Tag: First Minister

First Minister: ‘The bottom line here is that the virus is on the rise again’

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House this afternoon (Friday 18 September):

I can report that the total number of positive cases that were reported yesterday was 203. This represents 4.4% of people newly tested and takes the total number of cases now to 23,776.

Let me remind you again that these are positive cases reported yesterday.

Because of the processing backlog we have been dealing with, which as I said yesterday is improving, more of these than normal may be from swabs taken over the past few days.

However, as I’ve also said before, when we look at whether case numbers are rising or not, we look at results by the date the sample was taken, not just the reporting date – so the backlog doesn’t distort our trend analysis.

The full regional breakdown will be published later as normal, but I can confirm now that 69 of the 203 cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 30 in Lothian, and 29 in Lanarkshire.  The remaining 75 are across the other 8 mainland health board areas.

I can also confirm that 61 people are in hospital – which is an increase of 9 on yesterday. 5 people are in intensive care, which is the same as yesterday. And finally, I regret to say that in the past 24 hours, one additional death was registered of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.

That means that the total number of deaths, under this daily measurement, is now 2,502.

This is a reminder that we are again reporting deaths, albeit small numbers, on a regular basis again.

That’s an indication that in Scotland, as elsewhere, Covid is accelerating again, and I will say more about that shortly.

But I want once again to pass on my condolences to everybody who has lost a loved one to this illness – including of course, those  grieving as a result of the death that was registered yesterday.

I’m joined today by our National Clinical Director Jason Leitch.  After my remarks, Jason will say a few words about the news this morning that an Edinburgh Rugby Academy player has tested positive for Covid.

Before that, though, here are a few items I want to cover.

The first let me briefly highlight an announcement that was made by the Scottish Government last night.

We have added two additional places to the list of those that are subject to quarantine restrictions.  Those are Slovenia and Guadeloupe.

That means that from tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from these countries must self-isolate for 14 days, upon their return or arrival in Scotland. And it is very important that people comply with that.

By contrast, Singapore and Thailand were removed from the international list.

So anyone arriving from either of these countries, from tomorrow, no longer has to quarantine. However, if you have arrived from Singapore or Thailand in the past few days, you do need to complete your 14 days of isolation.

This is all a further reminder of how quickly levels of the virus – in any country or area – can change. So I’ll say again, please avoid non-essential overseas travel at the moment, if possible.

Indeed, please think carefully about non-essential travel at home, as well. In particular, avoid travelling to parts of the UK, that are under tougher restrictions right now because  levels of Covid are rising fastest.

The main thing I want to do today is to take a moment to take stock of where the country stands right now in the pandemic.

We are seeing increasing numbers of places both here in Scotland and across the rest of the UK that are under local and regional restrictions. And, many will have woken up this morning to hear the news of the potential for new national restrictions.

The bottom line here is that the virus is on the rise again.

Our case numbers are not yet rising as fast as there were back in March. But they are rising again and they are rising quite rapidly.  The percentage of tests coming back positive is also not anywhere near as high as it was back in March, but again it is rising.

And as I reported yesterday, the R number we believe is now above 1.

Across the UK, and this is particularly the case in England right now,  hospital admissions are rising. ICU admissions are rising too. While this is particularly the case in England right now, this should sound a warning signal for us here in Scotland too.

And, while for the last few weeks, people might have taken comfort from the low levels of older, more vulnerable people contracting the virus, I have to say to you that picture is also beginning to change.

Recent data shows that the percentage of cases in the older population is now beginning to rise as well.

Looking more widely, we can observe that in broad terms we might now be, at an earlier stage, on a similar path to that which has been taken in recent weeks by France.

About four weeks ago, France stood broadly where we do today.

But now they face around 10,000 new cases per day and hundreds of people in ICU and deaths in France are already rising now as well.

So our task is to make sure – if we can – that we interrupt that, and we don’t end up where they are now.

What lies behind this is a simple reality: we are facing the risk again of exponential growth in Covid. And we all know from our experience earlier this year what that looks like, and why it is so important to seek to avoid  it.

So, I want to talk briefly about what we need to do.

First and foremost, we need to act to interrupt that exponential growth. No one wants to see another full-scale lockdown.

And, above all, we want to keep schools and childcare open because we know how important that is to the education but also to the broader well-being of children and young people.

So right now, and I mean right now, today, over the weekend and into next week, that means following all of the rules and the advice currently in place.

Work from home if you can, that remains our advice. As I said a moment ago, avoid if you can non-essential travel. Don’t meet up with any more than six people from a maximum  of two households, indoors and outdoors.

If you live in Glasgow, as I do, or in East or West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire or East Renfrewshire, North or South Lanarkshire, don’t visit other households at all, unless you have to visit to care for or deliver shopping to a vulnerable person.

The fact is we know, and this is one of the things we have learned about this virus, is that when it gets into a household, it is very likely to infect everyone in that household.

So to be blunt, we must do everything we can to keep it out of our households. When we do have to interact with others, the last piece of advice I want to remind you of right now, is to remember to follow FACTS: all of the basic things that help us reduce the risks of transmitting the virus.

These are the current rules and I am asking everybody to please abide by them strictly and rigorously.  But it may well be that if we are to interrupt  and break this growth, we will have to do more over the next few weeks. And this weekend will be critical in the assessment of how best to do that.

As widely reported, SAGE met yesterday. I have chaired a meeting of senior Scottish Government officials and advisors this morning to assess the current situation and discussions across the 4 nations of the UK will, I hope, take place in the coming days. I’ve this morning asked the Prime Minister to convene a COBRA meeting over this weekend.

So, I am today giving the nation advance notice, that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions.

If we want to avoid another full-scale lockdown, which all of us do, doing nothing almost certainly isn’t an option.

Now I will of course, as I have sought to do throughout this pandemic, keep you regularly and fully updated. But for now, over this weekend, please rigorously follow all of the current rules and all of the current advice.

Now there is another issue that I want to update you on, another area where some of us may be able to help in the fight against this virus, and it involves Scotland’s involvement in the UK-wide COVID Infection Survey.

The survey is designed to track the spread and prevalence of the virus in the general population. It is conducted by the Office for National Statistics, and the University of Oxford.  And following a successful pilot in England, it has been expanded to other parts of the UK.

In Scotland, it will ultimately see up to 15,000 people being tested, every fortnight.  Households will be randomly selected for the survey.  And over the coming period, these households will all be sent a letter, inviting them to participate.

Those letters will provide details on how to register.  The first of them should be arriving today.  And from Monday, survey teams will begin visiting households that agree to take part.

Those who do take part will be asked to administer swabs to their throats and noses, to test for the virus.  People aged 12 years or older can take the swab themselves – but parents and carers should administer them for younger children.  A subset of participants – over the age of 16 – will also be invited to provide blood samples, to test whether they have already have had Covid.

Participants will be asked to take further tests every week for the first 5 weeks, then every month for up to a year.  Members of the survey team will visit households, to collect the tests.

These results will help us to see how many people are infected with the virus at a given point in time – whether ot not they have symptoms.

And they will give us a sense of how many people are ever likely to have had the infection. They should therefore provide us with really important new insights into the spread of Covid in Scotland.

The survey will also provide additional data on the characteristics of those who are testing positive and so it will help us to examine any difference in the impact of the virus, on different groups in society.

The initial survey results for Scotland should be available in November.  But that is dependent, and that is why I am raising it today, on people’s willingness to sign up.   So if you receive a letter, and you are able to do so, I encourage you to take part in this survey, it is really important and it will be a vital tool in our efforts to understand the virus and therefore equip ourselves better to know the things to keep it under control.

Now to close today, I want to really  come back to emphasise my earlier point and really emphasise to you that we are at another really critical point. Covid-19 is on the rise.  Not just here in Scotland, it is on the rise in the UK and across Europe.

Just yesterday, the World Health Organization warned that weekly cases across Europe, have now topped 300,000. 

That’s higher than it was in March – when the virus first peaked.

As the WHO has said, that must serve as a wake-up call for all of us.  The virus could get out of our grip again. That’s the news that should be the wake-up call.

The better news is that hasn’t happened yet: we do still have time to prevent it happening, and that is down to Government to take a lead and be very clear and decisive in what we have to do, but it also ultimately comes down to all of us. So before I hand over to Jason, I want remind all you watching, and to ask you to remind others,  of what we need you to do.

