NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has announced the latest stage in its fight against COVID-19.
The First Minister announced yesterday that Glasgow is to remain in level three lockdown for a further week.
Six months into the vaccination programme, and with nearly one million people having received their first dose, NHSGGC is opening drop-in vaccination centres for people aged 40 years and over.
If you are 40 or over and have not yet had your first dose of vaccine, or have waited more than 10 weeks for your second dose of Astra Zeneca – in other words, if you had your first dose in March – you can come along to one of the centres listed below from today (Saturday 29th May) and get vaccinated.
People will be seen on a first come first served basis, and there will be a set capacity each day. Future dates will be made available if required and we will use our social media channels to keep you regularly updated about potentially busy periods at each of the centres.
Mobile vaccination unit, New Victoria Ambulatory Care Hospital, Minor Injuries Unit car park, 11am-6.30pm
Sunday 30th:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Monday 31st:
Glasgow Club Easterhouse, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Club Donald Dewar, 9am-6pm
Hub Community Centre Clydebank, 9am-3pm
Tuesday 1st June:
Mobile vaccination unit, Govan Housing Association Car Park, 35 McKechnie Street, Govan, Glasgow, G51 3AQ, 11am-6.30pm
Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, 9am-6pm
Wednesday 2nd:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Central Mosque, 9am-6pm
Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, 9am-6pm
Allander Leisure Centre, Bearsden, 9am-6pm
Mobile Vaccination Unit, Shields Health and care Centre Shields Centre, 80 McCulloch Street, Pollockshields, G41 1NX, 11am-6:30pm
Thursday 3rd:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Central Mosque, 9am-6pm
Alexandria Community Centre, 9am-3pm
Barmulloch Community Centre, Glasgow, 9am-6pm
Friday 4th:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Central Mosque, 9am-6pm
Barrhead Foundry, 9am-3pm
Carmichael Hall, Eastwood, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Club Castlemilk, 9am-3pm
Port Glasgow, 9am-3pm
Saturday 5th:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Central Mosque, 9am-6pm
Carmichael Hall, Eastwood, 9am-6pm
Renfrew Leisure Centre, 9am-3pm
Johnstone Town Hall, 9am-3pm
Sunday 6th:
SSE Hydro, 9am-6pm
Glasgow Central Mosque, 9am-6pm
Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre, 9am-3pm
Greenock Town Hall, 9am-6pm
Concorde Centre, Dumbarton, 9am-3pm
Glasgow will move to Level 2 from next weekend as long as key indicators remain stable or fall, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday.
In line with the recommendation of the National Incident Management Team (NIMT), the First Minister said there are signs that the situation is stabilising in the postcodes at the heart of the initial outbreak and across the city generally, and that, if that trend continues, the city can move to Level 2 from 00:01 on Saturday 5 June.
The First Minister said yesterday: “Case levels in Glasgow are uncomfortably high but there are signs of progress. So the view of the National Incident Management Team is that it would be premature to move Glasgow out of Level 3 this week while the situation remains so fragile. However, if incidence continues to stabilise, and assuming levels of hospitalisation remain reasonably stable, they will support a move to Level 2 from the end of next week.
“Of course, it is necessary that we do see progress continue. We will be watching the critical statistics carefully every day. If the massive public health efforts continue to have an impact; if our collective efforts continue to drive the virus back; then from next Saturday – 5 June – the plan would be for the city to move to Level 2.
“But, I need to be very clear. We need to see the positive signs to continue to make that a reality. To give as much advance notice as possible, I intend to confirm any decision to Parliament no later than Wednesday of next week.
“So, my message to the people of Glasgow is, don’t lose heart. I live in the city, so I know how hard this is. But please, continue to help with all of the public health efforts that are in place. If we continue to do that, we will move out of Level 3 quickly.
“In particular, please come forward for the vaccine – not just the first, but both doses. And that applies to young people too. This virus can and does make people ill – being young is not a cast iron protection against it. Far from it – a high proportion of the, albeit relatively low, number of hospital cases now are amongst younger age groups.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, on Wednesday 4th November:
Thanks for joining us today again. Let me give you the daily updates on the COVID statistics.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1433.
That represents 7.9% of the total number of tests, and the total number of confirmed cases is therefore now to 68,444.
602 of today’s new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 318 in Lanarkshire, 163 in Lothian and 88 in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining 262 cases were spread across 8 other health board areas.
I can also confirm that 1257 people are currently in hospital – that is an increase of 3 from yesterday. And 94 people are in intensive care, which is 2 more than yesterday.
And finally, I deeply regret to say that 50 deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.
That means that the total number of deaths, under our daily measurement, is now 2,927.
National Records of Scotland has also just published its weekly update, that of course includes cases where COVID is a suspected or contributory cause of death.
Today’s update shows that by Sunday just past, the total number of registered deaths linked to COVID, either confirmed or presumed was 4,649.
167 of those deaths were registered last week, which is 61 more than in the week previous.
Of last week’s deaths 127 occurred in hospital, 31 were in care homes, and 9 were at home or in another non-institutional setting.
Now I report all of that as statistics but particularly when we have numbers such as those that I reported today, it’s always really important to remind ourselves that these deaths are not, and should never simply be, seen as statistics.
Every single one of them represents an individual who was cherished and loved and whose loss has been mourned by family and friends across the country.
So again, I want to send my deepest condolences to all those who have been bereaved as a result of this virus.
I am joined today by Jason Leitch, the National Clinical Director. I am also joined by Martin Blunden, Scotland’s Chief Fire Officer, who will say a few words about fire safety – as we look ahead to what of course will be a very different 5th of November from the ones we have been used to.
The Scottish Parliament yesterday discussed longer term measures to prevent the misuse of fireworks. But there is also an immediate need to ensure that this year’s bonfire night passes safely, and the Chief Fire Officer will talk more about that shortly.
Before then, I want to cover two points and I will do so reasonably briefly.
Firstly, a quick return to the situation in relation to furlough payments. As you know, the Scottish Government welcomes the fact that the current furlough scheme has been extended until the 2nd December.
That will help employees and businesses across Scotland and the UK who need to use it over that period.
However we continue to make the case – as do our counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland – that the same level of furlough support must also be available after November. The same level of help for the self-employed should also be made available.
We cannot have a situation where businesses are fully supported, rightly fully supported, when England enters a lockdown, but comparable support isn’t made available, if all or part of Scotland, or Wales or Northern Ireland face similar restrictions.
So I very much welcome the apparent commitment of the Prime Minister to equal treatment, that he gave in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.
