and other key industry partners on the #ForeverEdinburgh campaign, as it’s now more important than ever that we come together to showcase what Edinburgh has to offer.
“I know how much energy we’ve put into making our hotels and venues safe for our guests and delegates, and we are lucky that our City has so much green and open space for our visitors to enjoy, this campaign will help us all to tell this story and give confidence to our guests of the future.”
The ForeverEdinburgh campaign is jointly funded by City of Edinburgh Council, ETAG and industry partners. The core objectives of the initiative are to maintain Edinburgh’s position as a top visitor destination, to drive footfall in a safe and responsible way, and ultimately safeguard jobs and businesses right across the city’s tourism and hospitality industry.
TWO surveys by Scotland’s biggest teaching unions have highlighted teachers’ concerns as children return to school this week:
A major study conducted by the EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union, has confirmed that the majority of teachers retain serious concerns about COVID-19 safety measures ahead of the return of pupils to schools from today.
A total of 29,867 teachers took part in the survey. The clear message from the results is that, while teachers support the decision to reopen schools, they remain unconvinced that sufficient measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of pupils, staff and the wider school community.
Key data from the final survey results includes:
A total of 29,867 teachers completed the survey from its launch on Tuesday 4 August to the morning of Monday 10 August – the largest survey return we have ever had – with 60% expressing support for the decision to reopen schools but a similar figure, 66%, expressing anxiety and a lack of confidence that sufficient mitigations would be in place.
Only 1 in 5 expressed confidence that schools are currently safe – indicating that much more needs to be done to reassure staff that schools are safe to work in.
53% expressed a lack of confidence that an established capacity to test, trace and isolate is in place to support a safe return, with only 28% of teachers being ‘confident or very confident’ of this.
72% of teachers indicated support for the testing for asymptomatic members of staff to help supress the spread of COVID.
63% expressed support for the mandatory wearing of face coverings by senior pupils in classrooms.
65% indicated that enhanced cleaning regimes would make them feel safer in schools.
Commenting on the findings, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said yesterday: “These findings issue a stark warning to local authorities and the Scottish Government ahead of pupils returning to schools from tomorrow.”
“Our survey findings confirm that, even as they return to schools across the country today, Scotland’s teachers are extremely concerned about the risks associated with potential COVID-19 infection in schools.
“This worry will be particularly acute for the significant percentage of teachers identified as being in an ‘at risk’ category (16% of respondents), as well as those living with a family member who is in a high-risk group.
“There is significant concern amongst all teachers on issues such as the large number of pupils in each class, inability to maintain social distancing, and the need for the wearing of face coverings to ensure safety in some circumstances. These concerns grow more acute based on the age of pupils being taught, with secondary teachers expressing a particularly high level of concern over the potential risks of teaching young adults for long periods of time in an enclosed classroom environment.”
Mr Flanagan continued: “The EIS has consistently said that we support the principle of re-opening schools so that teachers can, once again, offer their full support in a classroom setting for pupils. But we have also been consistent in the demand that schools can only re-open to pupils if this is managed in a way that can assure the safety of those pupils, staff and the wider community.
“The very clear message from these findings is that teachers are far from convinced that all necessary steps have been put in place by the Scottish Government and local authorities to make schools safe. This must be addressed now, with pupils returning this week.”
Mr Flanagan concluded, “The EIS will be sharing the results of our survey with local authorities and the Scottish Government, and continuing talks at national and local level to seek resolutions to the concerns raised by our members.
“It is in everyone’s interests for solutions to be found, to ensure that our schools can operate safely as pupils return to the classroom this week.”
A majority of teachers are returning to schools this week without knowing what safety measures their schools are taking to deal with Coronavirus, an NASUWT survey of Scottish teachers has found.
Teachers have been given little or no time to prepare for the return of their pupils and have in many cases not been given basic information about what measures will be in place to ensure the health and safety of staff and pupils.