If you live in Glasgow; East or West Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire or East Renfrewshire; North or South Lanarkshire, please don’t visit any other households anywhere in Scotland. 

In the rest of the country, please do not meet with more than 6 people, from a maximum of 2 households.  Don’t give the virus an opportunity to spread between households, because if it spreads between households we know it quickly spreads within households.

Download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t already done so. A million people have done so, already. We know that will help make a difference

And finally – in everything you do – lets all follow the FACTS.  These are the five golden rules that help all us of us minimise the risk of transmission:

  • Face coverings in enclosed spaces
  • Avoid crowded places.
  • Clean hands and clean all hard surfaces that you are touching regularly
  • keep two metres away from people other households.
  • and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.

We are at a critical point right now, but as I said in one of these briefings a couple of days ago, nothing is inevitable. We all have power to try and stop this virus running out of control again.

I know the responsibility that is on the shoulders of me and the government here to take the hard decisions that will determine whether we succeed or not.

But as I have said, so many times throughout,  this is down to all of us. We are all in this together and it is only by acting together that we can stop it running out of control and ultimately save lives.

My thanks again to everybody who I know are making all sorts of sacrifices to help us do that. Keep spreading the word to everyone you know.

How the UK Internal Market Bill will help to boost the Scottish Economy

Scotland Secretary Alister Jack’s has written to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, about the UK Internal Market Bill:

11 September 2020

Dear Nicola,

I am writing to correct the false claims you have made about the UK Government’s Internal Market Bill, introduced to Parliament on Wednesday, 9 September.

As we’ve been clear, the Bill will protect and strengthen our internal market which is so vital to Scotland’s economy with 60 per cent of our exports, worth over £50 billion per year, going to other parts of the United Kingdom.

It will also create new opportunities for the UK Government, working with the Scottish Government, local authorities and other partners, to invest in Scotland.

That’s why I have described the Bill as a win-win for Scotland.

It is good for business, jobs and consumers. It will boost our economy and help us rebuild from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bill has now begun its passage through Parliament and will be debated at length in the weeks ahead.

In accordance with the Sewel Convention, the UK Government will seek a Legislative Consent Motion so the Scottish Parliament, also, will have the opportunity to consider our proposals.

Before this takes place, I wish to correct a series of assertions you have made about the Bill.

1. You have said the Bill will lead to a ‘race to the bottom’ in terms of food standards and environmental protections. That is emphatically not the case.

The UK is a world leader in food and environmental standards and that will not change.

Also, as you know, the UK Government and all devolved administrations have agreed a common framework on food and feed safety and hygiene law which clearly sets out the ‘rules and regulations related to the production and distribution of food and feed’. Guaranteeing our shared commitment to high standards across the UK.

The UK Government is proud of our record and keenly aware of the premium our high standards place on UK goods in overseas markets.

2. Similarly, your speculation that Scotland could be ‘forced to accept chlorinated chicken’ is unfounded.

As we have previously reminded Scottish Government ministers during discussions about the Bill, chlorine washed chicken is illegal in the UK. The UK Government has been clear we will not sign a trade deal that would compromise our high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.

Of course, we recognise and welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to high standards in these areas. Our shared view should be the basis of an agreed UK approach to high standards.

3. You also claimed the new spending power contained in the Bill could divert funding from schools and hospitals in Scotland. This is not the case.

Education and health are – and will continue to be – devolved to the Scottish Parliament and decisions on funding in those areas are for your Government to take. Scotland’s block grant is at a record level and the Barnett Formula will continue to operate as set out in the Statement on Funding Policy.

The UK Government’s spending power set out in the Bill will complement existing Scottish Government spending powers. This can only be a benefit to the people and businesses of Scotland.

They will enable us to spend money previously controlled by the EU to make strategic investments of UK-wide importance.

This is good news for the communities we serve and I am confident these new opportunities will be warmly welcomed by the people of Scotland.

4. You claim the Bill, had it been in place at the time, would have prohibited the Scottish Parliament from legislating to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. Again – as we have already made clear to Scottish Government ministers – this is incorrect.

Under the terms of the Bill, the Scottish Parliament would be able to introduce a minimum alcohol price provided, of course, it was not applied only to alcoholic drinks produced in certain parts of the UK.

5. You claim the Bill is ‘a naked power grab’ and ‘an attack on the powers of devolution’. It is not.

The Scottish Parliament will lose none of its existing powers. Indeed, as powers return from Brussels when we leave the Transition Period at the end of the year, scores of new responsibilities will flow to Holyrood.

It should be noted that your Government’s ambition to take Scotland out of the UK and into the EU would remove these powers from the Scottish Parliament. That is the only threat to Holyrood’s powers.

6. Finally, you claim the Bill would ‘break’ or ‘cripple’ devolution.

I’m afraid your Government is never less convincing than when it purports to champion a system it unashamedly wishes to overthrow.

Independence would destroy devolution, ending our system of two governments which was backed overwhelmingly by the people of Scotland in the referendums of 1997 and 2014.

The UK Government emphatically supports devolution and our Bill will strengthen the Scottish Parliament and create new opportunities for Scotland.

Your colourful description of the Internal Market Bill as ‘an abomination’ is deeply regrettable.

In my view, it would be abominable for the people of Scotland to be misinformed about a Bill which has such potential to improve lives and strengthen our country.

THE RT HON. ALISTER JACK MP SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has since written to the UK Government voicing concern at its plans for a post-Brexit internal market, saying it represents a threat to the Scottish economy.

Ms Hyslop said the proposed Internal Markets Bill will jeopardise Scotland’s food and drink sector, which has a world-renowned reputation for high standards and high quality products.

She also highlighted how the Bill will undermine the good progress made on common frameworks, the preferred means of managing policy difference across the UK when EU rules no longer apply. 

Last month the Scottish Parliament considered the original proposals set out in the UK Government White Paper and voted overwhelmingly – by 92 votes to 31 – to reject them.

In her letter to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ms Hyslop said:

“Coronavirus (COVID-19) is clearly currently the biggest challenge for business and the economy. Unnecessary legislation, which undermines devolution, on top of an entirely unnecessary end to the Brexit transition period will do nothing to protect or promote trade across the UK and beyond.

“If this legislation were already in place, Scotland would not have been able to lead the way on the ban on smoking in public, on introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol, having rules on the marketing of raw milk consistent with the nature of the dairy sector in Scotland, or taking forward bans on the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds and microbeads in cosmetics.

“A linked concern is the prospect of the UK entering into future international trade agreements which might result in lower standard products being accepted into UK markets. Scotland’s world-leading food and drink sector, for example, is built on a reputation for the highest quality produce and nothing should be done to put that at risk.”

FM: volunteers wanted for early warning modelling trials

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh yesterday (Tuesday 4 August):

I’m going to turn in a moment to the usual statistical update about COVID, but before I do that I want to say a special word to all young people across the country who are receiving their SQA results today.

It’s a long time, a very long time, since I got my results, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. It is a really big moment in a young person’s life so I hope you got what you were hoping for, but if you didn’t it is really important to remember that there are lots of options open to you, not least, in the immediate sense, the option to appeal.

And whatever your results are, you should all be incredibly proud of the way you have coped with the challenges of the past few months.

At a moment’s notice you had to adapt to new forms of learning. Your contact with friends and family was restricted. Many of you have missed out on a proper end to your final year. You didn’t get to sit exams. And of course you are now having to think about your future at a time of real economic uncertainty.

All of that has been really tough and we don’t underestimate how tough it has been. And I know that, for some of you, there will be difficult decisions that lie ahead.

Later on in my remarks I am going to say a bit more about where you can get some advice and support if you need it and the Deputy First Minister will also say a bit more about the process of producing your results this year.

But the main thing I want to say at the outset is that you all deserve enormous credit for your patience, for the sacrifices you’ve made and for all the hard work you’ve put in. So well done to all of you.

Now, as usual, I’ll give the update on today’s COVID figures. An additional 23 positive cases were confirmed yesterday which represents 0.9% of the people who were newly tested yesterday and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland now to 18,717.

A full health board breakdown will be available later, as usual, but the provisional information I have is that 15 of the 23 cases are in the Grampian health board area. It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a bit more about that outbreak shortly.

I can also report that a total of 270 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID which is 5 more than yesterday.

And a total of 4 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed COVID-19 which is 1 more than yesterday.

Finally, I am very pleased to say that, yet again during the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test in the past 28 days as having COVID.  The total number of deaths under that measurement remains at 2,491.

