Ten things you learnt at school which are no longer true
Our knowledge of the world is constantly evolving, and as such, some of the things which were once taught in schools are no longer true.
Remember when Pluto (above) was declassified as a planet and you began to doubt everything your teachers had ever told you? Turns out, that was just the start.
From science and history to English grammar, Oxford Home Schooling has compiled a list of 10 ‘facts’ which you may have heard in the classroom but are now considered outdated.
1) Diamond is the hardest material
Correction: There are six materials on earth which are harder than diamond
It was once taught that diamond is the toughest substance on the planet, but, while it remains the most scratch-resistant, there are actually six materials now known to be harder.
These include wurtzide boron nitride – a crystal lattice formed during volcanic eruptions, which is 18% harder than diamond – and graphene – a carbon lattice that is only one atom wide but is the strongest material we know of, in proportion to its thickness[1].
2) Water can only be found on Earth
Correction: There is water in multiple places in our solar system
We used to think that earth was the only place where water can be found, but NASA has since proved its presence on some of our galactic neighbours.
In 2015, it confirmed water flows intermittently on Mars and then, later that year, discovered an ocean beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus[2]. Many suspect that there’s also an ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
3) King Tutankhamen was murdered
Correction: He either died from a chariot crash or from genetic impairments
Some schools used to teach that King Tutankhamun of Ancient Egypt was murdered when someone struck him on the head.
However, a 2014 BBC documentary suggested that he died in a chariot crash that ultimately ended in an infection and blood poisoning.
Around the same time, a virtual autopsy of the pharaoh’s body indicates he may have died because of genetic impairments, with evidence suggesting his parents were siblings[3].
4) You can’t split an infinitive
Correction: It’s now acceptable
Star Trek’s famous line “to boldly go where no-one has gone before” annoyed a lot of hard-line grammatists by breaking a long-standing rule of the English language – that the infinitive form of a verb (I.e. to go) should not be split.
However, researchers at Lancaster University and Cambridge University Press found that split infinitives are now almost three times as common now as they were in the 1990s[4], and as language keeps evolving, most linguists now consider them acceptable.
5) There are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas
Correction: There are at least five
One of the fundamentals of chemistry, most school students were told that there are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas.
However, scientists now know of a fourth natural state, plasma, which despite not being common on earth, is thought to be the most prominent form in the universe.
There’s also a fifth state, the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where molecular motion almost stops completely. BECs were discovered in 1995, but so far have only been found in laboratories[5].
6) Neanderthals were not very intelligent
Correction: They were skilled hunters with advanced tools
Many people used to believe that Neanderthals died out largely because they were less intelligent than Homo sapiens, but recent studies suggest they had similar cognitive abilities and were actually quite skilled hunters[6].
New archaeological evidence shows they used relatively advanced tools and were also better at socialising than once thought.
7) The universe is 13.7 billion years old
Correction: It’s actually 100 million years older
Science lessons used to teach that the universe is 13.7 billion years old, but it turns out we were out by around 100 million years. The European Space Agency’s Planck mission scanned the sky for radio and microwaves and in 2013 concluded that previous estimates were slightly short – the universe is actually 13.82 billion years old[7].
8) No-one knows where Richard III’s body is
Correction: He was buried under a car park in Leicester
For over 500 years, historians and archaeologists had been searching for the body of King Richard III, who died from injuries sustained in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The long mystery was solved in 2013 when researchers from the University of Leicester announced that they’d discovered the controversial monarch’s remains beneath a car park in the city[8].
9) Nothing can travel faster than light
Correction: Things can move faster than light under the right conditions
It’s still true that nothing can travel faster than light in a vacuum or in similar conditions in space.
However, scientists have managed to slow light down by either trapping it inside waveguides made with photonic crystals or inside ultracold atom clouds.
This can reduce the speed of light from around 300,000km per second to near zero, so lots of things could outpace it[9].
10) We have five senses
Correction: We have way more than five
The five main senses – touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell – are still our most fundamental, but we also have lots of other mechanisms helping us to make sense of the world.
For example, we have proprioception – a sense of space. This is how our brain understands where we are in relation to other things. We also have others, such as neuron sensors, which help to control balance[10].
Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “Every year in every subject, experts are constantly learning and updating our knowledge. This means that some things which were once taught at school now don’t tell the whole story, or have even been proved to be wrong!
“This can only be a good thing, however, as it shows that we are developing a greater understanding of our world.”
For more ‘facts’ you learnt in school which are no longer true, visit:
NHS Lothian has urged people not to give up on vital COVID-19 safety precautions as Scotland enters a new phase of the pandemic.
Dona Milne, Director of Public Health and Health Policy, NHS Lothian, said that while fewer people were becoming seriously ill from the disease, the number of new cases in Lothian have reached levels last seen during the last lockdown.
And she warned that the stringent use of safety precautions – face masks, handwashing and social distancing – with vaccination and increased community testing – was still vital to get a grip on the virus.
Dona said: “The last time our numbers of infections were so high was in January when we were all living under stay at home restrictions as part of the national lockdown. Covid hasn’t gone away and can still cause serious illness. It is critical we remember that.
“Thankfully fewer people are becoming seriously unwell – but that is only down to the success of the vaccination programme. It is not because of a reduction in the threat that COVID-19 poses to us all.
“We know that 1 in 3 people who have Covid do not show symptoms of the virus but can still transmit it, so we should all be testing ourselves twice a week to keep ourselves, family and communities safe.
“Those test results help us to target an area before the virus really takes hold, causing a surge in cases. The earlier a trend is identified, the more effective the measures, such as increased vaccination, will be. In turn, this will then help to reduce the chances of more region-wide or national restrictions.”
At the moment, around 203 per 100,000 people in Lothian are testing positive for the virus, with around 200 new cases every day of mostly younger adults and school aged children.
Dona added: “As the restrictions begin to ease and the list of things we can do begins to increase, it’s tempting to think that it’s safe. The virus is still around us and it doesn’t mean that these things can be done without face masks, handwashing and social distancing. We cannot afford to return to normal just because we want it so badly. Lives may depend on it.