The majority (67%) of teachers responding to the NASUWT survey do not feel prepared to return to their school/college and the vast majority (87%) feel anxious about returning to their school when it is reopened to all pupils.
The NASUWT survey found teachers in Scotland have not been given assurances on social distancing or the provision of PPE. The survey also highlighted major concerns around the lack of consultation with teachers, especially staff who are at greatest risk from contracting Coronavirus.
A majority of teachers (57%) had not been informed of new arrangements for their school for Monday/Tuesday and the majority (60%) were not consulted on any arrangements for opening and also a majority (65%) were not consulted on risk assessments.
For those who were in extremely vulnerable groups or had characteristics for whom coronavirus would have a disproportionate effect, (69%) had not had any contact from their employer regarding their individual risk assessment.
NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “Teachers need to be given the same level of protection as employees in any other workplaces.
“Our survey has highlighted that teachers have not been given assurances that even basic hygiene measures to help supress the virus, such as paper towels and soap and hot water, will be made available to them. This is deeply concerning and must be addressed immediately.
“We have also heard from many cases teachers who have not been told about the safety measures that will be in place to help prevent virus spread.
“The Scottish Government and school employers have a duty to listen to and address teachers safety concerns and take urgent action to ensure that schools reopen safely this term.”
Jane Peckham, NASUWT National Official Scotland, said: “The fact that almost half of teachers have told us they don’t feel their school will be a safe environment for pupils to return to should be a major cause for concern.
“The majority of teachers tell us they are anxious about returning but assurances about routine testing in schools and rigorous monitoring systems for Coronavirus will help provide reassurance that everything that can be done to keep schools safe is being done.
“School leaders and staff have been working phenomenally hard in very difficult and uncertain circumstances to ensure that they can safely reopen and many pupils and staff are looking forward to returning to school and college.
“But ministers and school employers must do more to reassure parents and the schools workforce that everything is being done to minimise transmission of the virus and that rigourous safety measures and procedures are in place should any outbreaks occur.”
COSLA PRAISES HEROIC EFFORT AS SCHOOLS PREPARE TO REOPEN
COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson, Councillor Stephen McCabe, and Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: “As schools across Scotland prepare to welcome pupils back this week, we would like to pay tribute to our school staff teams – cleaners, janitors, catering staff, teachers, support staff and youth workers – their response during the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of heroic.
“They have continued to work quickly and effectively in unprecedented circumstances to support and guide children through home learning, whilst striving to ensure pupils could return to their classrooms in safe and timely manner.
“This has been no easy task, and we thank them for their unwavering efforts and dedication during the most challenging of times over the past five months.
“We’d also like to take this opportunity to recognise the support and patience from parents and carers as we all navigated uncertain times following the closure of schools back in March.
“And lastly, to our children and young people – we have continued to be impressed by your resilience and we are sure your teachers are incredibly proud of your attitude and efforts through this pandemic.
“We hope you enjoy returning to your classrooms with your friends and settle back into the routine quickly.”
Edinburgh’s children begin the return to school tomorrow with a phased return to begin on Wednesday 12 August, with all pupils back full-time from Monday 17 August. There are in-service days on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th (today).
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House this afternoon:
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I’ll start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 29 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.8% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,027.
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but the provisional information I have is that 18 of the 29 cases are in the Grampian health board area.
It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a little bit more about the situation there shortly.
A total of 267 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid, that is six more than yesterday and three people are in intensive care and that is the same as yesterday.
I’m also very pleased to say that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who tested positive over the previous 28 days and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491. Obviously though the total number of deaths still reminds us every single day of the dreadful impact of Covid and my condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
And as always, I want to thank everyone who is working hard to help our country through this pandemic.
I have two things I want to update on today. The first is the current situation in Aberdeen and then I want to say a bit about the reopening of schools from tomorrow.
I’ve just mentioned that in the last 24 hours, 18 new cases were confirmed in the Grampian Health Board area.