We are of course reporting fewer deaths on a daily basis now, but the total reminds us of the impact this virus has had on too many families across the country so again I want to extend my thoughts to everyone who has lost a loved one.

And as always, let me say a big thank you to everyone working hard to help us keep COVID under control and also to deal with its many consequences.

There are a few items I want to briefly touch on today before I hand over to the Deputy First Minister. 

Firstly, I want to provide a further update on that cluster of cases in Aberdeen which is linked to the Hawthorn Bar in the city. I can confirm that, as of now, 27 positive cases have been identified as part of the cluster though, let me be clear, I would expect that number to rise.

I can also confirm that, so far, 120 contacts have been traced through the Test and Protect system.

The Incident Management Team, which is led by NHS Grampian, will meet again this afternoon and they continue to take all necessary steps to try to minimise the risk of further transmission.  And I am extremely grateful to them for their considerable efforts.

Investigations of course are ongoing and we will provide more details as and when they become available.

However, this particular cluster is another reminder that this virus is still out there and has not gone away. It remains extremely infectious and, of course, it remains extremely dangerous and all of us have a part to play in denying it the opportunity to spread.

I talked yesterday about the importance of our Test and Protect system in helping us to contain these kinds of incidents so I think it is worth me reminding you of one of the key elements of that system.

If you are contacted by a Test and Protect team and advised that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID you must self-isolate for 14 days. That should be seen as non-negotiable. The team might ask you, or arrange for you, to take a test. If they don’t do that you should only book a test yourself if you have symptoms.

If you are a close contact of an identified case and you do get tested, and this bit is really important for me to convey very clearly to you, if you do get tested you must self-isolate for 14 days even if you test negative.

And that’s because, given what we know about the incubation of this virus, it is entirely possible that you have the virus in your system, but it hasn’t had time to develop so it doesn’t show up in the test. For example, on a Monday, you might test negative for the virus, but by the Tuesday you might have developed the virus without knowing it.

At that point, you might be infectious and yet it might not be until the Thursday or the Friday that you start to show any symptoms. In fact, you might never show any significant symptoms at all, but if you are not self-isolating, you could nevertheless still be spreading the virus.

That’s really tough to say to people that, even if you have tested negative for this virus, if you are a close contact you have to self-isolate for 14 days, but that is partly what makes this virus so difficult to deal with, but it is also why self-isolation is so important and so necessary.

And I want to give a special message to employers. Please don’t think that testing any of your staff who are deemed to be close contacts of a positive case is an alternative to them self-isolating. That is absolutely not the case and I must stress that. There are simply no shortcuts here when it comes to trying to contain the spread of this virus.

All of us need to comply with the requirements of Test and Protect otherwise it won’t work and that includes, and is possibly the most important element of this, self-isolation. If we do all comply we can help to contain these kinds of incidents when they do occur and we can ensure that, rather than going into reverse, we can continue our exit from lockdown.

That brings me to the second point I want to briefly touch on and that’s about how we are trying to track the course of the pandemic here in Scotland.

The daily statistics I share with you obviously provide us with really important information about the spread of the virus, but because of the time it takes COVID to incubate, some of these statistics only reflect what might have been happening in the community two or three weeks previously.

That’s one of the reasons why the lockdown restrictions are reviewed every three weeks because it gives us time to assess the impact of any changes that we make.

At this point, of course, as we come further out of lockdown, the risks are heightened and it becomes more important that we have early warning, as early as possible, of any new trends.

That’s why we are increasingly looking to use a form of modelling which helps to estimate changes in the epidemic and model and estimate those as early as possible before they come through the daily statistics that I report to you.

That modelling just now is carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and it involves using online surveys to gather information about people’s social behaviour.

The surveys are run every two weeks and they ask about a range of different topics from people’s contact with others to recent travel to their use of face masks, for example.

At the moment, very few people from Scotland are included in those surveys so the modelling is of more limited value to us in assessing a particular situation here. So that’s why we intend to establish a Scottish version of the survey.

It will feed into the other modelling work that’s already carried out and it will help to produce results which are more relevant and therefore more applicable to Scotland.

We are looking for 3,000 members of the public to take part. As a starting point we’ll be sending invitations to those who have previously been involved in our population surveys.

But we will also need volunteers over and above that so I would urge anyone who is interested to find out more on the Scottish Government’s Twitter feed. I will make sure there is information there later today.

By volunteering, you’ll be helping us to improve our understanding of the epidemic and you’ll be helping to ensure that we can identify and respond quickly to any changes that threaten the progress we’ve made.

Finally today, before I conclude, I want to return to the issue of the SQA results.

138,000 learners from across the country should by now have received their results and I’m sure that for many of you and for your families the build up to this day has been very tense and I really do hope that you got the exams results that you wanted.

But if you didn’t and you’re feeling disappointed right now, please bear in mind that this is just the beginning. There will be many more opportunities ahead and you do have plenty of options.

It’s also important to note that there is advice and support there for you if you need it.

For example, if you have a question about your results or if you want to appeal the results you got today you should contact your school, college or training provider. The SQA is this year running a free appeal service.

There’s also an SQA Candidate Advice Line and I’m about to read out the number for that.

You should call the advice line if you have questions about your certificate, for example, if you need help understanding it, or you think there’s something missing from it. That line is now open and the number is 0345 279 1000.

Alternatively, if you want advice or information about what comes next you can call Skills Development Scotland’s dedicated helpline. Again, I’ll read out that number shortly.

That helpline offers free, impartial advice for young people, parents and carers.  And it will help you to learn about your options for the future whether that’s staying on at school, going to college or university, taking on an apprenticeship or entering the world of work.

The number for the helpline is 0808 100 8000. And I would encourage you if you need a bit of advice to give it a call. Again you will find these numbers on the Scottish Government Twitter feed later.

All of you have faced huge challenges this year, challenges which previous generations like mine and the Deputy First Minister’s could never have imagined so we are determined to do everything we can to ensure you have the support and opportunities you need as you start to think about your future.

I will hand on to the Deputy First Minister, now but before I do I will end, as I usually do, by reminding you once again of the Facts advice.

Those are the five key things all of us should remember in everything we do:

  • Face coverings must be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
  • Avoid crowded places.
  • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
  • Two metre distancing remains the rule and
  • Self-isolate and book a test immediately if you have symptoms.

It’s vital that all of us continue to follow these rules because if we don’t, we risk allowing the virus to take grip again and the consequences of that we know are very clear.

We only need to look at what’s happening elsewhere in the world to see that countries can go into reverse and restrictions can require to be re-imposed. We don’t want to have to do that here, but we will have no choice if the virus gets out of control.

And all of us have the power, the agency, and indeed the responsibility to minimise the chance of that happening and that is why it is vital that we follow and abide by these five rules.

So my thanks to everyone who is doing so. It is hugely appreciated.

First Minister: relief at last for shielders

First Minister’s coronavirus update from St Andrew’s House on Thursday 23 July 2020:

Good afternoon everyone, thank you for joining us today as usual. Let me start as I always do with the update on the Covid-19 statistics.

An additional 16 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.4% of people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 18,500.

It’s worth highlighting that we have changed the reporting of figures on the Scottish Government’s website from today so that the figures for new cases – including that percentage of positive tests – are now shown more prominently on the main Covid page. That website is updated at 2 o’clock every day.

The health board breakdown of today’s cases will be available at 2 o’clock but the provisional information I have is that 4 of today’s cases are in Lanarkshire.

And, more specifically in relation to the outbreak at the Sitel call centre in Lanarkshire, I can confirm that as of this morning, there are a total of 24 positive cases associated with that outbreak which is an increase of 4 since yesterday.

That includes 17 people employed at the site, which is 2 more than yesterday, and 7 contacts, which is also 2 more than yesterday.

Now, given that the virus can have a long incubation period, intensive work is still ongoing in order to ensure that all possible chains of transmission from this outbreak are being closed down. And I am very grateful to everyone who is working very had as part of that effort.

I can also report today that a total of 287 patients confirmed as having the virus are currently in hospital which is 8 fewer than yesterday.

And as of last night, there were just 2 people with confirmed COVID in intensive care in Scotland, which is 1 fewer than yesterday.

And finally, on the statistics, I am very glad to say that once again, during the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus. The total number of deaths, under this measure, therefore remains 2,491.

This is obviously very welcome news. It means that no deaths have been reported in Scotland under this measurement during the entirety of the past week – and that just one death in Scotland has been reported over the past 15 days.