“We know that the weather is better and people want to get together and mix with friends, especially outdoors. As our worlds open up these things are allowed, and as we know outside is always safer, but we still need to think about maintaining our distance and wearing face masks when we can’t.
“The problem is that people are dropping their guard when they are inside and out and especially if alcohol is involved. If you are indoors, you must keep numbers to a minimum and ensure good ventilation.”
Over the last three weeks, the specialist health protection team in Lothian has dealt with scores of separate situations in a number of settings such as hospitality events, weddings, workplaces, a beach party and schools.
There were more than 5549 positive cases, which generated more than 20,861 contacts.Fortunately, the number of people testing positive are not having such a serious impact on the NHS because so many people over the age of 40 are either fully vaccinated or about to undergo their second dose.
However, Dona urged people not to give in and to stick with the restrictions for a bit longer to give the vaccination programme more time to vaccinate more people and provide vital protection for younger adults.
So far, a total of 974,843 doses of the vaccine have been administered in clinics across NHS Lothian and the vaccination programme is working as fast as the vaccine supply allows. Drop-in clinics for the over 40s have also been launched at all the of the mass vaccination sites, except Lowland, to provide a first or second jab and more protection to as many people as possible.
Dona added: “It would be unthinkable to have come this far and to throw away all of our good work now. We must continue to live within the restrictions for a bit longer to give us a little more time to vaccinate more people and give them the protection they need.
“Everyone living and working in Lothian has done really well so far and I would thank them for all of their efforts so far. I would ask everyone just to stick with it for a bit longer. Please continue to follow the safety precautions, keep your vaccination appointment, maintain regular testing and self-isolate if required.”
2,999 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Scotand yesterday – the highest ever daily figure.
With P1 – P3 children and some senior pupils going back to school next week, Deputy First Minister appealed to parents to play their part in making the return a success when he led yesterday’s press briefing:
Mr Swinney said: “As you know, Monday will see children returning to early learning and childcare, and to primaries 1 to 3. In addition, a very limited number of senior phase students will return to secondary school, for essential work which is required for national qualifications, and which can only be done within school.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who are working hard to prepare for this return – that of course includes teachers, childcare providers, school staff and school leaders. Your efforts are hugely appreciated by me and by the Scottish Government.
This partial return of education is an important milestone. And there are two specific points I want to make about it today.
The first point concerns testing in schools.
As senior phase pupils, teachers and school staff start to return, we will be making at-home lateral flow tests available to them, twice a week.
Pilot testing programmes have been running in a small number of schools, in recent weeks. And we are using what we’ve learned from this, to roll the programme out across the country.
As part of that, we have been working closely with the UK Government to get test kits into schools. This process has obviously been affected by the severe weather that we’ve experienced in recent days.
However, I can confirm that around 2,500 schools have now received testing kits. And we expect any remaining schools will receive their allocations either today or early in next week.
On Tuesday, we issued comprehensive testing guidance to schools and to local authorities.
And we are working with YoungScot to provide online information and support for senior phase pupils who want to take part in the testing programme.
This first phase of testing will include childcare staff based in schools. We are currently working through the practical arrangements for rolling out testing to childcare staff working in other types of nursery settings. And we will provide further details on those arrangements very soon.
Testing in schools is entirely voluntary – but I would encourage staff and pupils to take the tests, if you are offered them. The use of testing is a very important addition to the other safety mitigations which are already in place.
Of course, the evidence suggests that the key risk in re‑opening schools isn’t transmission within schools and nurseries – but the greater contact it leads to, among the adult population.
That brings me to the second point that I would like to make this afternoon. Parents and carers also have a really important role to play, in making the return of education a success.
For example, if you have been working from home up until now, please continue to do so – even if your children are back at school or nursery. Your employer has a legal obligation to support you in doing that.
Don’t use this return as an opportunity to meet up with other parents or friends.
And as a general rule, if you find that you are meeting up with more people than you were before, once your children have returned to school, then think about why that is. All of us should be minimizing our social contacts right now.
In addition, when you are out of the house – at the schools gates for example – please remember to follow the FACTS advice.
For all of us, that advice is perhaps more important now than ever before. We’re now dealing with a much more transmissible form of the virus. So we need to respond accordingly – by making it even more difficult for the virus to spread.
That’s why the Scottish Government is launching a new campaign – to highlight the importance of the FACTS advice and all of the other rules and guidelines. It emphasises the need for all of us to stay on our guard, even as our vaccination programme is rolled out.
So I want to take this opportunity to quickly run through the five golden rules of FACTS – and why they’re so important:
The first is face coverings. In enclosed spaces, face coverings help to protect you, and those around you. And remember, ahead of next week, face coverings should be worn by parents and carers, when collecting or dropping off your children from school.
Avoid crowded places. Covid thrives in a crowd. So by avoiding these kinds of situations, you minimize the chance of spreading the virus.
Clean hands and surfaces – good hand hygiene and regular cleaning remain really important. If you are leaving the house, take hand sanitizer with you – or use it wherever it is provided.
Two metre distancing from members of other households. You should always physically distance from other households. Again, that’s maybe especially important to remember as some schoolchildren return. For parents and carers, for example, you should remember to physically distance when you are walking to school or nursery, and when you’re dropping off or collecting your children.
And finally self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms. That is how we identify cases – and stop the spread. If you are identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid, you also need to book a test, and to self-isolate for ten days.
By following each of these points, we can help to make this initial return of education a success. And we can help to keep each other safe, as the vaccination programme does its work.
However, I want to emphasise that the basic rule at the moment remains the same. Right now, all of us should be staying at home.
In any level 4 area – that of course includes all of mainland Scotland – you must only leave the house for essential purposes.
You cannot meet up with other households indoors.
And if you meet up with someone outdoors, you can only meet with one other person from one other household.
These restrictions are really difficult – and I don’t underestimate that for a moment. But crucially, they are working.
Case numbers are coming down – so too are hospital admissions.
We need to see that trend continue – and so it’s vital that we continue to stick with the restrictions.
That is how we keep the virus under control.
And it’s how we give ourselves the best chance of returning – more quickly – to some form of normality.
So please continue to do the right thing.
Stay at home, protect the National Health Service and save lives.
