Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, is supporting the campaign to save indoor and soft play centres in Scotland. Mr Briggs has submitted a motion at the Scottish Parliament which has gained cross party support from Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent MSPs.
Indoor and soft play areas employ hundreds of staff across Edinburgh and the Lothians, whose jobs are at risk due to closures.
Indoor play centres were due to open on the 14th September, but was postponed with 4 days’ notice. The new opening date of 5th October is looking increasingly unlikely with the rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland.
Thousands of pounds have been spent by indoor and soft play centres preparing for a reopening that is looking like it will not happen. The autumn and winter months are the busiest times for indoor and soft play centres, with the weather being less good.
Indoor and soft play centre campaigners have held a rally outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday (Wednesday 23rd September) to raise the profile of indoor play centres and highlight the lack of support from the SNP Ministers and the Scottish Government.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Indoor and soft play areas have spent thousands of pounds getting themselves Covid-19 ready, to minimise the spread of transmission, and allow them to open their doors again.
“These businesses have been told at short notice that they are no longer able to reopen and many are at real risk of closure, threatening jobs and peoples livelihoods.
“If the indoor and soft play areas are being singled out to stay closed, then the Scottish Government must provide them with the necessary support to survive through to next year.
“Indoor and soft play areas are valuable in the community, allowing young children to play and interact, as well as being sociable places for parents.”
Jennifer McNaughton, manager at Pandamonium Play Centre, said:“The majority of family run soft play areas in Scotland will not survive after the announcement at the start of October if they do not receive financial support from the Scottish Government.
“Indoor and soft play centres in England, Ireland and Wales are allowed to be opened with strict guidelines and since mid-August in England.
“Why are other sectors such as night clubs and theatres allowed to open when indoor soft play areas are not, which provide cheap and cheerful unstructured play, that prevents obesity and is crucial for children’s mental health?”
– Customers can sign up for weekly, fortnightly or monthly deliveries of food boxes –
– Customers will receive the delivery without needing a delivery slot –
– Savings introduced for food boxes as demand for other online services increases –
– A Feed a Family Box is also being offered to feed a family of four for five days –
– New site opened in Wakefield to manufacture food boxes –
Morrisons is today announcing new measures to its online food box service that will help customers to get a delivery of groceries to their doorstep.
With demand for online delivery slots increasing across the retail sector, Morrisons will be offering more ways to help customers buy its pre-prepared food boxes.
New measures include:
From today, Customers can opt for a weekly, fortnightly or monthly food box delivery so they can receive a regular and predictable home delivery.
Those who opt for this ‘subscription’ service will receive a 5% discount.
To support customers who want to switch to its Food Boxes Morrisons is offering a further 20 per cent discount which will apply to the first shop. The code is BOX154864P.
Morrisons has set aside a facility in Wakefield with hundreds of staff to make food boxes for the nation.
Morrisons is offering a Feed a Family Recipe Box to feed a family of four for five days
With coronavirus case rates rising and new restrictions being introduced, demand for food boxes has increased by 56% per cent in the last week.
Morrisons food boxes were launched in March in response to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. They provide an alternative for customers who are not able to leave their home or would prefer not to visit a supermarket. Customers can choose from a range of pre-prepared boxes to meet their needs.
Aidan Buckley, Director of Food to Order, for Morrisons said: “Customers use our food box service to get fresh food and cupboard essentials delivered to their doorstep quickly. We are making the service simpler and even better value to ensure everyone can get access to affordable food at this difficult time.”
Morrisons is offering a Feed a FamilyRecipe Box to help families get through the week. It contains five meals to feed a family of four. Costing just £30 each meal works out at only £1.50. A Cupboard Essentials box at £22 includes Long Life Milk, Soup, Rice, Pasta, Tuna, Beans, Custard Creams, Wine Gums and even a 4 pack of Toilet Roll.
Customers can also access a Beers, Wines and Gin Boxes, along with Flowers as treats for themselves or gifts for others.
Morrisons food box range includes; a series of weekly ‘food parcel’ style Essentials Boxes for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans; Fruit, Meat and Fish boxes for households who want to stock up; and Gluten Free, and Lean Meat boxes for customers with special dietary requirements.
All boxes are ordered online and delivered to customers doors the next day by DPD.
For further information and to order a Morrisons Food Box please visit:
Scale and urgency of the situation demands joint working to find solutions
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for urgent four nation talks to continue to drive coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission to the lowest possible level.
Acting quickly and decisively is essential, said the First Minister, pointing to scientific opinion that bringing the virus back under control will require measures beyond those which any of the four nations have so far announced.
Last night’s letter also highlights the fact that the ability of the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations to take action is curtailed by a lack of financial levers to deliver economic support, for example to the hospitality sector.
The First Minister said four-nation talks should consider three inter-related questions:
Based on the most recent data, what further actions might be necessary and is it possible to reach early four nations agreement on introducing them?
Given that further restrictions will inevitably have an economic impact, what support is required for affected sectors?
If it is not possible to reach a four nations agreement on further restrictions with associated support, what arrangements can be put in place to ensure that devolved administrations are not constrained in making what they judge to be essential public health decisions because they lack the financial flexibility to provide support to affected sectors or individuals?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on coronavirus
Good evening, the struggle against covid is the single biggest crisis the world has faced in my lifetime.