Now, it is exactly four months today since the country went into lockdown, so there is no doubt that these figures show the incredible progress that has been made in that time.

But that progress has been hard won and it has been a very painful journey over these past four months in particular for those who have lost someone to this virus. The number of deaths is still a reminder of the impact of the virus and therefore I want to extend my condolences again today to everyone who is grieving somebody that they loved.

In addition, I want to thank again our health and care workers for all of the work that you continue to do through this really challenging time for everyone.

Now, I have one very important issue I want to talk about today – which is changes in our advice to people who are shielding.

It’s now almost four months since we asked those considered to be at the greatest risk from this virus, to shield.

At that time, there was a very high risk that you might be exposed to the virus, and therefore shielding was necessary to keep you safe.

Together with local government and the third sector, we have been able to put in place support for you while you have been shielding– for example access to free food deliveries if necessary.

But I know that shielding has been incredibly difficult – it has separated you from your family and loved ones, it has restricted you in virtually every aspect of your normal lives, and there are very obvious and very real potential harms to your mental health from extended isolation.

For all of those reasons, we’ve always been clear that we won’t ask you to shield longer than you have to.

The infection rate now is much lower than it was in March. And just to give some illustration of that, when the shielding advice started, more than 20% of Covid tests were proving positive, and 150 new cases a day were being reported. Less than a week after shielding started, we were reporting more than 300 new cases a day. Tpoday of course I have reported 16 new cases and that is 0.4% of people testing newly positive

So, as these figures today show, we are now in a very different position to the one we that faced back in March. And as a result – and as we have previously indicated – some further key changes to our advice will take effect from tomorrow for people who are shielding.

Now the information I am about to give you I know can perhaps be a bit difficult to follow as I am saying it. All of the changes I am about to mention are listed in our routemap for shielders which you can find on the Scottish government’s website.

From tomorrow (Friday), you will, if you are shielding, be able to meet indoors with up to 8 people from up to 2 other households, as long as physical distancing is in place.

You will also be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to 15 people from a maximum of 4 other households.

You can also use public transport – including taxis – while wearing a face covering.

You can go to outdoor spaces in pubs and restaurants.

You can go to into indoor shops, pharmacies and indoor markets. You can attend hairdressers and barbers and you can visit museums, galleries, libraries and cinemas.

And children who live with someone who is shielding, can attend formal childcare providers.

Now, all of these changes that I have just mentioned, which you can find more detail on on the website, these will take effect from tomorrow. But our clinical advisers, – who have been closely examining all of the evidence – have also advised us that as things stand right now, assuming no significant deterioration in the position, as things stand right now we will be able to pause the shielding advice all together from 1 Aug.

From that day, the advice for people shielding will then be the same as for those who are simply at heightened risk from Covid – older people, people who receive the flu jab because of a health condition, and people who are pregnant.

This means from the end of next week, you will be advised to follow the guidance for the general population, although we will ask you to be especially careful about hand hygiene and physical distancing.

That will also mean that that children who have been shielding will be able to return to school in August.

And if you have been staying away from your workplace because you have been shielding, you will also be able to return.

However your employer must ensure that you can do so safely.

And of course our advice – not simply for shielding people, but for everyone – remains very strongly that you should continue to work from home whenever that is possible.

I know these changes will be welcome to many of you but they will also, for many of you, create a great deal of anxiety because you have been living in such a restricted way for so long and you will worry about going back to normal and that is completely understandable.

So we are not asking you to stop being careful – and we do not want you to feel under pressure to do anything that you think is unsafe. In fact, we want to do everything we can to help you to feel as safe as possible.

Last month, I indicated that we were looking to develop a range of information and tools to help each of you to make informed decisions about how to stay safe.

We are providing a range of advice on returning to employment and schools. The guidance for schools will be published on 30 July.

For those of you in employment, we have developed a risk assessment tool. That will be available from Monday. It will help your employer understand the adjustments they need to make to help you feel safe.

We are also providing information on what activities are safer, or less risky, than others, and how to undertake them safely. We’ve developed advice on risk factors- and practical information on how to stay safe during everyday activities like going to the shops, visiting friends and family, or using public transport.

You also told us in feedback that you would find it helpful to know what the infection rates are at any given time in your local areas. So we are developing a Covid forecasting service for people who have been shielding. That will allow you to sign up to an SMS update that tells you about your risk of being exposed to Covid in your local area.

And although the food box scheme is ending, you will continue to access priority supermarket delivery slots if you need them, and if you have registered for this service by the end of this month. You will also still be able to go to your Local Authority for support for food provision.

And we will be keeping open our Shielding SMS text messaging service, and our national helpline.

Finally, we are continuing our work to keep you safe after 1 August.

We are strengthening the evidence base about who may need to shield again in the future should we see a resurgence of the virus.

We are continuing our surveys and research to understand your experiences and to offer support that has value to you.

And we will set out the kind of steps we might need to take should there be a spike of infections in the future.

We are changing our guidance now because the infection rate is low now.

But we will continue to monitor this, and if things take a significant turn for the worse – whether nationally or in your local area – we will take the steps we need to in order to keep you as safe as possible. In particular we will contact you and we will give you clear advice on what to do if we are asking you to do anything different.

Before I end, I want to thank everyone who has been shielding. You’ve had to remain in your house and largely apart from all other people, even people in your own household, for months now.

That has been incredibly tough, and it is easy for me to say that when the reality is I actually find it hard to fully imagine just how difficult that must have been. But by doing so, you have protected yourselves, you’ve reassured your loved ones, and helped our health and care services. So a sincere and heartfelt thank you from me to each of you for that.  

And I also want to say a few words to people who are not shielding.

Many of you have been actively involved in support for people who have been shielding: whether that is as family, friends, carers, volunteers, council workers, delivery drivers, health and social care professionals, supermarkets, wholesalers, and a whole host of other people so my thanks to all of you for that too.

Secondly – if you are an employer or a school – we need you to work closely with people who have been shielding, in order to take the necessary steps to keep them safe but also to assure them you will keep them safe.

Please do that, reach out to people who have been shielding to understand their needs, and provide that help.

And for all of us, we should understand the worries and concerns of people who have been shielding.

Many people who are shielding will still be nervous about returning to work, or returning to shops and restaurants, or socialising a bit more. All of us should understand that and be as supportive as we can be.

And finally, this is my final point, shielding and shielding people demonstrate again, and perhaps more powerfully than anything does, how all of us are dependent right now on each other’s actions.

The reason that we can pause shielding, hopefully at the end of next week, is because all of us have stuck to the guidance so far. All of us need to continue to do that, in order that we continue collectively to protect those most at risk.

And that basic idea – that all of us, more than ever, are depending on each other, is the note that I will end on.

We can only reopen services, start to reopen the economy again because infection rates are low. We will only be able to keep all these things open if infection rates stay low.

The virus as we know is still out there, it is still highly infectious and it is still highly dangerous.

So all of us have a part to play in keeping it under control. So let me end with the usual advice that I am going to continue to say as often as I need to in order that everybody understands that if we all stick to this we can keep this virus under control.

That is the FACTS message.

  • Face coverings in shops, public transport or any enclosed spaces where physical distancing is difficult
  •  Avoid crowded places, whether that’s indoors or outdoors
  • Clean your hands and clean hard surfaces regularly.
  • Two metre distancing – that remains the important advice
  • and self isolate, and book a test, if you have any symptoms.

If we all follow this advice rigorously and rigidly then the progress we have made over these past painful four months will be progress that we can continue to see.

So my thanks to all of you for doing that, in particular today, my thanks to all of you who have been shielding.

First Minister: Phase 3 could last a while longer yet

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wednesday 22  July):

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I want to start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.

An additional 10 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,484.

The Health Board breakdown will be available later as normal.

However, the provisional information I have is that three of these 10 cases are in Lanarkshire where we are dealing with an outbreak, which I’ll say more about shortly. At this stage, we know one of these three is associated with the outbreak.

From today, as well as reporting the overall number of positive cases – which can fluctuate in line with the number of tests carried out – I will also report the percentage of people tested who have been newly identified as positive.

For context, the World Health Organisation suggests than an indication of the epidemic being under control is less than 5% of samples testing positive over a two week period.

The 10 cases being reported today in Scotland represent 0.3% testing positive.

The 22 cases reported yesterday, represented 0.8%.