As a result of that commitment, we hope and expect that the furlough scheme will be available at its current levels, those levels that will apply through November if we need to impose stronger restrictions in any part of the country in the future.
But we still have not seen any detailed written commitments on this from the Treasury. And we need to do that, as a matter of urgency. The current confusion and lack of clarity is, and I think this is an obvious point, is not helpful for our decision-making, but it is not helpful for businesses and employees who of course are anxious about jobs and wages at this time.
So I hope, although I’m mindful that I said the same thing at this point yesterday, that we will get that clarity over the course of today. (NOTE: UK Chancellor is finally expected to confirm this in a statement today – Ed.)
The second point I want to highlight also relates to support for businesses.
Back in July, we announced a £38 million package of support for new companies, in emerging sectors of the economy as well as supporting existing businesses through this crisis, we want to support the sustainable recovery of the economy in ways that help us meet our challenges of the future, not least climate change.
That support included a £25 million fund for recent start-ups, that’s being shared today between 90 businesses. They will receive a combination of grant and investment funding worth up to £300k.
These companies operate are operating in areas which are likely to grow in importance in the years to come – such as software development, space engineering and sustainable packaging.
And so we hope that this support will help them to innovate and grow, despite the crisis currently being caused by COVID.
Today’s funding also shows the mix of measures we are looking at as we try to support economic growth, both throughout and in the future, as we emerge from this crisis.
It is vital for businesses across the country that we work with the UK Government, and agree the details of furlough support.
The Scottish Government is also responsible for deciding funding for some major economic interventions – whether that is business rates relief, and the support grants available for companies which are hit by COVID restrictions.
But alongside that help, we are also responsible for more targeted measures. So today’s support is an example of that and we hope it will help a relatively small number of companies, but companies that have significance for the future, innovate, build and grow.
These are the two main points I wanted to cover today. However before I hand over to the Chief Fire Officer, I just want to emphasise again the current rules and guidance.
If we all put our own twist on the rules they won’t work. Stopping the spread starts with all of us.
And I want to repeat that although we continue to see some positive signs in our data just now, and that’s all down to the sacrifices that people across the country are making. We are still dealing with a very fragile and volatile situation and therefore it is the case that we have a lot of work to do.
As I set out yesterday, given the nature of what we are dealing with right now, it’s not enough and we cannot take sufficient comfort from a situation where we stop the spread of the virus deteriorating. We also need to be seeing a significant and sustained improvement.
Otherwise the risk we would bear is going deeper into winter with a high baseline of infection – that would mean any increase in the R number could quickly see the virus overwhelm us and overwhelm our hospitals.
So we will be monitoring the situation closely ahead of the first review of our new levels system next Tuesday.
In the meantime though, I ask everyone to remember that we all have a part to play in this. The more all of us abide by the rules, the more chance we have of making the progress we need to see.
And it’s another opportunity to remind everybody that though this virus makes us all feel a little bit powerless and at times bewildered, no of us are powerless in the face of this if we all stick to the rules, we make an individual and a collective impact on the spread of it.
So let me just briefly in conclusion remind you of what these rules are.
If you are living in one of the areas categorised as level three at the moment – most parts of the central belt, and now also Dundee – do not travel outside your own local authority area unless it is essential. You can find more detail of what we mean by ‘essential’ on the Scottish Government website. But it includes, for example, work that you cannot do at home, or caring responsibilities.
And people in other parts of Scotland should not travel into level three areas except for the same essential purposes.
We are also asking you now not to travel outside of Scotland – to other parts of the UK, or overseas – again unless there is an essential reason for you to do so.
This is, I know, very restrictive but it is essential to avoid us taking the virus from areas of high prevalence to areas of low prevalence and that point is important to stress.
In addition to the travel restrictions across the country right now, none of us should be visiting each other’s homes – again except for specific purposes, such as childcare, or looking after a frail or vulnerable person.
When we do meet people from other households, outdoors or indoor public places, please stick to the limits. No more than six people from no more than two households.
Avoid car-sharing if you can.
Work from home if you can.
Download the Protect Scotland app.
And remember the five rules that everybody needs to abide by to minimise the risk of transmission:
· wear face coverings when you’re out and about · avoid places with crowds of people · clean your hands regularly and clean surfaces regularly · keep two metres distance from people from other households · and self-isolate, and get tested, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID.
I set this out in some detail yesterday, and you hear me say in regularly over the course of the days to come, we have taken early action in Scotland.
Your sacrifices are adding to that, to put us in, not a strong position because no country in the face of a global pandemic can claim its position is strong, but put us in a position that is less severe than many other countries across the world.
But it is a fragile position and we must continue to see progress, that obviously will guide decisions government takes but right now, that need to continue to suppress the virus if we are to avoid tougher restrictions that last for longer, is something all of us need to remember in complying with all of this advice and with all of the rules.
So my thanks again to everybody for joining us today and for all the sacrifices that you continue to make.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Friday 2 October):
Good afternoon everybody, thanks for joining us. As usual I will give a report of the COVID-19 statistics for today.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 775. That’s 12.6% of people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases now to 30,687.
324 of the cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 164 in Lothian, and 102 in Lanarkshire. There will be a meeting today of the National Incident Management Team and they will be taking a look obviously at a range of issues but in particular at the current situation in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
The remaining 185 cases were spread across 9 other health board areas.
I can also report that 175 people are in hospital – which is an increase of 21 from yesterday and 19 people are in intensive care, that’s 2 more than yesterday.
I also regret to report that 4 deaths have been registered of people who had first tested positive for Covid during the previous 28 days. The total number of deaths under that daily measurement is now 2,526.
And again, I want to send my sincere condolences to everybody who has lost a loved one and of course that particularly includes those who have lost a loved one in the last few days.
Obviously these numbers today, not just of cases, but perhaps more particularly hospital admissions, numbers in intensive care and the numbers of people dying, really should remind us that this resurgence of Covid is something we have to take very seriously.
Now, I’ve got several issues I want to briefly update on today.
Firstly, as I often do on a Friday, I want to draw your attention to an announcement made last night.
The Scottish Government has now added Poland and Turkey to the list of those countries subject to quarantine restrictions.
We have also added the three islands of the Caribbean Netherlands – Bonaire, Saba and Staysha.
That means from 4am tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from these places must self-isolate for 14 days, upon their return.
Madeira and the Azores will be removed from the list of places which are subject to quarantine restrictions. However, if you have arrived from those places in the past two weeks – or if you arrive later today or tonight – you will still have to self-isolate for 14 days.
These changes are yet another reminder that levels of the virus – in any country or any area – can change quite rapidly. And when they change, our quarantine rules often change as well.