In less than a year this disease has killed almost a million people, and caused havoc to economies everywhere.
Here in the UK we mourn every person we have lost, and we grieve with their families.
And yet I am more certain than ever that this is a struggle that humanity will win, and we in this country will win – and to achieve what we must I want to talk to you directly tonight about the choices that we face – none of them easy – and why we must take action now.
I know that we can succeed because we have succeeded before.
When the sickness took hold in this country in March, we pulled together in a spirit of national sacrifice and community. We followed the guidance to the letter. We stayed at home, protected the NHS, and saved thousands of lives.
And for months with those disciplines of social distancing we have kept that virus at bay.
But we have to acknowledge this this is a great and freedom-loving country; and while the vast majority have complied with the rules there have been too many breaches – too many opportunities for our invisible enemy to slip through undetected.
The virus has started to spread again in an exponential way. Infections are up, hospital admissions are climbing.
We can see what is happening in France and Spain, and we know, alas, that this virus is no less fatal than it was in the spring, and that the vast majority of our people are no less susceptible, and the iron laws of geometrical progression are shouting at us from the graphs that we risk many more deaths, many more families losing loved ones before their time; and I know that faced with that risk the British people will want their government to continue to fight to protect them, you, and that is what we are doing, night and day.
And yet the single greatest weapon we bring to this fight is the common sense of the people themselves – the joint resolve of this country to work together to suppress covid now.
So today I set out a package of tougher measures in England – early closing for pubs, bars; table service only; closing businesses that are not covid secure; expanding the use of face coverings, and new fines for those that fail to comply; and once again asking office workers to work from home if they can while enforcing the rule of six indoors and outdoors – a tougher package of national measures combined with the potential for tougher local restrictions for areas already in lockdown.
I know that this approach – robust but proportionate – already carries the support of all the main parties in parliament.
After discussion with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations, I believe this broad approach is shared across the whole UK. And to those who say we don’t need this stuff, and we should leave people to take their own risks, I say these risks are not our own.
The tragic reality of having covid is that your mild cough can be someone else’s death knell.
And as for the suggestion that we should simply lock up the elderly and the vulnerable – with all the suffering that would entail – I must tell you that this is just not realistic, because if you let the virus rip through the rest of the population it would inevitably find its way through to the elderly as well, and in much greater numbers.
That’s why we need to suppress the virus now, and as for that minority who may continue to flout the rules, we will enforce those rules with tougher penalties and fines of up to £10,000. We will put more police out on the streets and use the army to backfill if necessary.
And of course I am deeply, spiritually reluctant to make any of these impositions, or infringe anyone’s freedom, but unless we take action the risk is that we will have to go for tougher measures later, when the deaths have already mounted and we have a huge caseload of infection such as we had in the spring.
If we let this virus get out of control now, it would mean that our NHS had no space – once again – to deal with cancer patients and millions of other non-covid medical needs.
And if we were forced into a new national lockdown, that would threaten not just jobs and livelihoods but the loving human contact on which we all depend.
It would mean renewed loneliness and confinement for the elderly and vulnerable, and ultimately it would threaten once again the education of our children. We must do all we can to avoid going down that road again.
But if people don’t follow the rules we have set out, then we must reserve the right to go further. We must take action now because a stitch in time saves nine; and this way we can keep people in work, we can keep our shops and our schools open, and we can keep our country moving forward while we work together to suppress the virus.
That is our strategy, and if we can follow this package together, then I know we can succeed because in so many ways we are better prepared than before. We have the PPE, we have the beds, we have the Nightingales, we have new medicines – pioneered in this country – that can help save lives.
And though our doctors and our medical advisers are rightly worried about the data now, and the risks over winter, they are unanimous that things will be far better by the spring, when we have not only the hope of a vaccine, but one day soon – and I must stress that we are not there yet – of mass testing so efficient that people will be able to be tested in minutes so they can do more of the things they love.
That’s the hope; that’s the dream. It’s hard, but it’s attainable, and we are working as hard as we can to get there.
But until we do, we must rely on our willingness to look out for each other, to protect each other. Never in our history has our collective destiny and our collective health depended so completely on our individual behaviour.
If we follow these simple rules together, we will get through this winter together. There are unquestionably difficult months to come.
And the fight against covid is by no means over. I have no doubt, however, that there are great days ahead.
But now is the time for us all to summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): What has changed?
The UK Government has today announced further national measures to address rising cases of coronavirus in England.
It is critical that everybody observes the following key behaviours:
HANDS – Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds.
FACE – Cover your face in enclosed spaces, especially where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
SPACE – Stay 2 metres apart where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place.
Face Coverings
Customers in private hire vehicles and taxis must wear face coverings (from 23 September).
Customers in hospitality venues must wear face coverings, except when seated at a table to eat or drink. Staff in hospitality and retail will now also be required to wear face coverings (from 24 September).
People who are already exempt from the existing face covering obligations, such as because of an underlying health condition, will continue to be exempt from these new obligations.