I can also report that 295 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid. That is eight fewer than yesterday. As you may remember from yesterday’s briefing, we will now report figures for confirmed cases only.

A total of three people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid-19. That is one fewer than yesterday.

I am glad to say that during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19.  The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains at 2,491.

In addition, the National Records of Scotland has just published its regular weekly report, which is more detailed than our daily figures. Like the daily figures, it includes deaths of people who have been confirmed by a test as having COVID.

However it also covers cases where the virus has been entered on a death certificate as a suspected or contributory cause of death – even if its presence was not confirmed by a test. That is a wider measure, and therefore it captures more cases.

The latest NRS report covers the period to Sunday 19 July. At that point, according to our daily figures, 2,491 deaths of people who had tested positive had been registered.

However, today’s report shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths with either a confirmed or a presumed link to the virus was 4,193. Of those, six were registered in the seven days up to Sunday. That is a decrease of seven from the week before.

Three of those six deaths were in care homes, which is a reduction of four from last week.

The total number of deaths recorded last week – from all causes – was 32 higher than the five year average for the same time of year.

We will of course see if there are any causes for concern there, but it is worth remembering that the total number of deaths is always likely to fluctuate a bit. Last week’s figures follow on from a three week period, when the total number of deaths was below the five year average by 18, 35 and 49 respectively.

Last week was the twelfth week in a row in which the number of deaths from the virus has fallen. In addition, the total weekly number of Covid deaths now is the lowest we have seen since we started to record them in this way.

Today’s report shows once again that Covid has been driven to very low levels in Scotland.

However the figures also remind us that more than 4,000 people have lost their lives to this virus.  

We must always remember that each of those deaths, was of a unique and irreplaceable individual. I want to send my condolences to everyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

I also want, as I always do, to send my gratitude our health and care workers for the extraordinary job they continue to do.

I want to talk about two issues this afternoon. In a few minutes, I will go over some of the changes to lockdown rules which we have previously announced come into effect today.

However before I do that, I will give a brief update on the latest information we have about the Covid outbreak in Lanarkshire, based around the Sitel call centre.

Since Sunday an intensive contact tracing operation has been underway.

All staff at Sitel have been told to isolate at home for 14 days, and in addition all staff have been asked to come forward for testing.  As of this morning, around 390 test results, out of around 400 tested overall, have been returned.

As of now, 15 positive cases have been identified of people who work at the site, and a further five additional positive cases have been identified through the tracing of family members and close contacts.

Contact tracing has also confirmed that a number of Sitel staff who have tested positive also had links to other locations, prior to becoming aware of the outbreak.

Environmental Health officers have checked on those locations. They are satisfied that precautions such as protective equipment and cleaning were in place, and that the risk of transmission is therefore low.  Close contacts from these locations have also been advised to isolate.

I want to take the opportunity today to thank the five locations – which are Owen’s Bar in Coatbridge; The Railway Tavern and Merlin’s Bar in Motherwell; Costa Coffee in Carfin; and END clothing in Glasgow – for their co-operation.

I would also ask people who might have attended those locations in the last week or so to be extra vigilant, to follow all guidance and to isolate and book a test if you do experience any symptoms. I am saying this not because I think there is a real concern in transmission there but simply as an added precaution

This outbreak should be a very clear reminder to people that Coronavirus has not gone away. It does not take much for very small numbers of cases to become much bigger numbers – and while Test & Protect and our local public health teams are working incredibly hard to contain any outbreaks, it is not just their job. I think that’s an important point for all of us to remember, each and every one of us has a job to do to keep the virus at bay.

The second point I want to cover is to confirm that – in line with the timetable set out in our routemap – more services are reopening today.

From today, universities and colleges can institute a phased return to on-campus learning.

Further personal retail services – such as beauticians and tailors – can re-open, with enhanced hygiene measures in place.

Motorcycle instruction, tractor driving instruction and car theory tests can also resume from today.

And finally drive-in live events – such as comedy and theatre shows, concerts and bingo evenings – can also take place from today

Today’s steps represent a further cautious re-opening of sectors, and cautious resumption of services. As always, there are some risks attached to them, but we believe that with the appropriate mitigations in place, these risks can be managed. 

As many of you will know, the regulations currently require us to review the lockdown restrictions every three weeks. The next review is due next Thursday, a week tomorrow, so I now is the right time to inject a note of caution.

Phase 2 of our emergence from lockdown took exactly three weeks. But as I indicated two weeks ago this current phase, phase 3, is likely to last considerably longer.

The changes we have made over the last two weeks have been really significant, including the opening of our tourism sector and indoor hospitality, so we have to carefully monitor the impact of that and the number of new coronavirus cases we are seeing each day.  

Examples like the outbreak in North Lanarkshire show what can happen when people are mixing indoors and when guidance is perhaps not rigorously followed.

At a time when the virus is picking up again in a number of European countries, we need to be confident that it is safe to change restrictions further.

Our main focus right now, I think it is a priority, is on keeping the virus at a low enough level to enable schools to fully and safely re-open from the 11th of August.

That would be a further significant change. In addition, we have said already that if possible, we would like to remove the requirement for shielding from 31 July. I will say more about changes for shielding people tomorrow.

These two aims – allowing people who have been shielding to live more normally, and enabling children to go back to school full time – are really important priorities. And to be frank they are only achievable, if levels of Covid in the community remain very low.

Now obviously, we will continue to review the data for new cases and hospital admissions, among other things and our final decisions will be made next week.  If there are steps we can take, then we will – we cannot leave restrictions in place for longer than is judged to be necessary.

However I want to flag up now that it is possible that we may not be able to make any changes next week beyond confirming the return of schooling and a pause in shielding.

So for those businesses who are still waiting for a date to restart, I thank you for your ongoing patience. I fully understand how difficult any further delay is for you, but I also hope you will understand why we need to prioritise re-opening schools.

I also want to underline that we are making changes at a pace and at a level that we think is right and safe for our current circumstances here in Scotland.

Announcements made for other parts of the UK do not automatically apply here. 

For example I want to underline that the UK government’s encouragement to those who can work from home in England to nevertheless return to workplaces, does not yet apply in Scotland.

Working from home, where that is feasible, remains the default and preferred position and we expect employers to continue to support people to do that.  We will be publishing new guidance on home working shortly.

The cluster of cases I have just talked about – around a call centre in Lanarkshire – is a salutary reminder that transmission of this virus can occur in workplaces and spread relatively easily.

Our position remains that non-essential offices and call centres should remain closed, until we judge it is safe to make this significant change for Scotland.

These notes of caution link to the point I want to end on.

It continues to be the case that the only way in which we can take further steps out of lockdown safely, is if we continue to suppress the virus. And achieving that – now, more than ever – comes down to the individual decisions that each and every one of us is making.

I know how difficult it is to maintain two metre distancing when you are meeting people you haven’t seen for three or four months – especially with family members and close friends, the human instinct to hug and be physically close is a very strong one.

But staying that bit further apart can make all the difference – it makes you less likely to get the virus, and makes you less likely to transmit the virus.

The choices we all make as individuals – on physical distancing, on wearing face coverings, on washing our hands – these will decide how quickly all of us can make further progress out of lockdown together.

And so I want to close once again by emphasising Facts – the five key things all of us should remember in everything we do.

  • Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
  • Avoid crowded places.
  • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
  • Two metre distancing remains the rule – it is the one measure we all need to remind ourselves to constantly comply with
  • and self-isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms. Go to https://www.nhsinform.scot and book a test immediately

If we all stick to this we have a real chance of getting the virus back under control and accelerating progress back to something much more normal than life has felt in the past few months. My thanks again to everybody who is co-operating and playing their part.

First Minister braced for “biggest step so far”

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Tuesday 14  July):

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I want to start by providing my usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.

An additional three positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,368.  

A total of 616 patients are currently in hospital with the virus – either confirmed or suspected. That is 67 more than yesterday, and it includes a reduction of eight in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 12 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That is six more than yesterday, but the increase is all in suspected cases. As of now, although these things are always subject to change, there are only two patients in ICU in the whole of Scotland with confirmed Covid .

And since 5 March, a total of 4,131 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 have been able to leave hospital.

I am glad to say that during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19.  The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,490.

Today is the sixth day in a row in which zero deaths have been registered. It is also the first Monday when no deaths have been registered since 10 March, which as you know is before lockdown started.

Tomorrow, of course, National Records of Scotland will publish their weekly report on Covid deaths, which uses a broader measurement than our daily figures.