So please – and this is especially important as we approach the October holidays – think carefully right now about any unnecessary travel.
In fact, if possible, avoid unnecessary overseas travel. And remember that the fact that a country is exempt from quarantine requirements when you go there, does not necessarily mean that it will still be exempt when you come back.
The second update relates to the Protect Scotland app.
I’ve said before that the app is not a magic solution – it doesn’t replace the need for the hard work being done by our test and protect teams.
But it is a really important additional tool in tackling Covid, and it is already proving its worth.
More than 1.3 million people have downloaded the app. In the past three weeks, more than a third of the people who have tested positive have been app users. And during that time, more than 2,000 contacts have been advised to self-isolate through the app. And these are people who might not otherwise have been identified.
However there are three points that I want to stress which might make the app more useful.
The first applies to everybody who currently has it.
If you test positive for Covid, you will receive a code which you are then meant to enter into the app. Please make sure that you do that, because it is necessary for you to do that for the app then to automatically notify people you have been in close contact with.
Now that might sound very basic and obvious, but we know that at the moment not everyone who has the app, and who receives a positive test result, is actually doing that.
Now, enough people are doing it for the app to be making a difference – but it would obviously be better if everyone entered the code when they test positive. So please remember to do that.
The second point is that we issued an update to the app this week which some people may wish to take advantage of. It allows the app to be paused, without Bluetooth being disabled in your phone.
Now, let me stress first of all, that I don’t want people to pause the app when you are going about your day to day activities – because that would remove the point of having it.
But this is a feature that is especially useful for some groups of people, in particular perhaps, clinical staff in jobs that often involve being within 2 metres of other people, but where significant measures are in place to reduce the risk of infection – for example wearing medical grade protective equipment.
We are also looking at other improvements that can be made to the app. For example we are working really hard just now with NHS England and the NHS in Northern Ireland on linking up Protect Scotland with the apps in those countries, to support people who travel, to make these different apps interoperable.
We are also looking at whether the age limit for use of the app can change – right now you have to be over 16 and we’re looking to see whether it will be possible to reduce that in the future.
The final point I want to stress is that if you haven’t downloaded the app yet, and you are able to do so, please do it.
It takes less than 2 minutes. Your data is kept entirely secure and anonymous. And it is a simple but it is a really powerful and important way in which we can all play our part in the struggle against Covid.
Lastly, today, I want to stress again how important it is that all of us self-isolate when we are asked to do so.
Obviously I can’t do that today without first addressing the issue of Margaret Ferrier (above) – the SNP MP who travelled by train to London and attended the House of Commons after taking a test when she should have been self-isolating – and who then travelled back to Scotland by train after being told that her test was positive.
Margaret is a friend of mind, so everything I am about to say is obviously with the heaviest of hearts. And of course, I wish her a speedy recovery from Covid.
But none of that changes the fact that her actions were reckless, dangerous and completely indefensible, and I feel very angry on behalf of all you.
Every single day I stand here and I ask you to make horrendous sacrifices as part of our collective efforts against Covid.
It’s really important, whether you agree with me or not, whether you love me or loathe me, that you can have confidence in the advice that I give you.
That means me being clear that the rules apply to everyone – regardless of who you are and regardless of what your political allegiance is.
Trust me, it’s one of the easiest things in the world in politics to call for tough consequences when one of your opponents breaks the rules. That’s not hard for any of us.
The litmus test though is whether you’re prepared to do the same when it’s one of your own breaking the rules. And in these abnormal times, when everybody has been asked to difficult things, I think that is more important than ever.
That’s why the SNP whip has been withdrawn from Margaret – and that is the most serious sanction a party can impose on an elected representative. I have also spoken to her directly and made crystal clear to her that I think she should now resign as an MP.
Now, people contact me and say, why don’t you just sack her? This is a point I have to make clear – I don’t have the power to force an MP to step down – no party leader has that power.
But I can make my views known, difficult though it is and I have done so and I hope she will come to the right decision, in the interests of the overall integrity of these vital public health messages.
And I want to emphasise again why it is so important to self-isolate.
We are launching a media campaign actually this evening – which has been planned for several days – to stress the importance of self-isolation.
Essentially, if you have any one of the symptoms of Covid, you should start to self-isolate immediately, and you should book a test. You can do that through the NHS Inform website.
The symptoms, as a reminder, are a new continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of – or change in – your sense of taste or smell.
When you get your test result, if you test negative, and don’t have Covid, you can stop self-isolating at that point.
However if you have Covid, you need to self-isolate for a further 10 days, starting from the day on which you took your test.
If you are identified as a contact of someone with Covid – either by a test and protect team, or by the app – then you must self-isolate for 14 days.
You need to self-isolate for longer than someone who has tested positive. That’s because if you get Covid, your infectious period will start a few days after the infectious period of the person you got it from.
And the key point I want to stress today – for obvious reasons – is that self-isolation is not something anybody can or should see as an option, as something that is voluntary.
If you develop symptoms, or if you are identified as a contact, you must self-isolate immediately. Don’t think you can go to the shops one last time – let alone travelling any longer distances.
And you must self-isolate completely – that means staying at home, and not going anywhere else.
The reason is simple. If you have been in touch with someone who has Covid during their infectious period, there is a chance that you will also have Covid, even if you don’t yet have symptoms. And self-isolation is one of the most important things we can all do to ensure that we are not, unwittingly sometimes, transmitting the virus to anyone else.
So this is essential. It is a tough thing for any of us to be asked to do but it is an essential thing that all of us must abide by.
And if we are asked to do it – no matter who we are, and no matter what our circumstances are – we should all do it.
It is inconvenient, it is tough particularly for those on low incomes who might lose money when asked to self-isolate, that is why we are introducing the £500 support payment.
And it is why we are working with local authorities to ensure there is practical help available to people for things like food deliveries, and details of all of that are available also on the NHS Inform website.
But the reason we provide help for people to do the right thing, is because right now doing the right thing for all of us is so important.
So please, please – self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms of Covid. And self-isolate for 14 days if you are identified as a contact. It is vital to our collective efforts against the virus.
Now, I have stressed that particular point today, I was always going to be stressing that point today but it has particular added resonance given the circumstances I have already alluded to. But before I finish, and hand over to Jason I also want to provide the usual reminder of the other key public health guidance that we are asking everybody to follow.
None of us should be visiting each other’s homes right now – except for very specific purposes such as childcare or caring for a vulnerable adult.
When we do meet with others – outdoors, or in indoor public places – the maximum group size allowed is 6, and those 6 people should not come from any more than two households.