And my thanks go once again, to everyone who is doing that.
A public health consultant from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has warned New Year revellers to stay in and stay safe this weekend, amid great concern over recent very large increases in cases linked to the new variant of coronavirus.
Normally at this time of year, thousands of party-goers would be heading out on to the town and to house parties to celebrate New Year and the final weekend of the festive season, but in an attempt to prevent an explosion of cases, people are being asked not to even think about this.
Dr Daniel Carter, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHSGGC, said staying in this weekend was of critical importance, now more than ever. “There are very large increases in cases across GGC and particularly in areas such as Inverclyde which previously had relatively low levels,” he said.
“This is due to people still mixing together and the new variant of the virus that spreads more easily. We urge everyone not to mix with anyone other than their own household at this time of such sharp increases in cases.”
He went on to remind people that we will soon be able to be vaccinated and so this harsh warning is also at time when we can say it won’t be for much longer.
“Whilst these constraints are hard on everyone, they are there for a good reason – to protect you, your friends and your family.”
Earlier this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that the new variant – thought to spread much faster than the virus which first appeared in Scotland in the Spring – was quickly becoming the dominant COVID strain, and said Scottish Government advice to stay home, save lives and protect the NHS was more important than ever.
Dr Carter added: ““We are all painfully aware of the huge human cost that the virus has inflicted on the people across Scotland, and of all the important events which we have missed this year. With vaccination now being rolled out there really is some light at the end of the tunnel – but we are not there yet.
“Please keep that – and the safety of the most vulnerable in our society – in mind when you are deciding whether to go out or stay in this New Year.”
Dr Carter reminded people that, in addition to the current restrictions, the most effective way to keep us all safe from the virus was to follow the FACTS advice – wear a Face covering in enclosed spaces, Avoid crowded places, Clean hands and surfaces regularly, Two-metre distancing, and Self-isolate and seek a test immediately if you display symptoms.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Friday 16 October):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I will start with the usual run-through of today’s COVID statistics.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1,196. That is 16.9% of people newly-tested, and the total number of cases now stands at 45,232.
416 of the cases were in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 309 in Lanarkshire, 161 in Lothian and 104 in Ayrshire & Arran. The remaining cases were spread across 9 other health board areas. Only Shetland today has no reported cases.
I can also confirm that 629 people are currently in hospital, that is an increase of 27 since yesterday. And 58 people are in intensive care, that is 6 more than yesterday.
I’m also very sad to report that in the past 24 hours, 9 additional deaths were registered of patients who had first tested positive over the previous 28-day period. That means that the total number of deaths under the daily measurement is now 2,594.
Again, I want to send my deepest condolences to all those who have lost a loved-one to this virus at any point during this pandemic, but obviously of course, in particular to those who have more recently been bereaved.
There are a few items I want to briefly cover today before the Chief Medical Officer and I take questions from the media.
As I often do on a Friday, I will shortly give an update on the quarantine requirements for international travel. I will then say a word about the opening of two new walk-through testing sites. And finally, I want to say something about this weekend. Before that, though, let me start by saying a special word about schools.
Obviously many schools will soon be returning from the October break while others are just now preparing to start the half-term.
I wanted to take this opportunity today to say a very big and a very heartfelt thank-you – to teachers, to other school staff, to pupils and to parents across the country.
I know that you have faced many challenges over the past few months. I also know that, because of the restrictions, the October break will not be all that you might have hoped that it would be.
But we must not lose sight of what you have achieved during this first half term.
It is down to your efforts and your ability to adapt in extremely difficult circumstances that schools have been able to return.
As a result, the vast majority of pupils are now able to have the classroom, and the wider school experience that was lost back in the Spring. And I don’t think we should underestimate that it is a real achievement that young people have been able to have that normal schooling experience for the last number of weeks that they lost out on for much of this year.
So that, I think, is something important, and something positive in this difficult period for all of us to mark and reflect on.
Now, I know there will be further challenges ahead; I think that is almost inevitable.
And I don’t want to stand here today and give any sense that I am under-estimating how difficult it will have been so far, not least for teachers.
However, I just wanted to put on record my thanks to all of you for the really important work that you’ve done and, so that you know, that in spite of all of the difficulties it is hugely appreciated, and it is very important for, not just the wellbeing of our children and young people now, but I think, for their future prospects as well.
So thank-you to everybody for that.
This is how the restrictions help stop the spread of coronavirus ⬇
Remember, don't meet people from other households inside their home or yours. Only meet one other household in public places (max. 6 people).
Let me now turn to my first update of today. That concerns the list of countries that are subject to quarantine requirements.
We announced last night that Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City state will now be added to the list of countries with quarantine requirements.
That means that, from 4 am on Sunday, people travelling to Scotland from these places must self-isolate for 14 days on their arrival or return here.
We’ve also announced that Greece and all of the Greek islands, apart from Mykonos, will now be removed from the list.
So from Sunday people arriving from Greece, or a Greek island other than Mykonos will no longer have to self-isolate.
However, if you have arrived from these places in the past two weeks – or if you arrive later today or tomorrow – you will still be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
These changes are just an example of how quickly levels of the virus in any country or area – here at home and of course overseas – can change.
That is nature of an accelerating global pandemic. And that, of course, underlines why we are continuing to advise all of you against any non-essential travel overseas right now.
That’s not an easy or a welcome thing to be doing, I know, but it is a reflection of the uncertainty and volatility that all of us continue to live through.
My second update for today is about the opening of two additional walk-through testing centres.
One of those sites opened in Dundee city centre today. Another will open in Sighthill in Edinburgh tomorrow (Saturday).
These add to the seven walk-through centres already open – two in Glasgow, one already in Edinburgh, and one each in Aberdeen, St Andrews, West Dunbartonshire and Stirling.
A number of others are due to open in the coming weeks.
Many of these centres are within walking distance of student campuses – deliberately so – and so are particularly useful for our student populations. But it is important to note that they are open to all members of the public and you can book a test by going onto the NHS Inform website should you experience any of the COVID symptoms.
There are of course a few points that I would ask everybody to remember if you experience symptoms and book a test.