That means that in the 15 days since 26th of July, a total of 231 cases in Grampian have been identified.
We understand that 157 of those are linked in some way to the Aberdeen cluster.
And a total of 852 contacts have now been identified from those 157 cases.
Now it’s important to stress that those 852 contacts might not equate exactly to 852 people – there is likely to be some overlap between different cases.
But that figure helps to give some idea, I think, of the scale of the tracing exercise which is underway in Aberdeen.
The majority of those contacts have already been traced, and tracing procedures are in place for the others. And that in itself shows how hard and well our Test and Protect teams are working – even in relation to a large and complex cluster.
In addition, I hope that the measures that we put in place in Aberdeen last week will help to slow and then stop transmission before it becomes widespread within the community.
And the advice we have put in place about not travelling to or from Aberdeen – unless absolutely essential – should reduce the risk of cases spreading from Aberdeen to other parts of Scotland.
That said we do expect the number of cases and contacts in the Aberdeen cluster to rise further in the days ahead. But I want to take the opportunity again to thank all those working hard locally to seek to contain this cluster as quickly and as effectively as possible.
More generally, the events of the past fortnight have been a reminder of how fragile Scotland’s overall position is and that is the same in countries across the world.
We have seen and we are still seeing, thankfully, low rates of transmission in most parts of the country.
But we have also seen in Aberdeen how quickly that can change, it can literally change in an instant. And it will change, if we drop our guard.
So, for that reason, whenever you are out and about, please continue to think about your own actions, not just in Aberdeen but wherever you happen to be in the country.
Let me remind you that no more than three households should be meeting together indoors at any one time – in each other’s homes, and in places like bars and restaurants. It is important to recognize that household limit applies in places like bars and restaurants just as it does in your own home.
And people from different households should be staying physically distant from each other at all times. And again that is something we advise strongly if you are in a bar, just as we do if you are meeting other households in your own house.
And each of us should be thinking about our recent behaviour. All of us asking ourselves have we been a bit more relaxed about things like physical distancing when we’ve been meeting up with friends recently?
Are we creating more bridges that allow this virus to spread, to travel from us to another household, or from another household to us?
Because if we are doing that, and I think it is inevitable that many of us will have dropped our guard that little bit, then now is the time to recognise that and try to rectify it, because the fact is we all still need to be really careful right now. And Aberdeen is very hard proof of that fact.
Nobody’s life, while our lives have regained a bit of normality in recent weeks, nobody’s life should be feeling absolutely normal at the moment. Covid is still present, and we know it is still highly infectious.
So all of us have a big role to play in trying to keep it under control. And one reason why that is so important, why suppressing and hopefully eliminating the virus is so important, is that it is the best way of ensuring that schools can reopen, and then stay open, safely. That has to be a priority for all of us, and it is very much a priority for Government.
Earlier this morning I visited West Calder High School in West Lothian, to see for myself the preparations that they are making for reopening this week.
Like many schools across the country, they are having a phased return.
Tomorrow is an in-service day for staff.
Wednesday is for students in secondary school years 1 to 3. And Thursday is for students in year 1, and years 4 to 6.
And then from Friday, all students will be in the school full-time.
I think it is worth saying that for students and staff, school will feel different to how it was before.
There will, for example, be a lot more handwashing.
Some schools will have staggered starts and lunchbreaks – at West Calder for example, school lunches have to be ordered on an app in the morning and collected at lunchtime.
And for staff, while young people are not required to keep two metres apart within schools, teachers and other adult staff do need to keep that distance.
Now, I know that there will be nerves and anxiety for children, parents and teachers this week and I think that is entirely understandable.
Hopefully induction days that I know are happening in many schools will help young people to get used to the changes, and to being around each other again.
But fundamentally all of us know that the reopening of schools is essential for children’s education, personal development and indeed I think for their general wellbeing and happiness.