And even as the daily numbers of Covid deaths decline to very low levels, it is still important to remember the overall impact the virus has had. My thoughts, once again, are with everyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

In addition, as I always do, I want to thank our health and care workers. The entire country is grateful to you for everything you do.

That of course, includes the care home staff who do us the honour of coming to Scotland from overseas to work here – including the 6-8% of our care home workers who come from other countries within the EU.

In my view, it is essential that care home workers are included in any scheme for post- Brexit work visas. The Scottish Government will continue to make strong representations on that point to the UK Government. 

I also want to pay tribute today to staff in local authorities across the country. During this pandemic, council workers have continued to deliver essential services in very difficult conditions.

They have also worked closely with Scottish Government on vital issues such as housing homeless people, paying business grants, providing education hubs, and much, much more. In doing so, they have protected vulnerable people, and provided help for those who need it. That effort has been – and continues to be – hugely appreciated.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health will speak in a few minutes about our new “Right Care, Right Place” campaign, which encourages you to get help and treatment from the most suitable source.

That could be from the NHS inform website, your community pharmacy, your GP – or a minor injuries unit or even accident and emergency. Then the CNO will say a few further words about face coverings.

Before then I have two issues I want to update you on. As you know, tomorrow, sees a further reopening or resumption of many important services. In fact tomorrow marks the biggest step so far out of lockdown and I’ll come back to that at the end of my remarks.

From tomorrow the tourism sector can reopen, as can venues such as museums, galleries and cinemas; indoor hospitality can start up again; hairdressing services resume; faith services can restart; and the childcare sector is fully open once again.

The Scottish Government is publishing two new pieces of guidance today – both of which can be found on our website – which are directly linked to those steps.

We have published guidance for places of worship, which provides information on how they can ensure the safe resumption of congregational services. The guidance provides detailed information on issues such as physical distancing, cleaning, and the maximum group size of 50 which we are currently permitting for services.

I know that the resumption of communal prayer and worship is something that has been long awaited by many people of all faiths. Today’s guidance will I hope be useful in enabling such services to take place as safely as possible from tomorrow.

The second piece of guidance – which is relevant to places of worship, as well as many other venues – gives advice to businesses and organisations about the collection and retention of customer, visitor and staff data.

The guidance applies to all sectors where there could well be a high level of interaction between people who do not know each other. That could be through close contact between staff and customers – like at the hairdressers –  or because a relatively large number of people are in a confined space for long periods – such as in restaurants, bars or other settings, including places of worship.

The guidance covers a range of issues – for example it makes clear that employers should save staff rotas, and have up-to-date contact details for employees. They should also ensure that their booking systems and ticketing methods allow contact tracers to locate and notify customers.

It’s maybe worth stressing that data collection is not – and cannot be – a replacement for other safety measures. Other precautions will continue to be vital – such as physical distancing, ensuring a good air flow, and wearing face coverings if physical distancing is more difficult.

But data collection is very important. It means that customers or staff can be notified, if they come into contact with somebody who is subsequently found to have Covid. It is therefore crucial to our Test and Protect System. And it is one of the measures which we hope will build public and staff confidence, as more and more premises reopen.

So I would encourage all businesses to read today’s guidance, and to consider very carefully whether their plans follow its recommendations.

And I would urge all customers to accept, that if you want to go somewhere like a hairdresser, or a place of worship, or a pub, you will be asked to provide contact details.

You should co-operate with anyone who asks you to do that. In fact, if you aren’t prepared to provide contact details, you probably shouldn’t go to these places. You could be putting others at greater risk.

Today’s guidance is in the best interests of businesses and of the public. All of us have a shared interest in making it work.

Because of that, the guidance on data collection is a good example of a wider point I make very regularly.

As we get out and about a bit more, there are some new constraints or responsibilities that we will sometimes have to accept as individuals, which will enable all of us as a society to enjoy a less restricted lifestyle.

Wearing face masks – as shops open up and as public transport services get a bit busier – is one example of that. So is providing contact details as indoor hospitality and other services reopen. Measures such as these will allow us to interact a bit more, while still protecting ourselves and each other.

So please, follow these rules. And remember more generally that sticking to the public health advice is more important now – as we try to open up more services – than it has been at any previous time.

The changes that come into force tomorrow are the highest risk changes so far since we started to come out of lockdown, because many of them involve indoor activity and we know that the risk of the virus spreading indoors in a pub for example is significantly higher than outdoors .

We also see that in some other parts of the world these kinds of places are already being shut down all over again, because transmission has increased. Just last night the state of California shut all its bars, cinemas, restaurants and museums all over again.  

We here are perhaps more cautions in the timing of some of these changes than others. We have waited until infection levels are very low before opening up these kind so of places, but that doesn’t remove the risk. And I want to be clear today what our very immediate risk is so we can all play a part avoiding it.

You might be hearing in the media today warnings about the scale of a second wave of Covid and I can assure you that is a risk we take very seriously and we absolutely must do everything we can to mitigate against it.

But our most immediate risk is not a second wave, it’s the resurgence of the first wave. It has taken four painful months, but it is lockdown that has allowed us to stop the first wave in its tracks. By putting ourselves in lockdown, we put the virus in lockdown.

But I ask you to remember this, as we release ourselves from lockdown we also release the virus from it. So we have to work in other ways to keep it under control.

That is why we keep stressing our public health campaign – the Facts that we are asking everyone to not just remember, but live our lives by. It summarises the five key things all of us should remember in everything we do.

  • Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport. Anywhere that physical distancing is more difficult you should wear a face covering.
  • Avoid crowded places, whether indoors or outdoors.
  • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
  • Two metre distancing remains the general rule.
  • and Self isolate, and book a test if you have symptoms. You can go to the NHS Inform website to book a test. Don’t wait to see if you feel better, book a test immediately and self-isolate.

By remembering those five basic measures, we don’t eradicate the risk completely because with a virus that is not possible, but we will minimise the risk of the virus getting out of control again as we take this next step, so I appeal to you for your continued cooperation in all of that.

My thanks to all of you for your cooperation and to all of you for listening.

Face coverings to be mandatory in England’s shops and supermarkets from 24 July

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has updated Westminster about plans to make face coverings mandatory in English shops and supermarkets from 24 July.

Thank you very much Mr Deputy Speaker, and with permission, I would like to make a statement about coronavirus.

Thanks to one of the greatest national efforts in peace time, this deadly virus continues to diminish.

Yesterday’s figures show 530 new cases, down 90% since the peak.

162 patients are currently in mechanical ventilator beds with coronavirus – down around 95% since the peak.

The latest number of deaths recorded in all settings across the UK is 11 – the lowest figure since 13 March.

And according to today’s ONS data, for the third consecutive week, total deaths are lower than normal for this time of year.

Due to this substantial progress, we have been able to restore freedoms and carefully and methodically restore the fabric of this country.

However, we cannot let our progress today lead to complacency tomorrow and so we must remain vigilant to keep this virus under control.

Our strategy is to protect the NHS, get the virus down, and keep the virus down, while restoring as much of normal life as possible and our tactic is to replace national lockdown with ever more targeted local action as we work hard to defeat this virus once and for all.

Our NHS Test and Trace system gets stronger all the time and since launch 6 weeks ago, 144,000 people have now been asked to self-isolate, who otherwise simply wouldn’t have known that they had to.

Where we find clusters or outbreaks we take local action – tackling over 100 incidents a week. Mostly these are small, in an individual care home, or pub, or factory. But we are also prepared to take action on a wider basis if that’s what it takes, just as we did in Leicester.

Four permanent test sites and 10 Mobile Testing Units have been deployed across the city, meaning that Leicester now has the highest rate of testing in the country.

We have launched one of the biggest communications programmes that Leicester has ever seen – including targeted social media posts, website banners, radio ads, billboards and even bin stickers. And we have been working closely with all parts of the local community, including community leaders, local businesses, and the local football and cricket clubs, to get the message out.

We’ve also established a process for making decisions to lift the lockdown, with the first decision point later this week.

Mr Deputy Speaker, local action is one way in which we control the spread of the virus, while minimising the economic and social costs.

Another is to minimise the risk as we return more to normality. In recent weeks, we have reopened retail and footfall is rising. We want to give people more confidence to shop safely, and enhance protections for those who work in shops.

Both of these can be done by the use of face coverings. Sadly, sales assistants, cashiers and security guards have suffered disproportionately in this crisis.