Firstly, please don’t use public transport to travel to any testing centre.
If you don’t have a car and if you’re not able to walk or perhaps cycle to a testing centre, please book a home testing kit through NHS Inform.
In addition, you should start to self-isolate from the moment you start feeling the symptoms of COVID.
You shouldn’t wait to get a test or to get your test result back before you start self-isolating.
That means staying at home with the sole exception of, if you need to, going to a testing centre for your test.
Finally today, I want to say just a word or two about this weekend.
I appreciate – I think probably we all feel this – that it’s at the weekend when the temptation to bend the rules a bit will be at its strongest, whether that’s about meeting up with others, or going round to somebody else’s house, a member of your family or a friend.
I also know that for football fans, and this weekend in particular perhaps for Celtic and Rangers fans, that temptation might be even greater.
Tomorrow, of course, sees the first of these Glasgow derbies to be played without fans in the stadium.
It is also taking place at a time when we have additional restrictions on household visits and hospitality.
So with that in mind, I want to underline a few key points, ahead of the match. And I should say that both clubs and the SPFL are also emphasising these points to supporters, and I’m very grateful to them for that.
The first thing to say is that you mustn’t go round to somebody else’s house to watch the match.
None of us – not just football supporters but none of us – should be going into each other’s homes at the moment unless it is for an essential purpose such as childcare or looking after a vulnerable person.
And I’m afraid – and I know that this statement is possibly a controversial one in Scotland, I readily acknowledge that – I’m afraid that watching football, no matter how essential I know it might feel to some, does not fall into that ‘essential’ category.
In addition, people should not be gathering outside or around the stadium. There will be nothing to see there so there is no point at all in turning up.
Finally, please don’t travel in order to try to watch the match.
I know there might be a temptation to try to get around local or national restrictions in this way. But it’s really important that you don’t do that.
In general right now, people in the central belt should be avoiding travel to other parts of Scotland, and all of us should be avoiding travelling to areas in England that have high infection levels.
So please, don’t travel to other parts of Scotland or across the Border just in an attempt to watch the match in a pub. It’s really not worth the risk.
Nobody likes the fact that these restrictions have to be in place but they are vital to protecting all of us, and keeping us safe.
So please comply with the restrictions. By doing that, you will be playing your part in helping us to get the virus under control. And you will be helping to hasten the day when we can all watch and enjoy the things we love doing – whether that’s football or the many other things that we find ourselves not able to do normally right now.
I’ve spoken about some of the restrictions as they relate to football but I want to close today with my usual reminder to everybody – because this is not just about football supporters, this is about all of us right now.
So let me give a general reminder of all of the rules and guidelines.
As I said earlier, except for very specific purposes like childcare or caring for somebody who is vulnerable, none of us should be visiting each other’s homes right now.
That is really tough. I feel that just as all of you find that tough – not being able to see family and friends at their homes, or in our homes. But this is perhaps the single most important thing that all of us can do to limit the risk of transmission, to make sure it doesn’t jump from one household to another. Because we know, once it gets into a household the risk is that it infects everybody in that household.
When we do meet up outdoors, or in indoor public spaces where they are still open, we shouldn’t meet in groups of any more than 6 and those 6 people should be from no more than two households.
Please only car-share if it is essential to do so. And if you must car-share, remember to take sensible precautions – wear face coverings and keep the windows open to allow ventilation.
Work from home if you can – that has been our consistent advice and that remains the advice. My plea to employers is to facilitate your workers working from home if it is at all possible.
Download the Protect Scotland app if you haven’t already done so. That’s an important way of extending the reach of Test and Protect.
Wear face coverings when you are out and about, particularly in enclosed spaces. The law mandates that. As of today that law extends to staff canteens. From Monday it will be extended to communal areas like corridors in workplaces but already in shops and public transport it is the law to wear a face covering. But try to wear one wherever you are when you are out and about because it does help protect against you passing on the virus or other people, if they’re wearing face coverings, passing it to you.
Remember to avoid crowded places – indoors in particular, but even outdoors where there can be a risk of transmission.
Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly, and clean hard surfaces that you’re touching, because we know that from hands and also from surfaces, that’s a way of the virus spreading from one person to another.
Keep two metres distance from people in other households because the farther apart you are, the less risk there is of the virus hopping from one person to another.
And as I’ve already covered today, self-isolate and get tested if you have any of the symptoms. Remember, those symptoms to look out for are a new continuous cough, a fever, high temperature, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell. With any of these, please act immediately to isolate and book a test, don’t hang around and wait to see if you feel better in a day or two.
All of these rules take a lot to remember, they take even more effort to abide by every day, but it’s really important now that we do.
We are in a precarious position, many countries across the world are facing the same challenges right now.
The position we are in requires some really tough restrictions from government, such as not going into other people’s houses, pubs and bars, not being able to open as normal.
But our best defence, our first line of defence against this virus – and this is as true today as it was back in the spring – is me, you and everybody else complying with all of this basic hygiene advice.
As I said yesterday, and it’s important to remember as we head into winter we’re all feeling, I think, more and more fatigued and in despair at this pandemic and everything it’s doing to our lives, but remember, we are not powerless. None of us are powerless; by following the FACTS advice, all of us can strike a blow against this horrible virus, so please remember to do that.
Thank you again for listening.
Ahead of the Old Firm match, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Director of Public Health has issued a plea to football fans to abide by the restrictions in place to avoid increasing pressure on hospitals which have seen a significant increase in COVID-19 hospitalisations.
There are currently 289 patients with a positive test in last 28 days in hospitals across Greater Glasgow and Clyde and staff at acute sites are working extremely hard to manage the increase, with appropriate red and green pathways established to minimise the spread of the virus.
Dr Linda De Caestecker, said: “I am directly appealing to football fans ahead of the weekend to ask them please do not to go to anyone else’s house, or travel outside of Greater Glasgow and Clyde to watch the football.
“If you do, you are putting others at risk. The current restrictions are in place to minimise the spread of the virus. If you do not follow them, this will increase the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in the community and in turn, the number of people who being hospitalised by the virus. Sadly, this will also mean more people will die.”