Guidance stating that face coverings and visors should be worn in close contact services will now become law. (from 24 September)
Staff working on public transport and taxi drivers will continue to be advised to wear face coverings.
Working from home
To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so. Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work. The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.
Businesses
Businesses selling food or drink (including cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants), social clubs, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement arcades (and other indoor leisure centres or facilities), funfairs, theme parks, and adventure parks and activities, and bingo halls, must be closed between 10pm and 5am. This will include take-aways but delivery services can continue after 10pm. (from 24 September)
In licensed premises, food and drink must be ordered from, and served at, a table.
Customers must eat and drink at a table in any premises selling food and drink to consume indoors, on site. (from 24 September)
Businesses will need to display the official NHS QR code posters so that customers can ‘check-in’ at different premises using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details once the app is rolled out nationally. (from 24 September)
Businesses and organisations will face stricter rules to make their premises COVID Secure (from 28 September).
A wider range of leisure and entertainment venues, services provided in community centres, and close contact services will be subject to the COVID-19 Secure requirements in law and fines of up to £10,000 for repeated breaches.
Employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work.
Businesses must remind people to wear face coverings where mandated.
Meeting people safely
Support groups must be limited to a maximum of 15 people (from 24 September)
Indoor organised sport for over 18s will no longer be exempt from the rule of six. There is an exemption for indoor organised team sports for disabled people. (From 24 September)
There will be a new exemption in those areas of local intervention where household mixing is not allowed to permit friends and family to provide informal childcare for children under 14. (from 24 September)
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies and receptions will be restricted to a maximum of 15 people (down from 30). Other significant standalone life events will be subject to the ‘rule of six’ limits, except funerals (from 28 September).
Government has announced an initial £60 million to support additional enforcement activity by local authorities and the police, in addition to funding that has already been awarded.
The spread of the virus is also affecting our ability to reopen business conferences, exhibition halls and large sporting events, so we will not be able to do this from 1 October.
The government’s expectation is the measures described above will need to remain in place until March.
These measures apply to England – but there may be different rules if you live in an area under local lockdown: and you should check local lockdown rules. If you are in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, different rules may apply.
The last six months have been unprecedented. They’ve been the hardest many of us have ever lived through.
But through our collective efforts across Scotland, we did beat Covid back.
As a result – although too much heartbreak has been endured and too many families are grieving – many lives were also saved.
But as we enter winter, and with many lockdown restrictions now thankfully lifted, the challenge is once again getting harder.
Albeit from the very low level we achieved in the summer, cases are rising again.
In the last three weeks, they have almost trebled.
And as the virus spreads, we see more people being admitted to hospital again and sadly dying.
So we are once again at a tipping point – we must act to get Covid back under control and protect the things that matter most to us.
In a global pandemic of a virus with as yet no vaccine, we simply can’t have 100% normality. No country can.So we must choose our priorities.
Our priorities are saving lives and protecting health.
Keeping schools open.
Restarting NHS services.
Ensuring care homes are safe.
And protecting jobs and livelihoods.
It is to safeguard these priorities that I must ask all of you again to make sacrifices. Sacrifices for our national well-being. They are not easy but please believe me when I say they are essential.
We have decided that from Friday there will be a national curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants. They will have to close by 10pm – to reduce the time people spend there.
And from tomorrow, we are all being asked not to visit each other’s homes – because we know that is often how the virus spreads most easily from one household to another.
There are exceptions – for care of the vulnerable, extended households, childcare and tradespeople.
But generally, by staying out of other people’s houses for now, we give ourselves the best chance of bringing Covid back under control.
We can still meet outdoors with one other household in groups of up to 6 people
And because we know this is especially difficult for children and young people we’ve tried to build in more flexibility for you.
If you are younger than 12, there are no limits on playing with your friends outdoors.
And if you are between 12 and 17 you can meet your friends outdoors in groups of 6 – but you don’t all have to be from just two households.
Now, for everyone – adults and children – I know that today must feel like a step backwards.
But please know that thanks to all your efforts over the last six months, we are in a much stronger position than in the spring.
Cases are rising but less rapidly than back then.
Our Test & Protect system is working well – tracing contacts and breaking chains of transmission.
We have much more information on how and where the virus spreads.
And we know what we need to do to protect ourselves and others.
And all of us have a part to play.
So I am asking everyone – please, follow the new rules. They will make a difference.
If you can and haven’t already, please also go to protect.scot and download the Protect Scotland app – so more people who might be at risk of the virus can be traced quickly and asked to self-isolate.
And remember FACTS – face coverings, avoid crowded areas; clean your hands and surfaces; keep two metre distancing; and self-isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.
Finally, I know that all of this has been incredibly tough – and six months on it only gets tougher. But never forget that humanity has come through even bigger challenges than this one.
And though it doesn’t feel like it now, this virus will pass. It won’t last forever and one day, hopefully soon, we will be looking back on it, not living through it.
So though we are all struggling with this – and believe me, we are all struggling – let’s pull together. Let’s keep going, try to keep smiling, keep hoping and keep looking out for each other.
Be strong, be kind and let’s continue to act out of love and solidarity.
I will never find the words to thank all of you enough for the enormous sacrifices you have made so far.