We should avoid car-sharing if it is possible.
Work from home if we can.
Download the Protect Scotland app, as I’ve already talked about.
And finally, all of us should remember FACTS –
Face coverings
Avoid crowded places.
Clean hands and hard surfaces
keep a Two metres distance from other households.
and of course Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
I know I say this every day but I feel a particular responsibility to say it today. I know how hard it for everybody to follow these rules right now, and I know how angry people feel when they see others not following these rules, but we have been asked to stick with all of these rules for the collective wellbeing of the country and for each and every one of us – so please do that.
Do that for yourselves, your families, your loved ones and for your community as a whole.And my thanks, my deep and sincere thanks, to everybody who is making really tough sacrifices right now in the interests of that collective effort.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday – Tuesday 29 September: the day coronavirus deaths topped one million worldwide.
Hello, and thanks for joining us. I will start with the daily update of COVID statistics. The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 806. I’m going to make some important contextual points on today’s figure shortly but I will report the rest of the statistics first.
That 806 represents 11.5% of people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 28,604.
I can confirm that 302 of today’s reported cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 180 in Lothian, 91 in Lanarkshire and 54 in Grampian. The remaining 179 cases are spread across 9 other health board areas.
I can also confirm that 123 people are in hospital – that is an increase of 1 from yesterday. 14 people are in intensive care, which is 2 fewer than yesterday.
No additional deaths have been confirmed of patients who had tested positive within the preceding 28 days.
That means that the total number of deaths, under the daily measurement, remains at 2,512.
That total of course reminds us of the impact this virus has had, and continues to have. I want once again to pass on my condolences to everybody who is grieving a loved one.
Let me now turn to some points of context about today’s figures.
First, as I have explained before our daily case numbers reflects test results reported in previous 24 hours. Each day’s figure therefore reflects test samples actually carried out over the previous couple of days.
You will recall me saying that yesterday’s figure of reported cases seemed lower than expected. So today’s total of 806 includes a high number of results from samples actually taken on Friday and Saturday that we would have expected to see reported yesterday.
So that perhaps partly explains the particularly high number of cases we’re seeing today. We continue to work with the UK government to ensure that turnaround times for test results, which after a bit of a problem a couple of weeks ago have improved, continue to be as speedy as they need to be.
The second point is that, while we are certainly seeing rising transmission – and I am not underplaying that – we are doing much more testing now than in the spring, so comparisons of daily case numbers now versus then are not really particularly valid.
And of course Test and Protect is able to follow up every person who tests positive to ensure their contacts are traced and told to self-isolate.
So when we know transmission is rising as it is right now, it is actually important to know that significant numbers are being reported every day – that means we know about these positive cases and their contacts are being traced by Test and Protect and all of the work that Test and Protect has to do to break chains of transmission is being done.
The final point to draw attention to about today’s numbers is the age range of the cases. The majority are in the under 40 age groups – with the bulk of those in the under 25 age group – and that is of course affected by university clusters we’ve been seeing in recent days.
But the point I want to make today which is one you’ve heard me make before is that the fact that many cases are now in the younger age groups and we know that younger people are less likely to die from COVID than older, more vulnerable people, that mustn’t give rise to complacency.
Firstly, because young people can become very unwell from this virus and, while their risk of dying is lower, they’re not non-existent and we hear almost every day of what is described as ‘long COVID’ – of younger otherwise healthy people having quite long lasting health impacts from having had the virus.
But the other point about this is that, while we’re seeing a significant number of cases in the younger age group which is a phenomenon we’ve seen across Europe in the latest surge of COVID, it is the case that transmission amongst older age groups is also rising.
Around a third of today’s cases are actually in the over 40 age group and there are a number in the over 60 age group so transmission is rising across the spectrum of age ranges and I’ll say more shortly therefore about what we must all do to guard against transmission.
However, I will briefly address a couple of other issues first.
The Scottish Government Chief Economist has published his regular State of the Economy report today.
The report highlights that – year on year – economic output is likely to decline by 10% over the course of 2020. In many ways that is unsurprising, given the disruption caused to so many businesses. Nevertheless, that would still be the biggest reduction in output in modern times.
That is why the Scottish Government welcomed some parts of the UK Government’s announcement last week about continued support for employment and businesses. It is vital that some support for employers continues, after the furlough scheme ends at the end of October.
But we believe much more is still required and we want to work with the UK government constructively to that end. We can’t get away from the fact that the pandemic will continue to have a significant and, to a large extent, an unavoidable impact on our economy and support provided must reflect that.
The second issue I want to cover relates to funding for health boards and our health and social care integration authorities.
The Health Secretary confirmed earlier today that we are making an additional £1.1 billion available for these bodies.
This will help them to meet additional costs associated with COVID – such as buying personal protective equipment (PPE), safeguarding against infection; and paying for additional staff, and providing cover for staff who are unwell or self-isolating.
The funding will play an important part in ensuring that our health and care services can continue to operate well in the weeks and months to come.
It should help them to prepare for the pressures of the winter, to care safely for patients who have COVID, as well as resume services that were paused during the early months of the pandemic for non-COVID treatments and procedures.
Now let me return to the central issue of the day, which is the current COVID position. As is said earlier, COVID is on the rise again across our population and across Scotland – just as it is across the UK, Europe and the world.
I want to return today to the key actions that we should all take to try and reduce transmission and in particular, the actions we all need to take if we get a positive test result.
This is absolutely vital in helping control the spread of the virus. And it is crucial for all of us, wherever we live – there has been lots of focus on students in halls of residence recently – but self-isolation is essential for all of us if we test positive no matter where we live.
Essentially, if you have any one of the three recognised symptoms of COVID, you should start to self-isolate immediately, and book a test.
You can do that through the NHS Inform website. And I want to be very clear, while we’re not complacent and monitor this carefully, there is good availability of and access to testing across Scotland so make sure you don’t delay booking a test if you have symptoms.
The symptoms are a new cough, a high temperature, or a loss of – or change in – your sense of taste or smell.
From the time you realise you have one of these symptoms, you should not leave your house, except if you need to do that to get tested. You should not use public transport to go to a testing centre – if you can avoid that, you should instead drive or get someone to drive you, request a home test, or use a walk-in centre if there is one nearby or a mobile testing unit.
When you get your test result, if you test negative, and don’t have COVID, you can stop self-isolating at that point.
However if you have COVID, you need to self-isolate for a further 10 days, starting from the day on which you took the test.
Other people in your household should self-isolate for 14 days. They need to self-isolate for longer because if they get COVID from you, their infectious period will probably start a few days after yours did.