Greater Glasgow and Clyde currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland. Any unnecessary travel, meeting indoors with other households or meeting more than one other household outside, significantly increases the spread of the virus and reduces the impact of the measures in place.
Dr De Caestecker added: “Cases across Scotland are on the rise, and the more the public can do to follow the rules now, the lives will be saved.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing at St Andrew’s House yesterday (Friday 11 September):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I am joined here today by the deputy chief medical officer Dr Nicola Steedman who will say a few words shortly.
I will start though with the usual run through of the daily statistics.
An additional 175 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
That represents 2.7% of the people who were newly tested yesterday and the total number of cases is now 22,214.
80 of today’s cases are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 39 in Lanarkshire, 24 in Lothian and 12 in Ayrshire & Arran. The remaining 20 are spread across another 6 health boards.
I should flag up that the situation in Lanarkshire is causing some particular concern today. There will be expert public health discussions over the course of today and, depending on the judgments and conclusions they arrive at, it may be that some additional restrictions will have to be applied there. We will keep people updated.
I can also confirm that 269 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID, which is three more than yesterday.
Eight people are in intensive care, which is one more than yesterday.
But I am pleased to say that in the last 24 hours, no deaths have been registered of patients who first tested positive.
The total number of deaths, under this measurement, therefore remains at 2,499.
Of course, that total, always reminds us that this virus has had a terrible impact and I want again to convey my condolences to everybody who has lost someone.
Today I want to focus on two key announcements that we made yesterday just to underline their importance of both.
Firstly, the Protect Scotland app, which you’ve probably heard, was launched yesterday. It is now available for download.
More than 600,000 people have already downloaded the app – so if you were one of those, thank you for doing so.
But for the app to be as effective as possible, to help us in the fight against COVID and to help us live a bit more normally, then we need as many people as possible across Scotland to download it and use it.
So if you haven’t yet done so, you can download it via the Protect.Scot website, you’ll see that on the front of the podium or you can go to the Apple or Google play app stores and search Protect Scotland and you’ll find the app there.
The process for downloading it is very quick and simple. You don’t need to provide any personal information.
The way in which the app works is also really simple.
If you test positive for COVID, you will be given a code by Test & Protect to enter into the app.
Once you do that, the app will automatically identifies any other app users you have been in close proximity with – that means anyone you have been within two metres of, for more than 15 minutes, within a particular time scale.
The app will then immediately alert those people that a contact of theirs has tested positive – though they won’t know who that is – and it will provide them with information and links to advice on self-isolating.
Similarly, you will receive an alert if a contact of yours has tested positive – but again you won’t know who they are. Everything about the app is anonymous and confidential.
It doesn’t replace the current Test & Protect system, but instead it’s an enhancement of that.
It will be particularly useful for settings – such as public transport – where we tend to spend time in close proximity to people we don’t know so we wouldn’t be able to give the details of these people to a contact tracer who telephones us.
We also think it will be very valuable as students start to arrive back at university or college. So if you’re a student about to go to college or Uni make sure you download the app because it will help with you having a bit of normality about how you go about your daily lives and if you have relatives that are about to start college or Uni, make sure you remind them to go on and download it.
Also, one of the crucially things about it is helps reduce the time it takes to notify contacts. If you think about it, a manual contact tracing system is excellent and it’s doing a great job but by definition the time taken to phone someone, taking the details from them and then contact those people, takes a bit of time.
By contrast, the app provides contacts with almost immediate notification which will then be supplemented by advice as necessary from the Test and Protect team.
So for all of these reasons that I really want to stress, this app is a really important way in which all of us can support Test and Protect in the efforts that they are making but also a really important way for all of us to keep our communities safe and I know Nicola will talk more about this shortly. But in the face of COVID, we can all feel a bit, you know, powerless right now but this is a way of us doing something positive that helps in that collective effort.
Let me just stress again, because I know there are some people that understandably have concerns about any technology. This app has been designed with privacy absolutely in mind. It is anonymous and confidential, as I said a moment ago, it does not track your movements, it doesn’t know where you are or track your location, apart from the most minimal of data it needs to work. It doesn’t collect or pass on data.
Your data won’t be past to the DWP or HMRC or anybody else and someone like me can’t go and look anything about you because it doesn’t identify you personally at all.
So it’s a really good innovation and a good enhancement of this vital Test and Protect system that as we go into winter becomes ever more important. And I’ll come back to the simple facts I started with.
The sign up rate we saw yesterday and overnight and into today is excellent, probably beyond our initial expectations but we’ve got to keep that going, we’ve got to keep the numbers growing because the more of us who download and use it, the more effective this app will be and a more effective Test & Protect will be overall in helping us to tackle COVID.
So I would encourage you to visit protect.scot and download the app today – and spread the word to all your friends and family as well.
It is a simple thing we can do but it’s a really important thing all of us can do as individual citizens to help protect Scotland as a whole.
The second issue I want to highlight are the new rules and guidelines that we announced yesterday. In particular, I want to emphasise the new rules on social gatherings.
You know since July, up to eight people from three households have been able to meet indoors. The limits are a bit higher for larger for outdoor gatherings.
These limits no longer apply. A maximum now of six people, from a maximum of two households, will be able to meet together.
Now, I know that that is a really tough restriction. That’s why I want to assure you that the decision we made on this wasn’t taken lightly. At the moment we believe this is necessary to try to limit and restrict as much as we can the transmission of the virus between different households.
To put it bluntly, this virus wants to find new households to infect – that’s pretty much all it cares about – and to survive it has to transmit from person to person and household to household. So in order to push it into retreat as we did over the summer, we have to limit the opportunities for it to spread between households.
Whether this virus thrives or dies, is down to the opportunities we give it or deny it.
So to reduce transmission, and also to simplify the rules, this new limit will apply indoors – in houses, in pubs and restaurants – and also outdoors, including in private gardens.
There will be some limited exceptions – for example for organised sports and places of worship.
I also outlined yesterday an exception to allow up to 20 people to attend funeral wakes or wedding and civil partnership receptions.
And any children under 12, who are part of two households meeting up, don’t count towards the limit of six people.