The death rate of sales and retail assistants is 75% higher among men, and 60% higher among women than in the general population. So as we restore shopping, so we must keep our shopkeepers safe.

There is also evidence that face coverings increase confidence in people to shop.

The British Retail Consortium has said that together with other social distancing measures, face coverings can make shoppers feel even more confident about returning to the high street. And the Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses has said that small firms know that mandatory face coverings have a part to play, and I quote, “in the nation’s recovery both physically and financially”… And that he is “sure this [measure] will be welcomed”.

We have therefore come to the decision that face coverings should be mandatory in shops and supermarkets.

Last month, we made face coverings mandatory on public transport and in NHS settings.

This has been successful in giving people more confidence to go on public transport and to a hospital setting when they need to.

Providing people with additional protection when they are not able to keep 2 metres from others, particularly people they do not normally come into contact with.

Under the new rules, people who do not wear a face covering will face a fine of up to £100, in line with the sanction on public transport and just as with public transport, children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt.

The liability for wearing a face covering lies with the individual.

Should an individual without an exemption refuse to wear a face covering, a shop can refuse them entry and can call the police if people refuse to comply, the police have the formal enforcement powers and can issue a fine.

This is in line with how shops would normally manage their customers and enforcement is of course a last resort, and we fully expect the public to comply with the rules as they have done throughout the pandemic.

I want to give this message to everyone who has been making vital changes to their daily lives, for the greater good.

Wearing a face covering does not mean that we can ignore the other measures that have been so important in slowing the spread of this virus.

Washing your hands. Following the rules on social distancing and just as the British people have acted so selflessly throughout this pandemic, I have no doubt they will rise to this once more.

Mr Deputy Speaker, as a nation, we have made huge strides in getting this virus, which has brought grief to so many, under control.

We are not out of the woods yet.

So let’s all of us do our upmost to keep this virus cornered, and enjoy summer safely.

And I commend this statement to the House.

First Minister: Protect Each Other

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Monday 13th July:

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I want to start by providing my usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.

An additional 6 positive cases were confirmed yesterday which takes the total now in Scotland to 18,365. 

It’s maybe worth noting that on Friday and Sunday we saw higher numbers of new cases than has been the norm in recent weeks. Yesterday, 19 new cases were reported.

On any occasion when there is an increase like that, we look very thoroughly to see if there are any patterns or particular causes for concern.

With respect to the cases reported yesterday, 12 of the 19 cases were in Glasgow, and 7 cases – all of which were asymptomatic – related to one care home. That is being looked at in much more detail, and all necessary follow up tests, checks and precautions are being undertaken.

I can also report that a total of 550 patients are currently in hospital with the virus – either confirmed or suspected. That is 13 fewer than yesterday, but it includes an increase of 6 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 6 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That is the same number as yesterday.

And since 5 March, a total of 4,125 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 have been able to leave hospital.

I am pleased to say that during the last 24 hours, 0 deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19.  The total number of deaths under that measurement therefore remains 2,490.

This is the fifth day in a row on which no deaths have been reported, but it is worth providing just a little bit of context for the last two days.

At the start of the Covid outbreak, registration offices took special steps to allow for 7 day operations. I am very grateful to them and their staff for doing so.

But some offices are now going back to their usual pattern of being open only on weekdays – although for emergency situations, they continue to provide weekend arrangements. 

Yesterday’s figure of 0 deaths is therefore welcome – but it has to be seen in that context.

And of course, regardless of the figures for any specific day, it is still important to remember the enormous impact the virus has had. I want to pass on my condolences once again to everyone who has lost a loved one in this process.

And again, I want to thank our health and care workers for the incredible work that you are doing.  

In a few minutes the Cabinet Secretary for Health will talk about the resumption of breast cancer screening programmes. The National Clinical Director is going to say a little bit about the resumption of outdoor contact sports

I’ve got three issues I want to talk about briefly before then. The first is to tell you briefly about a new contract that NHS Scotland has signed with a Scottish biotechnology firm – E&O Laboratories.

E&O have succeeded in developing a new solution which can be placed within test tubes – the solution helps to make samples of Covid safe, so that each sample can be tested as soon as it arrives at a lab. It therefore improves the efficiency of the testing process.

E&O – who have come up with this product in just a matter of months – are now producing their first batch of the solution for NHS Scotland, and are also looking to supply to other parts of the UK.

Their success has already created 11 jobs, and they are looking to recruit for 10 more. That’s small in the context of the overall impact that Covid is having on employment in Scotland – but it is still welcome, and it is still significant.

This is a good example – and we have seen a lot of them in recent months – of a Scottish company innovating in a way which directly helps our response to Covid, while also supporting jobs.

The second issue I want to highlight is travel. In the coming weeks, we will inevitably start to travel a bit more – as more people return to work, and as some take the opportunity to make shopping trips, to visit friends, or to visit different bits of the country.

That is good news – but please do think about how and when you travel.

First of all – and this perhaps applies especially in relation to leisure travel at the weekend – if you go somewhere and it looks busy, our advice is to go somewhere else.

Yesterday, for example, at least one road had to be closed in the Trossachs, because it was being blocked by parked cars. We have also heard concerns in other areas – for example about large numbers of people wild camping in particular spots.

So we are asking you to, please, use your common sense – if car parks are full, move on, and if places look busy, then also move on.

Camp sites will start to open up from Wednesday onwards, so please if you intend to use them, book ahead of time.

And while public transport services are now returning more to normal, and physical distancing – with safety measures in place – is being relaxed to 1 metre for some services, in spite of all of that we know capacity is still likely to be restricted compared to pre-covid levels.

That is one reason why we are still asking you to work from home if you can. And if you can’t, employers and employees might want to think about other measures – such as staggered or flexible working times – which can help to reduce the pressure on our public transport network.

But I’d also ask people who are in a position to, to think about active travel.

I completely understand why for many journeys, people immediately think about using the car. But if your journey is a local one, think about whether it can be made by walking, cycling or wheeling. That won’t always be possible – but in quite a few cases, it will be a healthy and enjoyable alternative.

So as we all travel a bit more – think about how and why you are travelling.

If you are able to shop locally or work from home, continue do that.

And also, as I said, consider active travel.

And if you’re using public transport, plan ahead. If you’re able to travel at less busy times of day, that will help you and others.  And at all times follow safety guidance – including of course by wearing a face covering.

That brings me on to the final point I want to cover today. Saturday and yesterday was the first full weekend when face coverings were mandatory in shops.

Everything I have seen or heard – through social media, through other reports, and through my own brief visit to a couple of shops yesterday – everything suggests that compliance with the new law has been very high indeed and I want to thank everyone for that.

It is exactly what I would have expected – but it is still very welcome.

Face coverings are mandatory in shops and on public transport – but it’s also worth remembering that they can also be useful in other indoor enclosed spaces. So if you are inside somewhere and it’s not easy to maintain physical distancing, it’s always a good idea to put your face covering on.

Indoor shopping malls open today, and you should wear the face covering not just in the shops, but also inside the shared spaces in the mall.

So my thanks to everyone who is now wearing a face covering. It is an important way in which all of us can help to protect each other.

That basic message – of solidarity, of protecting each other – is the note I want to end on. Today sees some more steps in our emergence from lockdown and later this week we will see some of the most significant steps yet.

As I’ve mentioned, indoor shopping malls open up; organised outdoor sport and play resumes for children; and some routine dental treatment restarts.

As these services reopen – and as we all leave the house a bit more it becomes more and more important for us to ensure that we are not creating possible bridges by which the virus can spread.

So I would ask you to remember the Facts. It summarises the five key things all of us should remember in everything we do.

  • Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
  • Avoid crowded places, whether indoors or outdoors.
  • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
  • Two metres distancing remains the general rule we’re asking you to abide by.
  • and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.

If all of us remember and abide by these 5 steps then as we get out and about a bit more we can still help to keep the virus under control.

My thanks for your co-operation so far and I appeal to you to continue to co-operate with that basic public advice.

Join the national conversation about Fair Work

The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) is calling on residents from Edinburgh to get behind the #GenerationEqual movement and share their views and experiences of gender inequality in the workplace. 

Inequality in the working environment continues to be an issue. Women and girls still experience challenges with gender barriers and discrimination leaving fewer opportunities for career progression, a greater likelihood of them doing lower paid jobs and a gender pay gap. 