In addition, if you test positive someone from Test and Protect will speak to you to identify other possible contacts of yours.
And of course if you have downloaded the Protect Scotland app, you should also enter the code you have been given with your test result.
Once that code is entered onto the app, contacts identified by the app will automatically be notified. This is really important. Since we launched the app a couple of weeks ago, hundreds of people – who might not otherwise have been identified – have received notifications in this way and been given advice to self-isolate.
If you find out that you are a contact of someone with COVID – either through a Test and Protect team, or from the app – you need to self-isolate for 14 days. You will be told when that 14 day period starts from.
And the key thing to stress here is that self-isolation really does mean self-isolation. It means not leaving your house at all.
Because we know that’s really tough, we are working to put as much support in place as possible. For example, we are working with local authorities to ensure that when someone is asked by Test and Protect to self-isolate, they are contacted and offered essential practical support – for example help with delivery of food and other essentials. You can also dial the national assistance hotline if you need to self-isolate and need some help on 0800 111 4000. That’s 0800 111 4000.
As I said last week, we are also introducing financial support of £500 for those on low incomes as a way of supporting people to do the right thing. More details of that will be available later this week.
But although self-isolation is tough, it is also essential.
So please do self-isolate when you need to. It is one of the key ways in which we can help ensure that the virus does not spread to new households. And it is one of the ways in which all of us, at various times, may well be required to play our part in tackling the spread of the virus.
Now I’ve spent some time on self-isolation because it is so important and we want to make sure people understand why it’s so important and also what needs to be done when you’re asked to self-isolate and the support that is available. But there are of course other steps we must all take to try to reduce transmission.
So let me end with a quick recap of what those other steps are:
With some limited exceptions, none of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment.
When we do meet other households – outdoors, or in indoor public places – we must not meet in groups of more than six people from a maximum of two households.
We should all try to limit our visits to, and social interactions in, places like pubs and restaurants.
We should work from home if we can.
We should all download the Protect Scotland app, if we can.
And finally, all of us in all our interactions, should remember FACTS:
face coverings
avoid crowded places
clean hands and hard surfaces
maintain a two metre distance from people from other households
and – as I have already talked about today – immediately self-isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the recognised symptoms
These rules are not easy to comply with and they are a huge inconvenience to all of us in our daily lives. But they are essential right now to ensure that all of us are playing our part in trying to stem the increase in COVID and bring the virus back under control.
So again, my thanks to everybody for all of the many sacrifices that I know are being made the length and breadth of the country.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing at St Andrew’s House yesterday (Friday 11 September):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I am joined here today by the deputy chief medical officer Dr Nicola Steedman who will say a few words shortly.
I will start though with the usual run through of the daily statistics.
An additional 175 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
That represents 2.7% of the people who were newly tested yesterday and the total number of cases is now 22,214.
80 of today’s cases are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 39 in Lanarkshire, 24 in Lothian and 12 in Ayrshire & Arran. The remaining 20 are spread across another 6 health boards.
I should flag up that the situation in Lanarkshire is causing some particular concern today. There will be expert public health discussions over the course of today and, depending on the judgments and conclusions they arrive at, it may be that some additional restrictions will have to be applied there. We will keep people updated.
I can also confirm that 269 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID, which is three more than yesterday.
Eight people are in intensive care, which is one more than yesterday.
But I am pleased to say that in the last 24 hours, no deaths have been registered of patients who first tested positive.
The total number of deaths, under this measurement, therefore remains at 2,499.
Of course, that total, always reminds us that this virus has had a terrible impact and I want again to convey my condolences to everybody who has lost someone.
Today I want to focus on two key announcements that we made yesterday just to underline their importance of both.
Firstly, the Protect Scotland app, which you’ve probably heard, was launched yesterday. It is now available for download.
More than 600,000 people have already downloaded the app – so if you were one of those, thank you for doing so.
But for the app to be as effective as possible, to help us in the fight against COVID and to help us live a bit more normally, then we need as many people as possible across Scotland to download it and use it.
So if you haven’t yet done so, you can download it via the Protect.Scot website, you’ll see that on the front of the podium or you can go to the Apple or Google play app stores and search Protect Scotland and you’ll find the app there.
The process for downloading it is very quick and simple. You don’t need to provide any personal information.
The way in which the app works is also really simple.
If you test positive for COVID, you will be given a code by Test & Protect to enter into the app.
Once you do that, the app will automatically identifies any other app users you have been in close proximity with – that means anyone you have been within two metres of, for more than 15 minutes, within a particular time scale.
The app will then immediately alert those people that a contact of theirs has tested positive – though they won’t know who that is – and it will provide them with information and links to advice on self-isolating.
Similarly, you will receive an alert if a contact of yours has tested positive – but again you won’t know who they are. Everything about the app is anonymous and confidential.
It doesn’t replace the current Test & Protect system, but instead it’s an enhancement of that.
It will be particularly useful for settings – such as public transport – where we tend to spend time in close proximity to people we don’t know so we wouldn’t be able to give the details of these people to a contact tracer who telephones us.
We also think it will be very valuable as students start to arrive back at university or college. So if you’re a student about to go to college or Uni make sure you download the app because it will help with you having a bit of normality about how you go about your daily lives and if you have relatives that are about to start college or Uni, make sure you remind them to go on and download it.
Also, one of the crucially things about it is helps reduce the time it takes to notify contacts. If you think about it, a manual contact tracing system is excellent and it’s doing a great job but by definition the time taken to phone someone, taking the details from them and then contact those people, takes a bit of time.
By contrast, the app provides contacts with almost immediate notification which will then be supplemented by advice as necessary from the Test and Protect team.
So for all of these reasons that I really want to stress, this app is a really important way in which all of us can support Test and Protect in the efforts that they are making but also a really important way for all of us to keep our communities safe and I know Nicola will talk more about this shortly. But in the face of COVID, we can all feel a bit, you know, powerless right now but this is a way of us doing something positive that helps in that collective effort.
Let me just stress again, because I know there are some people that understandably have concerns about any technology. This app has been designed with privacy absolutely in mind. It is anonymous and confidential, as I said a moment ago, it does not track your movements, it doesn’t know where you are or track your location, apart from the most minimal of data it needs to work. It doesn’t collect or pass on data.
Your data won’t be past to the DWP or HMRC or anybody else and someone like me can’t go and look anything about you because it doesn’t identify you personally at all.
So it’s a really good innovation and a good enhancement of this vital Test and Protect system that as we go into winter becomes ever more important. And I’ll come back to the simple facts I started with.