So what we are doing, is trying to ensure that the reopening is safe and effective.
I was really impressed and reassured this morning by what I saw of the preparations at West Calder, and I know those preparations are being repeated in schools right across the country, and I am very grateful to everyone – teachers, teaching assistants, local authority workers and all school staff – who are enabling schools to safely reopen.
There are three other quick points I just want to make in relation to schools.
The first is that although schools can reopen from tomorrow, this reopening does not yet apply to unregulated indoor activities for school children – for example some indoor play or activity clubs, and some faith-related education such as Sunday schools and madrassahs. They should not start again until agreed guidance is in place.
The second point is about travel. We know that the reopening of schools will put extra pressure on public transport and on our road network.
So Transport Scotland is today launching a Travel Safe campaign. It asks commuters to help the transport system by only travelling if you need to, and by working at home when you can.
But if you do need to travel, please walk, cycle or wheel to work whenever that is possible.
And if you need to use public transport or if you need to drive, which will be the case for some people, think about whether you could make your journey outside of the peak times.
The continued need for physical distancing on public transport, as schools reopen and as more business activities resume, will put more pressure on transport services. So the Travel Safe campaign is intended to help you think about ways in which you can help with that.
The final point I want to cover today is for those pupils, and indeed parents of pupils, who received their SQA results last week.
John Swinney will make a statement in parliament tomorrow about the steps we intend to take to address concerns about this year’s results.
And at the heart of that, we will be taking steps to ensure that every young person gets a grade that recognises the work they have done.
Let me be clear about this – in a very difficult and unprecedented situation, we took decisions that we thought, on balance, were the right ones, and we took them with the very best of intentions. These were broadly the same decisions that have been reached for England and Wales as well.
But our concern – which was to make sure that the grades young people got, were as valid as those they would have got in any other year – perhaps led us to think too much about the overall system and not enough about the individual pupil.
And that has meant that too many students feel that they have lost out on grades they should have had – and also that has happened as a result, not of anything they’ve done, but because of a statistical model or an algorithm. In addition, that burden has not fallen equally across our society.
So despite our best intentions, I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that. But instead of doing what politicians sometimes do and dig our heels in, we are determined to acknowledge that and to put it right.
There are, of course, deeper questions that we will need to resolve for the longer term – about the impact of exams on the attainment gap, and on the difference between exams and teacher judgment.
But the most immediate challenge is to resolve the grades awarded to pupils this year.
As I have said we will set out our approach tomorrow to the Scottish Parliament, but let me be clear that we will not expect every student who has been downgraded to appeal.
This situation is not the fault of students, and so it should not be on students to fix it. That is on us, and we will set out tomorrow exactly how we intend to do that.
.@NicolaSturgeon says she still has confidence in her Education Secretary John Swinney.
FM also reiterates her commitment to address the issue of the exam results.
These are the two main issues I wanted to cover today.
Obviously we will talk a lot more about both of these issues, and no doubt others, as the week progresses.
Before I hand over, first to the Health Secretary and then to the Chief Medical Officer, let me just close by reminding everybody again of FACTS – the five rules that we all must follow to stay as safe as possible.
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule.
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all comply with these five golden rules, then we will collectively reduce the risk of this virus spreading.
So I encourage everybody to do that and to do that rigorously because it is in the interest of all of us, individually, in the interest of our families, but also in the interests of the country as a whole.
You are invited to join an online roundtable for civil society and local government to exploring how to meet the ambitious target to reach Carbon Neutral Edinburgh by 2030:
The event takes place from 6-8pm on Wednesday 12 August.
We’ve invited people in civil society organisations advocating action to cut climate emissions.
Dr Sam Gardner, Chair of Edinburgh Climate Commission and Councillor Adam McVey, Leader of the Council and Vice Chair of the Commission will share their vision.
This interactive session will:
Generate a shared picture of the action taking place in the city