And I am sorry to be asking for more.
But a belief I hold on to – and one I am asking you to keep faith with in those moments when it all feels too hard – is this: If we stick with it – and, above all, if we stick together – we will get through it.
New measures to drive down infection rate
Household restrictions and 10pm closing time for hospitality settings
Further measures to protect the population from the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been announced by the First Minister yesterday (Tuesday) as Scotland faces an upsurge in cases.
The new restrictions focus on no household visits and a 10pm closing time for all hospitality settings.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today that this action is necessary in order to prevent a resurgence in community transmission of the virus and the potential for a rapid return to the pressures the NHS experienced earlier in the year.
Measures include:
Inside people’s homes (from today, Wednesday 23 September)
Do not meet people from any other households in your home or another person’s home socially, unless they are in your extended household
These rules also apply to children
Children whose parents do not live in the same household can move between homes, as can non-cohabiting couples
Very limited exemptions apply for childcare, and for tradespeople
Private gardens or public outdoors spaces (from today, Wednesday 23 September)
A maximum of six people from two households can meet in outdoor spaces
You should limit as far as possible the total number of households you meet in a day
Under-12s do not count towards the maximum number of households or number of people who can meet outdoors. Under-12s do not have to physically distance
A maximum of six 12 to 17 year olds can meet in outdoor spaces, with no household limit. Physical distancing is still required
Indoors in public spaces (from today, Wednesday 23 September)
A maximum of six people from two households can meet in public indoor spaces such as cafes, pubs and restaurants
Children under 12 from those two households do not count towards the limits
Hospitality (from 00:01 Friday 25 September 2020)
Pubs, restaurants and all hospitality settings will be required to close at 10pm
Table service will continue to be required in all hospitality premises
Car sharing
You should only car share with members of your own, or extended, household, and follow guidance when there is no alternative
Working
You must continue to work from home where practicable
These restrictions will be reviewed within three weeks and further guidance will made available where necessary.
Action – and adherence to restrictions – is needed now to safeguard lives, protect from infection and bring the R number down below one.
The First Minister said: “It is worth stressing that because of the collective sacrifices we all made to drive infection levels down over the summer, the growth in cases is from a low base and – at this stage – far less rapid than in March.
“I want to thank the people of Scotland for their cooperation, forbearance and the sacrifices they have made – but these measures are essential in ensuring we do not let this virus get out of control again.
“While these measures are tough, we believe they can make a significant difference while keeping our schools, public services and as many businesses open as far as possible.
“Early data suggests that restrictions currently in place in west central Scotland are starting to slow the increase of cases. So by extending household restrictions nationwide now, in an early and preventative way, we hope it will help to bring the R number down and the virus back under control.
On hospitality measures, the First Minister said: “I want to thank those businesses that are making huge efforts to ensure compliance. However, I want to be clear with the hospitality trade about this.
“Notwithstanding the economic implications, further restrictions – including possible closure – will be unavoidable if the rules within pubs and restaurants on hygiene, face coverings, maximum numbers in groups, and the distance between them are not fully complied with.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, is supporting the campaign to save indoor and soft play centres in Scotland. Mr Briggs has submitted a motion at the Scottish Parliament which has gained cross party support from Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent MSPs.
Indoor and soft play areas employ hundreds of staff across Edinburgh and the Lothians, whose jobs are at risk due to closures.
Indoor play centres were due to open on the 14th September, but was postponed with 4 days’ notice. The new opening date of 5th October is looking increasingly unlikely with the rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland.
Thousands of pounds have been spent by indoor and soft play centres preparing for a reopening that is looking like it will not happen. The autumn and winter months are the busiest times for indoor and soft play centres, with the weather being less good.
Jennifer McNaughton, manager at Pandamonium Play Centre, Renfrewshire, said: “The majority of family run soft play areas in Scotland will not survive after the announcement at the start of October if they do not receive financial support from the Scottish Government.
“Indoor and soft play centres in England, Ireland and Wales are allowed to be opened with strict guidelines and since mid-August in England.
“Why are other sectors such as night clubs and theatres allowed to open when indoor soft play areas are not, which provide cheap and cheerful unstructured play, that prevents obesity and is crucial for children’s mental health.”
Indoor and soft play centre campaigners will be holding a rally outside the Scottish Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd September, between 12 and 2pm to raise the profile of indoor play centres and highlight the lack of support from the SNP Ministers and the Scottish Government.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Indoor and soft play areas have spent thousands of pounds getting themselves Covid-19 ready, to minimise the spread of transmission, and allow them to open their doors again.
“These businesses have been told at short notice that they are no longer able to reopen and many are at real risk of closure, with companies taking on large amounts of debt.
“If the indoor and soft play areas are being singled out to stay closed, then the Scottish Government must provide them with the necessary support to survive through to next year.
“Indoor and soft play areas are valuable in the community, allowing young children to play and interact, as well as being sociable places for parents.”