The sign up rate we saw yesterday and overnight and into today is excellent, probably beyond our initial expectations but we’ve got to keep that going, we’ve got to keep the numbers growing because the more of us who download and use it, the more effective this app will be and a more effective Test & Protect will be overall in helping us to tackle COVID.
So I would encourage you to visit protect.scot and download the app today – and spread the word to all your friends and family as well.
It is a simple thing we can do but it’s a really important thing all of us can do as individual citizens to help protect Scotland as a whole.
The second issue I want to highlight are the new rules and guidelines that we announced yesterday. In particular, I want to emphasise the new rules on social gatherings.
You know since July, up to eight people from three households have been able to meet indoors. The limits are a bit higher for larger for outdoor gatherings.
These limits no longer apply. A maximum now of six people, from a maximum of two households, will be able to meet together.
Now, I know that that is a really tough restriction. That’s why I want to assure you that the decision we made on this wasn’t taken lightly. At the moment we believe this is necessary to try to limit and restrict as much as we can the transmission of the virus between different households.
To put it bluntly, this virus wants to find new households to infect – that’s pretty much all it cares about – and to survive it has to transmit from person to person and household to household. So in order to push it into retreat as we did over the summer, we have to limit the opportunities for it to spread between households.
Whether this virus thrives or dies, is down to the opportunities we give it or deny it.
So to reduce transmission, and also to simplify the rules, this new limit will apply indoors – in houses, in pubs and restaurants – and also outdoors, including in private gardens.
There will be some limited exceptions – for example for organised sports and places of worship.
I also outlined yesterday an exception to allow up to 20 people to attend funeral wakes or wedding and civil partnership receptions.
And any children under 12, who are part of two households meeting up, don’t count towards the limit of six people.
Now, our initial decision for the reasons I’ve talked about, trying to limit that spread between households, is that children under 12 do count towards the household number – so children from several different households can’t gather altogether in your home.
However, I have asked for some additional expert advice to see if in some circumstances we could exempt children from the two households rule as well.
For example, children’s birthday parties could go ahead, even on a limited basis, as long as adults complied with the limit. We will clarify this over the next few days. Hopefully in the early part of next week.
And that indicates that we don’t want these rules to be applied any more severely than they have to be but we have to make sure that they are applied stringently enough in order to have the desired effect. That’s why some decisions are quite difficult and we need to think quite carefully about them.
The basic rule though, to remind people, is that in any setting, indoors or outdoors for now, you should not meet in groups of more than six people from a maximum of two households.
The regulations that will give legal effect to the new measures will come into force on Monday, and more detail will be available on our website.
But I would encourage people to start sticking to them now, rather than waiting for them to take legal effect on Monday.
And of course, for now, for people living in Glasgow, East or West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, the advice is not to visit other people’s households at all.
Now, I know all this can be really hard to understand – as you might have heard me saying at one of the briefings earlier in the week, at the early stage of this pandemic, we were just saying to all of you, just stay at home, that’s quite easy for people to understand, very hard to abide by, but easy to understand. It’s a bit more difficult now and I really get that.
We’re trying to simplify the rules as much as possible – but the point I want to just briefly touch on right now is that the fact that I know sometimes, these rules right now seem to be inconsistent.
One of the young people in my own life messaged me this morning to ask, pretty forcefully, why she can be with her friends at school all day today she can’t be with her friends after school later on.
And to be fair, that’s not an unreasonable question.
The basic answer is this – we are having to restrict interactions in the population generally to try to keep the virus at a low enough level to keep schools open, because we know being at school is so important for young people, educationally and socially.
So what can sometimes appear to be inconsistencies are actually the essential trade-offs that we need to make to avoid going back into lockdown more completely and to avoid, if at all possible, of having to close schools again.
So I know this can be difficult to understand but I would ask you, or seek to give you an assurance, that we do think carefully about all of this and while it can sometimes be difficult to fathom it, there is a rational behind the decisions that we are taking.
Now yesterday of course, we also decided to implement two additional measures to reduce the risk of transmission in the hospitality sector. Again, these will take effect legally from Monday but there’s no reason why people shouldn’t start to abide by these straight away.
Firstly, it will become mandatory for customers in hospitality premises to wear face coverings when they are not eating or drinking – for example when they enter the premises and go to their table, or when they leave the table to go to the bathroom.
And second it is already recommended in guidance that staff working in hospitality premises should wear face coverings. From Monday, that advice – subject to some exemptions, the same exemptions that apply to face coverings elsewhere – will become law.
The hospitality sector has put a lot of effort into making it safe for people to go out and meet up, and I am very grateful to them for that. These additional protections are all about helping to ensure the sector can remain open because that matters for the large numbers of people that of course who work within it as well as the people who enjoy the services that it provides.
The final point I want to make before handing over to Nicola, is that the changes that I announced yesterday I know are really unwelcome.
I did not want to announce them, and I’m sure that none of you wanted to hear them.
But in our judgement, imposing more restrictions now on how people can meet up, is necessary to avoid a stricter lockdown later.
Over the last month and a half, the average number of cases recorded in Scotland each day has been more than trebling every three weeks. That is not sustainable if we are to keep schools and businesses safely open.
So we have to act now in order to try to stem that increase and avoid more restrictive measures becoming necessary later. The other point that I made yesterday I want to stress today. This is all really frustrating and tiresome for everyone.
But on the upside we are in a stronger position now that we were back on March. Cases are not rising as quickly and that is partly because now, we have Test and Protect operating and people are much more used to having to do all the basic things to try to limit the spread of the virus.
So we’re in a stronger position but we must protect the progress we’ve made and try to stop the virus running out of control again particularly because we’ve always known going into winter with colder temperatures and damper conditions are likely to see this virus spread again more quickly so please stick to the new rules – of six people, and two households – and don’t wait until Monday, do that now.
And always remember the other measures that will minimise the risk of you passing the virus on to other people.
The simplest way of trying to remember all of that is FACTS.
These are the rules that all of us if we follow them will help keep transmission as low as possible, so
• Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces • Avoid crowded places. • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly. • keep to Two metre distancing. • and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
I spoke earlier about downloading the Protect Scotland app, as a really simple but powerful thing we can help our communities. It is, and I would encourage you to do that.
But so is sticking to the five rules in FACTS.
The basic point that was true back in March that I think motivated all of us through really dark, difficult times, remains just as true today.
While our experiences are all different, I know that, but fundamentally we’re all in this together.
And fundamentally, it’s only together can we save lives and beat this virus.
So please, continue to play your part by doing all the things we ask.
Download the app and comply with the FACTS guidance.