Now, our initial decision for the reasons I’ve talked about, trying to limit that spread between households, is that children under 12 do count towards the household number – so children from several different households can’t gather altogether in your home.
However, I have asked for some additional expert advice to see if in some circumstances we could exempt children from the two households rule as well.
For example, children’s birthday parties could go ahead, even on a limited basis, as long as adults complied with the limit. We will clarify this over the next few days. Hopefully in the early part of next week.
And that indicates that we don’t want these rules to be applied any more severely than they have to be but we have to make sure that they are applied stringently enough in order to have the desired effect. That’s why some decisions are quite difficult and we need to think quite carefully about them.
The basic rule though, to remind people, is that in any setting, indoors or outdoors for now, you should not meet in groups of more than six people from a maximum of two households.
The regulations that will give legal effect to the new measures will come into force on Monday, and more detail will be available on our website.
But I would encourage people to start sticking to them now, rather than waiting for them to take legal effect on Monday.
And of course, for now, for people living in Glasgow, East or West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, the advice is not to visit other people’s households at all.
Now, I know all this can be really hard to understand – as you might have heard me saying at one of the briefings earlier in the week, at the early stage of this pandemic, we were just saying to all of you, just stay at home, that’s quite easy for people to understand, very hard to abide by, but easy to understand. It’s a bit more difficult now and I really get that.
We’re trying to simplify the rules as much as possible – but the point I want to just briefly touch on right now is that the fact that I know sometimes, these rules right now seem to be inconsistent.
One of the young people in my own life messaged me this morning to ask, pretty forcefully, why she can be with her friends at school all day today she can’t be with her friends after school later on.
And to be fair, that’s not an unreasonable question.
The basic answer is this – we are having to restrict interactions in the population generally to try to keep the virus at a low enough level to keep schools open, because we know being at school is so important for young people, educationally and socially.
So what can sometimes appear to be inconsistencies are actually the essential trade-offs that we need to make to avoid going back into lockdown more completely and to avoid, if at all possible, of having to close schools again.
So I know this can be difficult to understand but I would ask you, or seek to give you an assurance, that we do think carefully about all of this and while it can sometimes be difficult to fathom it, there is a rational behind the decisions that we are taking.
Now yesterday of course, we also decided to implement two additional measures to reduce the risk of transmission in the hospitality sector. Again, these will take effect legally from Monday but there’s no reason why people shouldn’t start to abide by these straight away.
Firstly, it will become mandatory for customers in hospitality premises to wear face coverings when they are not eating or drinking – for example when they enter the premises and go to their table, or when they leave the table to go to the bathroom.
And second it is already recommended in guidance that staff working in hospitality premises should wear face coverings. From Monday, that advice – subject to some exemptions, the same exemptions that apply to face coverings elsewhere – will become law.
The hospitality sector has put a lot of effort into making it safe for people to go out and meet up, and I am very grateful to them for that. These additional protections are all about helping to ensure the sector can remain open because that matters for the large numbers of people that of course who work within it as well as the people who enjoy the services that it provides.
The final point I want to make before handing over to Nicola, is that the changes that I announced yesterday I know are really unwelcome.
I did not want to announce them, and I’m sure that none of you wanted to hear them.
But in our judgement, imposing more restrictions now on how people can meet up, is necessary to avoid a stricter lockdown later.
Over the last month and a half, the average number of cases recorded in Scotland each day has been more than trebling every three weeks. That is not sustainable if we are to keep schools and businesses safely open.
So we have to act now in order to try to stem that increase and avoid more restrictive measures becoming necessary later. The other point that I made yesterday I want to stress today. This is all really frustrating and tiresome for everyone.
But on the upside we are in a stronger position now that we were back on March. Cases are not rising as quickly and that is partly because now, we have Test and Protect operating and people are much more used to having to do all the basic things to try to limit the spread of the virus.
So we’re in a stronger position but we must protect the progress we’ve made and try to stop the virus running out of control again particularly because we’ve always known going into winter with colder temperatures and damper conditions are likely to see this virus spread again more quickly so please stick to the new rules – of six people, and two households – and don’t wait until Monday, do that now.
And always remember the other measures that will minimise the risk of you passing the virus on to other people.
The simplest way of trying to remember all of that is FACTS.
These are the rules that all of us if we follow them will help keep transmission as low as possible, so
• Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces • Avoid crowded places. • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly. • keep to Two metre distancing. • and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
I spoke earlier about downloading the Protect Scotland app, as a really simple but powerful thing we can help our communities. It is, and I would encourage you to do that.
But so is sticking to the five rules in FACTS.
The basic point that was true back in March that I think motivated all of us through really dark, difficult times, remains just as true today.
While our experiences are all different, I know that, but fundamentally we’re all in this together.
And fundamentally, it’s only together can we save lives and beat this virus.
So please, continue to play your part by doing all the things we ask.
Download the app and comply with the FACTS guidance.
Thank you to everybody for doing that and please continue to spread the word.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Monday 17 August):
Hello and thanks for joining us again today. Let me start with the usual update on the COVID-19 statistics.
I can confirm that an additional 26 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
That represents 0.7% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,358.
A full health board breakdown will be published later, but the provisional information I have is that 13 of the 26 new cases are in the Grampian Health Board area.
A total of 248 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid which is five more than yesterday.
Three people are in intensive care which is the same number as yesterday.
I’m also very pleased to say that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days, and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491.
However that total of course is still a reminder of the dreadful impact this virus has had. My condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
And as always, let me thank everyone who is still working hard in a variety of different capacities across the country to help us through this pandemic.
I have three issues I want to briefly update on today. First let me provide some further details about ongoing clusters and outbreaks across the country.
I mentioned a moment ago that 13 of the 26 new cases reported earlier were in the Grampian area. On the latest figures available, a total of 380 cases have been identified in the Grampian Health Board area since the 26th of July.
207 of these we think are associated with the same cluster linked to Aberdeen pubs, and 1050 contacts have now been identified from those 207 cases.
In addition, teams are still investigating community clusters in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire and in North East Glasgow. Those clusters of course include some young people who go to local schools and more detail and information about those clusters will be provided as it becomes available.