An online petition has received over 6,000 signatures, since indoor and soft play centres were told they couldn’t open:
Motion Number: S5M-22774 Lodged By: Miles Briggs Date Lodged: 21/09/2020
Title: Save Scotland’s Indoor and Soft Play Centres
Motion Text:
That the Parliament believes that Scotland’s indoor and soft play centres are critical to providing exercise and fitness locations for younger children to learn to play together; values the role of indoor and soft play centres as social hubs for the whole community; supports the small business owners who operate indoor and soft play centres across Scotland; notes that, while under-12s are not required to socially distance under Scottish Government guidance, indoor and soft play centres are still prevented from opening despite catering for a younger age group; acknowledges the disappointment and frustration that it considers is felt by many indoor and soft play businesses that their planned reopening date of 14 September 2020 has been delayed; supports the rally being held safely outside the Parliament on 23 September to inform Members of these issues, and believes that it is critical that Scotland’s indoor and soft play centres are provided financial support by the Scottish Government to prevent the loss of these valuable small businesses.
Coronavirus crisis: Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement to the House of Commons
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will make a statement on our response to the rising number of Coronavirus cases and how we must act now to avoid still graver consequences later on.
At every stage in this pandemic we have struck a delicate balance between saving lives by protecting our NHS and minimising the wider impact of our restrictions.
And it is because of the common sense and fortitude of the British people that earlier this year we were able to avert an even worse catastrophe, forming a human shield around our NHS, and then by getting our country moving again by reopening key sectors of our economy and returning children to school.
But we always knew that while we might have driven the virus into retreat, the prospect of a second wave was real. And I am sorry to say that – as in Spain and France and many other countries – we have reached a perilous turning point.
A month ago, on average around a thousand people across the UK were testing positive for Coronavirus every day. The latest figure has almost quadrupled to 3,929.
Yesterday the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser warned that the doubling rate for new cases could be between seven and 20 days with the possibility of tens of thousands of new infections next month.
I wish I could reassure the House that the growing number of cases is merely a function of more testing, but a rising proportion of the tests themselves are yielding a positive result.
I also wish I could say that more of our people now have the antibodies to keep the virus off, but the latest data suggest that fewer than 8 per cent of us are in this position.
It is true that the number of new cases is growing fastest amongst those aged 20-29, but the evidence shows that the virus is spreading to other more vulnerable age groups, as we have seen in France and Spain where this has led to increased hospital admissions and, sadly, more deaths.
In the last fortnight, daily hospital admissions in England have more than doubled.
Tens of thousands of daily infections in October would, as night follows day, lead to hundreds of daily deaths in November and those numbers would continue to grow unless we act.
And as with all respiratory viruses, Covid is likely to spread faster as autumn becomes winter.
Yesterday, on the advice of the four Chief Medical Officers, the UK’s Covid alert level was raised from 3 to 4, the second most serious stage, meaning that transmission is high or rising exponentially.
So this is the moment when we must act.
If we can curb the number of daily infections, and reduce the Reproduction rate to 1, then we can save lives, protect the NHS, and the most vulnerable, and shelter the economy from the far sterner and more costly measures that would inevitably become necessary later.
So we are acting on the principle that a stitch in time saves nine.
The Government will introduce new restrictions in England, carefully judged to achieve the maximum reduction in the R number with the minimum damage to lives and livelihoods.
I want to stress that this is by no means a return to the full lockdown of March. We are not issuing a general instruction to stay at home.
We will ensure that schools, colleges and universities stay open – because nothing is more important than the education, health and well-being of our young people.
We will ensure that businesses can stay open in a Covid-compliant way.
However, we must take action to suppress the disease.
First, we are once again asking office workers who can work from home to do so.
In key public services – and in all professions where homeworking is not possible, such as construction or retail – people should continue to attend their workplaces.
And like Government, this House will be free to take forward its business in a Covid-secure way which you, Mr Speaker, have pioneered.
Second, from Thursday all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, Mr Speaker, except for takeaways.
Together with all hospitality venues, they must close at 10pm.
To help the police to enforce this rule, I am afraid that means alas closing, and not just calling for last orders. Simplicity is paramount.
The same will apply to takeaways – though deliveries can continue thereafter.
I am sorry this will hurt many businesses just getting back on their feet, but we must act to stop the virus from being transmitted in bars and restaurants.
Third, we will extend the requirement to wear face coverings to include staff in retail, all users of taxis and private hire vehicles, and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink.
Fourth, in retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors, our Covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations.
Businesses will be fined and could be closed if they breach these rules.
Fifth, now is the time to tighten up the rule of six. I’m afraid that from Monday, a maximum of 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Though, up to 30 can still attend a funeral as now.
We will also have to extend the rule of six to all adult indoor team sports.
Finally, we have to acknowledge that the spread of the virus is now affecting our ability to reopen business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events so we will not be able to do this from 1 October.
And I recognise the implications for our sports clubs, which are the life and soul of our communities, and my RH Friends the Chancellor and Culture Secretary are working urgently on what we can do now to support them.
Mr Speaker, these rules measures will only work if people comply.There is nothing more frustrating for the vast majority, the law-abiding majority that do comply than the sight of a few brazenly defying the rules.
So these rules will be enforced by tighter penalties.
We have already introduced a fine of up to £10,000 for those who fail to self-isolate and such fines will now be applied to businesses breaking Covid rules.