Thank you to everybody for doing that and please continue to spread the word.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Thursday 18th August:
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us again today. As usual I will start with giving you the national COVID-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 49 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
Which represents 1% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,407.
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but my provisional information I have is that 7 of the 49 new cases are in the Grampian health board area.
Twelve are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, six in Lanarkshire and sixteen in Tayside.
We are dealing with known clusters in each of these health board areas and I’ll come back to those shortly.
I can also confirm that a total of 254 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID. That is six more than yesterday.
And three people are in intensive care, which is the same as yesterday.
I’m also pleased to report that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. The number of deaths under that measurement therefore remains 2,491.
We should remember that the weekly National Records of Scotland figures – which include confirmed and presumed COVID deaths – showed last week that five people had died in the preceding seven days who were presumed to have had COVID or whose test was more than 28 days prior to death occurring.
This week’s more comprehensive figure will be published by NRS tomorrow.
That of course a stark reminder of the impact of this virus, it is still potentially very dangerous and of course my condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
And as always, I want to thank everyone who is working hard still to help our country through this pandemic in whatever capacity you are doing so, you have our appreciation.
Now, I’m hoping that – circumstances permitting – we may shortly move to having these updates slightly less frequently, perhaps three days a week rather than five.
However, I think it is important this week, that I give regular updates on the variety of different clusters and outbreaks that are currently being tackled across the country.
I will start with Aberdeen, and given that and indeed the Grampian area more generally, have been responsible for a very significant proportion of all new cases we have seen in recent weeks.
I mentioned earlier that seven of today’s 49 new cases were in the Grampian area.
And I can report today that according to the latest figures we have a total of 386 cases have been now been identified in Grampian since the 26th of July.
220 of these are associated with the cluster linked to Aberdeen pubs, and 1125 contacts have now been identified from those 220 cases.
I can confirm today that 13 cases which had previously been identified but not allocated to the cluster have now following further investigation been added because they are considered to be associated with that cluster.
Now, the slightly more positive news is that in recent days we have seen a decline in new cases across the Grampian area.
Ten days ago, for example, we reported 39 new cases in one day. Today, we have reported seven.
The seven day average for cases has also fallen.
That suggests that the restrictions we put in place two weeks ago are having an impact – as are the efforts of our health protection teams.
However it is worth highlighting that over the past week new cases in Grampian are still higher than in other parts of the country.
We will have to take that fact into account, when we announce tomorrow whether or not there will be any change to the restrictions currently in place in Aberdeen.
The situation there does appear to be improving – but it is important to stress we can’t yet say that that outbreak is completely over.
I also mentioned yesterday about the cluster in Coupar Angus which is linked to a 2 Sisters food processing plant.
So far, I can report that this outbreak has nine confirmed cases associated with it – but I will be surprised, albeit pleasantly, if we don’t see that number rise in the days ahead.
Seven of the cases identified so far are employees of the factory, and two are people in the wider community. Contact tracing is ongoing for all of these cases.
The factory – which employs approximately 900 people in total – so it is a big workplace – closed down yesterday. A mobile testing unit is due on site today, so that the whole workforce can be tested.
This is a complex and potentially significant cluster.
In addition to the overriding public health concern relating to the outbreak, the closure of the plant potentially of course has an economic impact.
We also need to consider possible animal welfare issues – the animals which would have been sent to the factory in the next few days cannot currently be sent there.
For all of those reasons, we are monitoring all aspects of this situation very carefully and closely, and will provide further information in due course as and when it becomes available.
There are also some cases and clusters that have been identified in the last couple of days involving school pupils
For example, there are individual cases involving school students who go to primary schools in Blairgowrie, Perth and Paisley.
The health protection teams are dealing with these cases and have written to the parents and careers of the infected children’s classmates, to advise them where necessary that their own children should be isolating.
I also mentioned yesterday community clusters in Lanarkshire and North East Glasgow, which include secondary school students – and which appear to be linked to each other.
Now, it is important to stress that these are considered at this stage to be community clusters with an impact on schools, rather than school based clusters. That is an important distinction, it is not thought that the virus has transmitted within the schools
In Lanarkshire, the number of confirmed cases is eight, which includes five people from three different schools. The risk of infection at all three schools is considered low.
The cluster in Baillieston, North East Glasgow currently has 14 identified cases, some of which are students at one school.
Contact tracing is taking place for this cluster.
In addition – and this is of course relevant for both of those outbreaks I have just mentioned – there are mobile testing units at the Time Capsule car park in Coatbridge and at Ravenscraig, in addition to the testing centre at Glasgow airport.
Let me repeat a point I made earlier because I think it is really important for people to understand this. These are community based clusters. And there does appears to be a link with indoor social events.
And the evidence we have at this stage seems to suggest, not surprisingly given how infectious we know COVID is, that if the virus is present at say, a house party, everyone attending the party is at considerable risk of infection – and then of course, the risk is that they spread the infection more widely.
All of that underlines the vital importance right now of abiding by the restrictions on household gatherings.
If I can remind you of what those are, no more than eight people, from a maximum of three different households should be gathering indoors. And two metre distance should be maintained between people from different households.
These rules are not easy – I really do understand that. But not sticking to them is presenting perhaps one of our biggest risks of outbreaks occurring at this time.
So I can’t stress enough how important it is that we all do abide by and comply with these rules.
For all of the outbreaks I have mentioned, Test and Protect teams are working hard to identify individuals who need to self-isolate and get tested.
But as always, anybody who has symptoms – in these areas or indeed anywhere across Scotland – should book a test immediately.
The symptoms are a new cough, a high temperature, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste and smell. Tests can be booked through the NHS inform website.
And I would appeal to you again, don’t hesitate, don’t delay, don’t wait, even a few hours to see if you feel better. If you experience any of these symptoms, time is of the essence, book a test as quickly as you possibly can.
Before I conclude and move on to questions and the Chief Medical Officer is with me today who will assist me in answering the questions. I just want to come to the issue of schools and say a final few words. Firstly to stress again that all of the cases we have seen so far which have involved school students, suggest that transmission has taken place outside of the school not in the schools.
That emphasises again the importance of keeping transmission rates as low as possible in the community, continuing to do everything we can to drive these transmission rates down as close to elimination levels as we can. That’s good for our overall health and wellbeing and the overall fight against this virus but it is also the action that will allow us to keep schools safely open. And let’s not forget the importance of that objective.
It is overwhelmingly in the best interests of young people, particularly after 4 or 5 months where they have been out of school, to be in full time education. The harm to them of losing out on that are considerable.