I can also advise today of a cluster in Coupar Angus which is linked to a 2 Sisters food processing plant. So far, this outbreak has 4 confirmed cases – however contact tracing and testing is still ongoing. The plant’s owners have closed the facility, as part of their work with us to control any outbreak.
These clusters obviously show that the virus is still out there and continues to pose a real and serious risk. It is highly infectious, and once it takes hold, it can spread very rapidly. All of us have a responsibility – in everything we do – to try to stop that from happening which is why we continue to stress the importance of the FACTS advice which I will come back to again at the end of my remarks.
These clusters also show the importance of the work being done by our public health and protect teams in different parts of the country as they work to identify contacts, and trace those contact and help to contain the outbreaks that have been identified. I want to take the opportunity again today thank them for the work they’re doing.
The second thing I want to highlight today is the publication of our updated testing strategy for this phase in the pandemic.
That sets out our current priorities for testing, based on the work we have already done to increase capacity and improve availability.
As you would expect, our top priority is to test anyone who has symptoms of Covid – a temperature, a new cough, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell. Anyone who develops these symptoms should book a test immediately through the NHS Inform website.
Our second priority now is testing contacts of people with Covid, and using testing in that way to prevent or minimise new outbreaks of the virus.
Our third priority is the routine testing of people who work in high risk environments such as care homes.
We’re also using testing to ensure the safe resumption or continuation of NHS services, and to assess prevalence of the virus in Scotland.
Finally, the strategy sets out our intention to further increase testing capacity in Scotland. That will be increasingly important as we move into the autumn and winter, because in those months, more people will have symptoms, such as a new cold, which may be similar to Covid symptoms.
Current weekday capacity in Scotland is just over 40,000 tests a day. We want to and we’re working to increase that to 65,000 tests a day. We are also working to improve the accessibility of tests.
Overall, the strategy seeks to give a concise and clear explanation of who we are seeking to test, why we test them, and what our plans for the near future are. The Health Secretary will say a bit more about it in a moment.
It will be available to read on the Scottish Government website this afternoon for anyone who is interested.
The final point I want to cover relates to media coverage about care home discharges – and particularly the suggestion that in some cases people who were thought to have Covid were discharged from hospitals into care homes.
Let me be very clear – as I have been many times before – that proper scrutiny of all and every aspects of our response to Covid, including of course in care homes, is really essential.
And that scrutiny will and must include consideration of whether – based on what we knew at each stage – the guidance in place was both appropriate and properly implemented.
And that of course is why we have committed to a public inquiry in due course.
However, I want to again be clear also that, while there will undoubtedly be lessons to learn when a new virus is encountered – and we take that very seriously – care was taken to put guidance in place that was considered to be appropriate at every stage.
For example, from mid-March that included guidance requiring clinical screening of patients being transferred from hospitals to care homes, to guard against inappropriate transfer. It also advised social isolation within care homes.
However, it is right that all of this, is properly scrutinised in the inquiry that will be instructed in due course.
I’m about to hand over to the Health Secretary, and then to the National Clinical Director – but before I do that, I would like to end, as always, by stressing the importance of FACTS.
The clusters I mentioned earlier that we are seeing in different parts of the country really do show how quickly and easily the virus can be transmitted from one person to another.
And they demonstrate that all of us need to do everything we can, to ensure that we don’t give it a chance to spread.
We all have a responsibility to each other, to continue to suppress it.
And all of us can do that, by sticking to FACTS – the five golden rules that we should remember as we go out and about our everyday business.
· Face coverings in enclosed spaces · Avoid crowded places, indoors or outdoors · Clean your hands regularly and remember to clean hard surfaces after you have touched them. · Two metre distancing remains the overall rule and it is important everyone remembers that and abides by it · and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the symptoms of Covid.
If we stick to these 5 rules as rigidly as we possibly can, we will help to deny the virus bridges to travel across from one person to another and from one household to another and in that way, we will all do our bit to suppress the virus and help to protect ourselves and each other.
So, I want to thank everybody who is taking care to do all this once again for that, and encourage all of you to pass that message to everybody else that you know and encourage everybody to stick to FACTS, so we can continue to keep this virus under control.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Tuesday 23 June):
Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I’ll start with the usual update on the COVID-19 statistics.
An additional 12 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,182.
A total of 865 patients are currently in hospital with the virus either confirmed or suspected. That is 2 fewer than yesterday.
A total of 21 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is an increase of 6 since yesterday – but the increase is all in suspected cases. And while our thoughts are with anyone in ICU, to put today’s number of 21 in context – on 12 April, there were 221 patients in ICU confirmed or suspected as having the virus.
Since 5 March, a total of 3,995 patients who had tested positive and been in hospital have now been discharged.
And in the last 24 hours, 4 deaths were sadly registered of patients confirmed through a test as having Covid-19. It takes the total number of deaths in Scotland – under that measurement of people confirmed by a test as having Covid – to 2,476.
Tomorrow of course we’ll see the weekly publications from National Records of Scotland which gives us the total number of deaths of those confirmed through a test and of those who are suspected of having had COVID-19.
Today’s statistics again show – very starkly – the human cost of this virus, and my condolences go again to all those who have suffered bereavement.
However, the statistics also underline the very significant progress that we’ve made in suppressing it. And that is really the point I want to focus on today.
It’s now three months – to the very day – since Scotland went into lockdown. Although I’m sure – for all of us – it seems an awful lot longer than that, it is worth remembering that back then we did predict that many of these measures would last a minimum of 12 weeks.
This has been one most challenging periods that our country has ever faced in the lifetimes of the vast majority of us.
And of course, as we have seen in other parts of the world, it is not over yet. The virus continues to pose a major threat and it is likely that it will do so for some time to come – and so we still have a lot more work to do.
However, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of the progress we have made and to do that to remember the situation we were in three months ago. Back then, COVID-19 was out of control. It was spreading exponentially. There was a very real prospect that our health service would be overwhelmed, even with the extra capacity we had created. And back then that was a daily worry for me. And back then none of us knew – for certain – how the country would cope.
Today, we are in a very different position, as the numbers I’ve just reported demonstrate. Hospital admissions – which at one point totalled 200 a day – are currently in single figures each day.