Areas the Advisory Council wish to examine include occupational segregation, balancing the inflexibility of work with caring responsibilities, and the undervaluation of women’s work.

The NACWG was established in 2017 to play a leading role in raising the issue of gender inequality on Scotland’s agenda by drawing attention to a wide range of issues faced by women and girls.

Focusing on a new Spotlight every two months, the NACWG aims to bring people together to share ideas and opinions on different gender equality issues. The Advisory Council is putting a Spotlight on fair work until the end of August, to explore the challenges faced by women in the workplace.

Louise Macdonald OBE, Co-Chair of the NACWG, said: “Longstanding gender barriers in the workplace means there remain fewer opportunities for career progression for women and girls and more women are in lower paid roles.

“Others face the “motherhood penalty” or have to take on additional caring responsibilities, and are  forced into part-time work as they struggle to secure a work-life balance without the support from employers.

“It is important for the Advisory Council to hear from a diverse range of people to learn from different lived experiences. We want to hear from people in Edinburgh, whether they themselves or someone they know is affected by these issues. Every opinion we gather contributes to shaping our third report of recommendations to the First Minister.”

To have your say in the national conversation, people are encouraged to form a virtual ‘Wee Circle’ with family, friends or colleagues to discuss the issues surrounding fair work for women and girls (socially distanced, of course! – Ed.)

Feedback from these Wee Circle discussions, as well as individual feedback, can be submitted online at onescotland.org/NACWG and people can share their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #GenerationEqual.

First Minister’s message for school leavers

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.

First Minister: remember the FACTS

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Monday 22 June:

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I want to start by giving the usual update on the COVID-19 statistics.

An additional 14 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,170.

A total of 867 patients are currently in hospital with the virus either confirmed or suspected. That is 66 more than yesterday, but the increase is all in suspected cases. The number of confirmed cases has reduced by 3.

A total of 15 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is 1 fewer than yesterday.

Since 5 March, a total of 3,978 patients who had tested positive and needed hospital treatment have now been discharged.

And in the last 24 hours, I’m pleased to say that no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having COVID-19. That figure is of course extremely welcome, but we must bear in mind that fewer deaths tend to be registered on Sundays.

The total number of deaths in Scotland – under that measurement of people confirmed by a test as having the virus – is therefore still 2,472.

I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone behind these statistics who has lost a loved one as a result of this illness.

I also want to express my thanks once again to our health and care workers, and indeed to all our key workers – the entire country is grateful to you for everything you are doing.

Our progress in suppressing this virus continues to be good as these statistics bear out – though we must not be complacent.

That progress, however, does allow us to consider now whether and to what extent we can give more clarity in terms of indicative dates for the next steps in our routemap out of lockdown – and, as a heads up today, I intend to set out more detail on that later this week.

However, as we do so, we must remember, all of us, that the virus hasn’t gone away. There are already countries – China and Germany for example – that are right now dealing with spikes in cases as a result of significant outbreaks.

And health officials in South Korea have said today that they think the country is now experiencing a second wave.

So I know that when numbers of cases and deaths here are continuing to fall, it’s very tempting for all of us to think it’s all over and we should just now quickly get back to normal.

We are trying to get back to normal and we want to do that as quickly as possible, but let me reiterate my strong view that acting recklessly now would be a serious mistake – we must continue to be cautious and all of us must continue to adhere strictly to the public health advice.

That will help us continue progress and avoid a resurgence of the virus now – and it will also hopefully put us in a stronger position ahead of the winter months to come.

So please stick to the rules – and when you are out and about, as all of us are able to be more now, remember FACTS:

  • Face coverings in enclosed spaces – these are mandatory from today on public transport
  • Avoid crowded places, even outdoors
  • Clean your hands regularly, as well as surfaces
  • Maintain two metres distance from people in other households
  • Self-isolate and book a test immediately if you have COVID symptoms

Today’s news conference is  following a slightly different format from usual. I’ve got one significant item that I want to update you on today and it relates to the economy.

Once I have finished my remarks, I’m going to hand over to Benny Higgins, who joins me today. Benny is the chair of our Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.

The Scottish Government appointed the advisory group back in April, to provide recommendations on how best to restore the economy to sustainable and inclusive growth as we bring the Covid pandemic under greater control.

We did so because we knew then, that the pandemic and what we had to do to tackle it would cause significant economic harm. Our initial focus has had to be on protecting people’s lives, and on providing immediate lifeline support to keep businesses afloat and people employed.

But as the pandemic does comes under more control, our efforts must increasingly focus on how our economy recovers and renews itself for the long term.

I am very grateful to Benny and the advisory group members for their efforts. I’m also grateful to all of the businesses, business organisations and others who engaged so fully in the group’s work – and to Lord Robert Smith who facilitated much of that business engagement.

The advisory group’s report, which I have received today, includes 25 substantial recommendations. These are wide-ranging in scope – alongside areas such as investment, employment and skills, they cover areas such as the relationship between government and business, the future of the care sector, the importance of culture,  and the role of the third sector.

The Scottish Government will produce a detailed response to the report before the end of July, so I will not comment in detail today on all 25 of the report’s recommendations – although Benny will expand on some of its key points.

What I do want to do this morning, however, is be very clear that the Scottish Government sees the report as a serious and substantive piece of work – and that we agree with its basic principles.

Many of its themes – for example the importance of education, employment and tackling inequalities – are clearly going to be critical to our economic recovery. The report is also very strong in highlighting the regional dimension to growth.

And its specific recommendations are significant and constructive. For example the importance of digital infrastructure investment has been emphasised once again by this crisis, and is rightly a major issue in the report.

In addition, the Scottish Government agrees with the advisory group about the importance of working with the UK Government, so that our fiscal framework has enough flexibility to enable us to support investment for recovery.

We also support the advisory group’s prioritisation of a green recovery, and its recognition of the vital importance of the new Scottish National Investment Bank.

And the report’s recommendations for youth employment and a Jobs Guarantee – including the essential contribution that business can make- are potentially very significant, as we seek to ensure that young people get the opportunities they deserve in the wake of this pandemic.

Finally, the report highlights the fact that Scotland’s economic recovery must be a collaborative partnership.

The recommendations in this report are not just for the Scottish Government, though many of them of course are.  They are for the business sector, the third sector, our higher and further education sector and the UK government as well.

The Scottish Government already works well with these organisations in many areas – but the Covid crisis has reinforced the crucial importance of those relationships, and of ensuring that recovery is a true partnership effort.

Above all else, the report is clear-sighted about the scale – the vast scale – of the challenge that our economy faces as we come out of this crisis.

However it sets out practical measures, founded on values, which can help us to address that challenge.

It provides recommendations which can help us to help businesses and individuals get back on their feet.

And in doing so, I think it potentially lays the foundations for a much more resilient, more sustainable and fairer economy in the years to come. I therefore warmly welcome it, and once again want to thank everyone who has contributed to it and particularly Benny for chairing the group.

towards-robust-resilient-wellbeing-economy-scotland

I’m going to hand over to Benny in a moment or two, but I want to end by reiterating our key public health messages. If we want to get into a recovery phase, it is crucial that we continue efforts to suppress this virus.

Since Friday, any household has been able to meet with up to two other households – but let me remind you those meetings right now must be outdoors unless you have formed an extended household group. 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 as I indicated at the outset of my remarks, that when you hear me report relatively low numbers of daily cases, and thankfully reducing numbers of people dying, many might wonder whether these rules still matter.

But it is important to stress that as we start to go out and about more, these rules actually matter more not less. And it is important to remember that COVID-19 has not gone away. It remains highly infectious and highly dangerous.

As I said earlier, we have seen reports in recent days from many other countries of increases in the virus and that should remind us of the risk that it still poses. And it should remind all of us that it doesn’t take much for the virus to take off again. It is only by sticking to the rules that we have made the progress that I report now on a daily basis. By continuing to stick with them, and by suppressing the virus further, we will all be able to move more quickly out of lockdown in the weeks ahead.

That is why the decisions all of us are taking now as individuals more than ever directly affect the health, the wellbeing and indeed the economic prosperity for all of us.

The public health campaign we launched on Friday – Facts – which I’ve already mentioned today summarises the key points you need to remember and apply. So let me end just by reiterating those 5 crucial, key pieces of advice.

  • 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 and abiding by those 5 basic requirements, all of us can stay safe, protect others and we will all save lives.

So please continue to do the right thing, and to stick with these rules. Thank you once again, to everyone who is doing exactly that.