The penalty for failing to wear a mask or breaking the rule of six will now double to £200 for a first offence.
We will provide the police and local authorities with the extra funding they need, a greater police presence on our streets, and the option to draw on military support where required to free up the police.
The measures I have announced all apply in England and the Devolved Administrations are taking similar steps.
I spoke yesterday with each of the First Ministers and again today and I thank them for their collaboration:
the health of everyone in these islands depends on our common success.
Already about 13 million people across England are living under various local restrictions, over and above national measures.
We will continue to act against local flare-ups, working alongside councils and strengthening measures where necessary. And I want to speak directly to those who were shielding early in the pandemic and may be anxious about being at greater risk. Following advice from our senior clinicians, our guidance continues to be that you do not need to shield – except in local lockdown areas – and we will keep this under constant review.
I must emphasise that if all our actions fail to bring the R below 1, then we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower, with significantly greater restrictions.
I fervently want to avoid taking this step, as do the Devolved Administrations, but we will only be able to avoid it if our new measures work and our behaviour changes.
Mr Speaker, we will spare no effort in developing vaccines, treatments and new forms of mass-testing but unless we palpably make progress, we should assume that the restrictions I have announced will remain in place for perhaps six months.
For the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives and I must tell the House and the country that our fight against it will continue.
We will not listen to those who say let the virus rip; nor to those who urge a permanent lockdown; we are taking decisive and appropriate steps to balance saving lives with protecting jobs and livelihoods.
I know all of this will have profound consequences for our constituents, so the government will give the House every opportunity to scrutinise our decisions.
In addition to regular statements and debates, Hon Members will be able to question the government’s scientific advisers more regularly, gain access to data about their constituencies, your constituencies and join daily calls with my RH Friend the Paymaster General.
After six months of restrictions, it would be tempting to hope that the threat has faded, and seek comfort in the belief that if you have avoided the virus so far then you are somehow immune.
I have to say that it is that kind of complacency that could be our undoing.
If we fail to act together now we will not only place others at risk but jeopardise our own futures with the more drastic action that we would inevitably be forced to take.
Mr Speaker, no British government would wish to stifle our freedoms in the ways that we have found necessary this year. Yet even now we can draw some comfort from the fact that schools and universities and places of worship are staying open, shops can serve their customers, construction workers can go to building sites, and the vast majority of the UK economy can continue moving forwards.
We are also, Mr Speaker, better prepared for a second wave, with the ventilators, the PPE, the dexamethasone, the Nightingale Hospitals, and a hundred times as much testing.
So now it falls to each of us and every one of us to remember the basics – wash our hands, cover our faces, observe social distancing – and follow the rules.
Then we can fight back against this virus, shelter our economy from even greater damage, protect the most vulnerable in care homes and hospitals, safeguard our NHS and save many more lives.
And I commend this statement to the House.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will address the Holyrood Pariament at 2:15pm.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation on television tonight at 8:00pm
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will then address Scotland on television at 8:10pm.
The Scottish Government’s Community & Third Sector Recovery Programme funding stream is now open, offering both organisational support and funding to deliver services.
The Community & Third Sector Recovery Programme is a £25m Scottish Government funded programme aiming to support charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations that are supporting people and communities through the shift from lockdown to recovery.
The Community & Third Sector Recovery Programme has two strands:
Strand one: Adapt and Thrive
The programme aims to support organisational change. It offers tailored support and funding to develop a plan so third sector organisations can operate sustainably post-COVID.
Strand two: Communities Recovery Fund
The fund aims to support the delivery of services in communities that were suspended or reduced because of COVID, or the creation of new services that tackle new challenges presented by COVID.
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers issued a joint statement last night recommending that the UK COVID-19 alert level move from level 3 to level 4:
‘The Joint Biosecurity Centre has recommended that the COVID-19 alert level should move from level 3 (COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation) to level 4 (COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation, transmission is high or rising exponentially).
‘The CMOs for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have reviewed the evidence and recommend all 4 nations of the UK should move to level 4.
‘After a period of lower COVID cases and deaths, the number of cases are now rising rapidly and probably exponentially in significant parts of all 4 nations. If we are to avoid significant excess deaths and exceptional pressure in the NHS and other health services over the autumn and winter, everyone has to follow the social distancing guidance, wear face coverings correctly and wash their hands regularly.
‘We know this will be a concerning news for many people. Please follow the rules, look after each other and together we will get through this.’
Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith
Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Chris Jones
Earlier yesterday the Prime Minister had calls with the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland about how coronavirus is spreading across the country.
During these calls, the Prime Minister made clear that the rising infection rates are a cause for great concern, which he is taking very seriously.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to working with the devolved administrations as we continue to tackle the virus. They all agreed to act with a united approach, as much as possible, in the days and weeks ahead.
The Prime Minister invited the First Ministers and the deputy First Minister to attend a COBR this morning to discuss next steps for the country.
Further restrictions are expected to be announced later today.
‘Additional restrictions will almost certainly be put in place in Scotland over the next couple of days’
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, this afternoon:
Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today. I am joined, as you can see, by the Chief Medical Officer and the National Clinical Director, and both of them will say a few words shortly.
I will start though with the usual run-through of the daily statistics in Scotland.