The number of people in intensive care has fallen by more than 90%. And while one person dying is too many – we’ve also seen a very significant and sustained decline in the number of deaths.
And though demand was high at points and the pressure on NHS and social care staff was extreme and remains extreme, at no point did the NHS come close to being overwhelmed.
All of that progress is – of course – a direct consequence of your efforts and your sacrifices.
Over these last three months we have all contended with this virus in different ways – both individually and collectively.
Our health and social care workers have had to respond to an unprecedented threat. And they’ve done so absolutely magnificently.
Our businesses have answered the call – we now have whisky producers making hand sanitizer and clothing firms producing PPE.
And all across the country, people have adapted to new circumstances – whether that’s working from home, or becoming a key worker.
We have in the most trying of circumstances seen the very best of Scotland – as our communities have rallied together – in support of those in need, to check in on neighbours, to help people with shopping, or simply to offer a friendly face.
For shielded people, the last three months have been especially difficult – not being able to go out, and in some cases, not being able to see anyone at all.
The images we’ve seen over the weekend of some grandparents being reunited with grandchildren and shielded people finally meeting others outside, show us just how hard things have been.
And of course, perhaps most importantly of all for us to remember, more than 4,000 families across our country have lost a loved one to this virus, with around half of those losing someone who lived in a care home. That is something which I never lose sight of. I know the sorrow of that will live with me forever, but I also know that is as nothing compared to the pain of bereaved families.
So as we go through the recovery process, it’s really important to remember those for whom this experience will never be completely left behind.
Nor should we forget the enormous sacrifices made to get us here. So, while we still have a long way to go, I want to take this opportunity at this three moth milestone to thank everyone who has played their part and stuck by the rules. In doing so, you’ve helped to protect our NHS, and you’ve undoubtedly saved a considerable number of lives.
Of course, you’ve also made it possible for us to gradually ease our way out of some of the restrictions.
That’s why last week I was able to announce Scotland’s move to the next phase in our exit from lockdown.
And it’s why tomorrow I’ll be able to provide some further detail on the timing of some of the specific steps in that journey – and to do so ahead of when I thought might be possible.
Later today, the Health Secretary will also update the Scottish Parliament on the remobilisation of our NHS – and how staff and patients will be protected, as we resume services that had been paused.
And the Deputy First Minister John Swinney will deliver a significant statement this afternoon, on the reopening of schools and support to help young people catch up on missed learning. Four weeks on from the report of the Education Recovery Group – when things looked bleaker than they do today – he will set out where we are now. And crucially, he will outline where we aim to be by August, when the new term begins.
And on that issue, I want to say a few brief words today to pupils who are about to leave school, as the summer holidays begin.
I know that some of you will now be finishing up. And I’m so sorry you aren’t able to celebrate this milestone in your lives with your classmates and your teachers in the normal way.
I know that’s a bitter disappointment. This special moment in your lives is not one we would have wanted to be marred in this way. And I understand that – given these circumstances – you might be feeling even more apprehensive or unsure about what comes next.
That’s why we are providing a range of different support options to help you through this transition.
For example, through Developing the Young Workforce – our employability programme – we’re offering school leavers the chance to take part in an online Skills Academy.
If you are interested in that you can find out more about that – and all of the support available – at the website www.dyw.scot. So please take a look – there’s some really valuable help there if you need it.
But also, and this is the personal message I want to convey to you, however difficult this experience undoubtedly has been – the way you have coped has shown a resilience that should make you very proud of yourselves as you embark on the next phase of your lives. I want to thank all of you and wish you every success.
Now, as I indicated earlier, as well as today’s statements on schools and the NHS, I will provide a general update tomorrow on Scotland’s route map out of lockdown. And as part of that, I will set out indicative dates for when some measures – and some phases – will come into effect.
I said from the very start that if we saw maintained good progress, we could move through phases perhaps more quickly – or even bring certain measures forward. And in some instances, that is what we hope now be able to do.
However, we are still taking a cautious approach. Our aim remains maximum suppression of the virus because that is what will give us the firmest foundation for whatever lies ahead to deal with outbreaks such as those we are seeing in other countries right now. And also to equip ourselves as best we can to deal with any possible resurgence of the virus as we enter the winter months. That’s why on all these decisions, we are proceeding very carefully.
That’s why – for example – I have commissioned additional work from our Scientific Advisory Group. One key issue we have asked about is physical distancing.
The Scottish Government is clear that the advice and evidence we have right now supports physical distancing at 2 metres in order to reduce the risk of virus transmission.
But we have asked in what settings, what circumstances and with what additional mitigations it might be possible to accept the risk of people not keeping to a 2 metre distance. That advice will be available by 2 July – ahead of our decisions on moving from phase 2 to phase 3.
Until then, the position here in Scotland remains the same. We are advising people to maintain 2 metres physical distancing. So any changes announced today for other parts of the UK, while we will look at the evidence underpinning those very carefully, will not apply here at this particular stage.
Of course, the more we can continue to suppress the virus, the more likely it is that we will be able to consider some changes to that rule. So to close today, I want to reiterate the critical public health guidance, which everyone needs to follow.
You are now able to meet with up to two other households – however those meetings must be outdoors. And you should only go indoors to use the toilet, or to get through to a garden, and you should clean any surfaces you touch as you do that.
I know that as we start to see this virus receding – and as we ease some restrictions – it’s easy for all of us to become complacent.
But we need to guard against that. COVID-19 has not gone away. And as we gradually remove the restrictions that have kept it under control, there’s a real risk is it could start to circulate again.
So we need to proceed with purpose – but also with caution. And we all need to continue to play our part, in suppressing this virus.
The public health campaign we launched on Friday – the Facts – summarises the key points all of us need to remember every single day:
Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces;
Avoid crowded places;
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly;
Two metre distancing is important; and
Self isolate and book a test – if you have symptoms.
By remembering those 5 basic but crucial measures, all of us can stay safe, protect others and save lives.
My thanks go to all of you for all of your sacrifices over these last three months and for continuing to show the patience
So please continue to do the right thing, and to stick with these rules. Thank you once again, to everyone who is doing that.