I can report that the total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 255. This represents 6.3% of people newly tested and takes the total number of cases now to 24,626.
The full regional breakdown will be published later, as it always is, but I can confirm now that 103 of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 47 in Lanarkshire, and 30 in Lothian.
The remaining 75 are spread across the remaining 8 mainland health boards, meaning that we have new cases again today in every mainland health board area.
I can also confirm that 73 people are in hospital – which is an increase of ten from yesterday.
And 8 people are in intensive care, which is one fewer than yesterday.
And finally, in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. It is however worth remembering that registration offices just now are closed over the weekend, so that is not surprising.
And of course since the last briefing, three additional deaths were registered on Friday, and reported in Saturday’s figures.
That means that the total number of deaths, under our daily measurement, is now 2,505.
And that is again a very sharp reminder of the impact that this virus has had and the impact it is still capable of having. And I want again today to pass on my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one throughout this pandemic, including obviously those whose loved ones’ deaths have been registered in more recent days.
Now the figures I have just reported reinforce something that has been evident now over recent days. Covid is spreading again in Scotland.
Now, because of our collective efforts over the summer, which suppressed the virus to very low levels, we are in a much stronger position than we would otherwise be – and it’s important not to forget that.
Those collective efforts also meant that many people who might otherwise have succumbed to this virus didn’t get it and therefore we collectively saved a lot of lives.
However, with the virus on the spread again – in Scotland, across the UK, across Europe, and indeed still accelerating in much of the world – doing nothing in the face of this quite rapid spread now is not an option.
I know that the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor for England have just given a televised briefing (above) and Gregor and Jason may touch more on the data later on, but we would endorse the overall message that was being conveyed by Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty.
In Scotland, as across the UK, the R number – which remember is the number of people who will on average be infected by one infectious person – is again above one, and when that happens we know that the virus will begin to spread again.
The percentage of tests which are returning positive results has been increasing. And you will have heard that through our daily reports for the last few days.
At the weekend it was above 5% across the country.
Today – with the usual caveat about single day figures – it is 6.3%, and in some health boards it is even higher than that.
In addition, new cases are not confined now to just specific clusters – they are happening cross Scotland, and in particular across mainland Scotland, and we must take all of this very seriously.
Of course, on the other side of this equation, the number of cases is not rising as quickly as it was in the spring, and the percentage of positive tests, while rising, is nowhere near as high as it was back then – back in those days it was 20% or thereabouts.
In addition, we are not yet seeing an increase in hospital admissions on anything like the same scale that we saw back in the spring.
And that is partly because the highest proportion of new cases in recent weeks has been in in people under the age of 40.
However, we know that transmission in the community cannot rise indefinitely, without it starting to increasingly affect older people too. And we are now an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital and in intensive care – albeit from a fairly low level. And if the number of new cases continues to rise, that rise will continue as well, and unfortunately we will also see the number of people dying increasing too.
In fact in many ways, as I indicated on Friday, the position Scotland is now in is similar to the position that for example France might have been in around 4 weeks ago.
And we don’t want to reach the position that France is in now – with case levels more than 4 times higher than in Scotland, and with significant numbers of people now in hospital, intensive care, and with deaths rising.
We have of course in the last couple of weeks already taken a significant step by reducing the maximum size of household gatherings to six people, from two households.
However in my view, further and urgent action will now be needed to stop the increase in the number of cases.
I and my advisors have spent the weekend immersed in discussion and analysis, looking at a variety of options and considering carefully the impact that we judge these would have. These discussions are continuing throughout today, but we are very close to a point of decision.
And, at the heart of this decision is a simple truth: the longer we wait to introduce new measures, the longer these measures are likely to be in place.
If we move sharply now to get the virus back under control, we can minimise the time we all spend under any new restrictions.
If we wait, it will take longer – potentially a lot longer – to come out of the other side.
For that reason, as I indicated on Friday, we are preparing to introduce a package of additional measures with the intention of bringing the R number back below 1.
Now ideally, at least some of these decisions will be taken on a four nations basis, across the UK.
We all of course have our individual responsibilities and we will perhaps take decisions that are not entirely identical. But given that the virus does not respect borders, alignment if possible does make sense. And of course it is the UK Government that holds the financial levers necessary to mitigate the economic impact of any measures.
That’s why I asked on Friday for an urgent Cobra meeting – and repeated that call over the weekend. That call has been echoed in Wales and London.
I am therefore pleased that in a four nations call with Michael Gove on Saturday he confirmed that a Cobra will take place, although it is frustrating that we still don’t have a precise time for that and indeed don’t even have confirmation yet of whether that will take place today or tomorrow (UPDATE – COBRA meeting has now been confirmed for tomorrow morning).
I am however talking directly to the Prime Minister immediately after this press conference, and hopefully we will have greater clarity from that discussion.
In that call I will impress upon the Prime Minister my view that we need decisive, urgent, and – as far as possible given our individual responsibilities – coordinated action across the UK.
And I will be clear that I am willing to allow a bit more time for four nations discussions to take place before reaching final decisions for Scotland, but I be equally clear that the urgency of this situation means that we cannot, must not and will not wait too long.
The Scottish Cabinet will meet tomorrow to take stock – and I am very clear that it must be in a position to decide the way ahead for Scotland within the next 48 hours.
And I need to be absolutely straight with people across Scotland that additional restrictions will almost certainly be put in place in Scotland over the next couple of days.
Hopefully this will be with four nations alignment, but if necessary it will have to happen without that.#
I intend to make a full statement to parliament later this week – tomorrow or Wednesday I hope – to outline the steps that the Government has decided are necessary and to set out the rational for them.
Whatever else we decide, one thing I want to confirm today is that our package of measures will include plans to better support people who are being advisd to self-isolate.
Self-isolation is a key tool in our fight against this this virus – it helps us break the chains of transmission – so we must make it as possible as we can for people to abide by that advice.
We have, and will continue to consider, whether the UK Government approach of imposing potentially large fines for non-compliance with self-isolation is appropriate. But, while we will keep enforcement options under review, we do have a concern about potential disincentives of fines and enforcement to people getting tested.
Our view is that it is better to remove barriers to self-isolation. I believe that people understand the need to keep others safe and may want to do so, but they need to be supported through these difficult circumstances.
So I can confirm today that we will be putting in place a financial support package to help people – particularly those on low incomes – who face a loss of income if they are required isolate.
Nobody should be forced to choose between self-isolating for the collective good, and paying their rent and feeding their families. If that’s the choice that people face, then it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that compliance levels will be lower than we need them to be.
Now, the details of that package are being worked through at present, and we also await information from the UK Government on additional Barnett consequentials as a result of announcements made by them over the weekend.
The last thing that I wanted to touch on briefly today, given that I mentioned this on Friday, is that on Friday I indicated that I would confirm today whether we were going to exempt children under 12 from the current two household rule – as you’ll recall children under 12 don’t count towards the limit of six but do count towards the two households.
However, given the more fundamental decisions may well be taken this week I’ve decided to consider this issue in that wider context and I will cover it in the statement I make to Parliament later in the week.
Now I’m going to hand over to the Chief Medical Officer and to the National Clinical Director in a moment. But I want to end by stressing two things.
First, this is a serious moment again for the country. We cannot allow cases to continue rising. Those who say that we should just allow this virus to do what it does – the so-called ‘herd immunity’ argument – I don’t agree with that.
We know this virus can take life, particularly of older and vulnerable people, but we also know this virus can have serious health implications for younger, healthier people. It’s not a virus we can be complacent about allowing people to get. So this is a moment for us to take action.
But secondly, and it’s a point I made earlier on, we must understand that we are in a different and better position than we were in March. Cases are not rising as fast, we have a better idea of the settings which pose the main risk of transmission, and Test and Protect – despite the volume of cases we’ve had recently – is managing well.
And because of this – and despite the temptations for shorthand – we shouldn’t frame the decisions we face this week in the language of lockdown or not lockdown. Implementing further measures now is very much, I hope, about controlling this virus while avoiding the need for another full-scale lockdown of the type that we had to impose in March.
And lastly, let’s not forget that all of us have the ability to make a difference now. None of us as individuals are powerless in the face of this virus. We can make choices and decisions which increase our own chances of staying safe, and which also help to keep people around us safe as well.
So please, I’m asking everybody to think carefully about what you can do as an individual to play your part in this collective action that we need to take – which Scotland is only one country of many across the globe that are having to consider these actions.
So please, work from home if you are able to do so. It has been and continues to be the Scottish Government advice to work from home if it is possible. We are not, and haven’t, been advising you to go back to the office if you are able to work from home.
Secondly, download the Protect Scotland app. That seems like a small thing to do but it is a really powerful thing to do because it helps us widen the net of people who can be contacted and advised to self-isolate if they have been exposed to this virus.
More than a million people have downloaded it already – it can make a difference at those levels, but it will make a bigger difference if more of us do it.
Thirdly, limit your travel and social interactions as much as you reasonably can.
The current rules on gatherings – six people, from two households – see that as a maximum. Limit how many people you see in one day or over a small number of days.
And of course, if you live in Glasgow; East or West Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire; North or South Lanarkshire right now, please don’t visit other households at all.
And finally, when you are meeting and interacting with other people – which we all have to do to some extent notwithstanding that need to limit it – when you are interacting, please remember to follow the FACTS advice. If we all follow these five golden rules, we minimise and limit the opportunities the virus has to transmit from person to person, or household to household. So please, remember::
the F – wear Face coverings in enclosed spaces
the A is Avoid crowded places – wherever they might be, indoors or outdoors
C – Clean your hands regularly, clean hard surfaces that you’re touching
T – keep Two metres distance from people in other households
and S – Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all do all of these things then we are all individually helping this collective effort to keep this virus under control, and allow us to retain as much normality in our lives, notwithstanding the restrictions all countries are having to operate in right now as we possibly can.
My thanks again to everybody for joining us, please spread the word that you hear at these briefings as widely as you possibly can.
I’m going to ask the Chief Medical Officer to say a few words now, then the National Clinical Director, and then as normal we will take questions but we wanted to make sure that you heard – not just from me today – but from the Government’s chief clinical advisors as well.