But we will, I think inevitably see more cases which involve school students in the weeks and months ahead.
In those cases – as has happened in the ones I’ve mentioned today – contact tracers will identify if any other students or staff at the school need to isolate, and will let them and their parents know.
More generally, the Test and Protect system so far has worked well for each outbreak we have faced to date.
And for every cluster, incident management teams in the local area are considering the latest evidence, and assessing what further follow up actions need to take place. I once again want to thank everyone involved in those efforts.
So when I give updates like today’s – providing details of cases and clusters in different parts of the country, and particular when some cases involving schools – I don’t do that to alarm you. Partly, I do it to try to reassure that the appropriate steps are being taken and appropriate interventions are in place. But although I don’t want to alarm anybody, I do want people to take notice, in fact I need people to take notice.
These clusters show us that this virus continues to pose a serious risk. It is present in our communities, and that’s why I keep saying where ever you are, assume it is right next to you and capable, if you don’t do the right things, of being transmitted to you, and perhaps from you to somebody else.
We know, and the evidence coming from recent clusters is underlining this point, this is a highly infectious virus, and once it takes hold, it can spread rapidly. And the effort that is needed then through our Test and Protect teams to stop it spreading is considerable and remember, Test and Protect is our second line of defence, we are all the first line of defence.
So for all of these reasons, the Scottish Government may well again take a fairly cautious approach on Thursday, when I will announce in the Scottish Parliament the outcome of our review of the Phase 3 lockdown restrictions.
But for all of us, these clusters should remind us of the need to be ultra-careful right now.
They demonstrate in particular how quickly and easily COVID spreads in indoor environments – which is why I am asking you to be particularly careful about socialising indoors.
And remember that the limits I mentioned earlier – a maximum of eight people from no more than three different households – apply to groups in pubs and restaurants together, just as they do in people’s homes.
And finally before we move to questions, all of us must continue not to just remember FACTS but in everything we do, abide by the rules that are encapsulated in that FACTS campaign.
These are the five basic rules that will help all of us to contribute to stopping this virus spreading and getting out of control. So those five rules are; · Face coverings in enclosed spaces · Avoid crowded places indoors or outdoors · Clean your hands regularly and remember to clean hard surfaces that you might be touching. · Two metre distancing remains the overall rule. Even perhaps especially if you are mixing with other households indoors, in your own home or elsewhere and lastly · Self-isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID that I mentioned earlier. A cough, a temperature, or a loss of, or change in your sense of taste or smell.
If we all do these things, we undoubtedly will continue to see clusters and outbreaks, but all of that will help us keep these contained and stop this virus taking a greater grip of us in terms of wider community transmission.
So, my thanks again to everybody for listening today and for continuing to do the right thing. And please, my usual plea at the end is, please spread this message to as many people as you can, so as many people as possible are following all of this vital health advice.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Friday 7 August):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I’ll start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 43 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.9% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 18,890
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but the provisional information I have is that 27 of the 43 cases are in the Grampian health board area.
It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a little bit more about the situation there shortly.
A further 5 cases appear to be in the Greater Glasgow & Clyde area, which is a reduction in the numbers we have seen there in recent days.
A total of 262 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid-19, which is 8 fewer than yesterday.
A total of 4 people are in intensive care with confirmed Covid-19. That is the same as yesterday.
I’m also pleased to say that, in the past 24 hours, yet again no deaths were registered of patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 over the previous 28 days and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491.
Obviously the total number of deaths is still a sharp reminder of the dreadful impact of this virus and my condolences once again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
As always, I also want to thank everyone working hard to help our country through this pandemic.
The main points I want to cover today are the outbreak in Aberdeen, but I also want to say something about further measures that we’re going to take to reduce the risk of transmission.
The Economy Secretary will then say a few words about business support. And the Chief Medical Officer will give an update on this year’s seasonal flu vaccination programme.
Before all that, though, I want to draw your attention to an important announcement made last night.
The Scottish Government has taken the decision to add three additional countries to the list of those that are subject to quarantine restrictions. Those countries are Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas.
Each of these countries has seen a significant rise in Covid cases, over recent days.
So from tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from those countries must self-isolate for 14 days.
This is another reminder of how quickly the international situation can change. And it’s why I would once again remind everyone to think very carefully about booking non-essential foreign travel.
Let me return now to the situation we’re dealing with in Aberdeen. I can confirm that – as of now – a total of 101 cases have been confirmed as part of that cluster. That is an increase of 22 on the position reported yesterday.
And a total of 313 close contacts have now been identified and are being followed up – although we expect that number to rise further.
It was also confirmed yesterday that two players from Aberdeen Football Club are among those who have tested positive. In addition, a further six players have been identified as having been in close proximity with one of those individuals and they are all therefore self isolating.
It is now clear that all eight players visited a bar in Aberdeen on Saturday night. In doing so, they blatantly broke the rules that had been agreed, between the SFA, the SPFL and the Scottish Government which, to put it mildly, is completely unacceptable.
This morning, the Scottish Government convened a meeting with the SFA and the SPFL. And following those discussions, the football authorities have confirmed that the game against St Johnston – scheduled for tomorrow in Perth – will not now go ahead.
I think that is the right decision. We are expecting members of the public to behave in a highly precautionary manner right now.
When a football club ends up with players infected – and not through bad luck, but through clear breaches of the rules – we cannot take even a small risk that they then spread the infection to other parts of the country.
The Scottish Government will also be contacting all club captains and managers to emphasise the importance of complying with the guidance.
Let me emphasise that directly now. Football has been given the go ahead on the strict condition that clubs and players abide by the guidance that has been agreed. If they don’t do that, they put at risk the return of the professional game.
So I welcome Aberdeen’s statement that they have reminded players of their obligations. That’s important – footballers are role models and they should behave accordingly.
But it’s also important to remind the club – and indeed all clubs – of the obligation they have to ensure that their players are behaving responsibly and in line with the guidance.
Now, to say that this incident is deeply regrettable is an understatement.
But it underlines an extremely important point.
Any time one of us fails to abide by the rules, we put others at risk. And we give this virus the chance to come roaring back.
That’s something we can’t afford to do. We’ve seen – every day of this outbreak – how easily Covid can spread. So we do need to do everything we can to stop it in its tracks.
That’s why we have taken such decisive action in Aberdeen. The new restrictions are designed to minimize the risk of transmission – as we get the bottom of this incident.
These measures are tough – but they are necessary – especially at a time when schools are about to return.
So I want to thank the people of Aberdeen for your understanding – and for doing the right thing. It is hugely appreciated.
The situation in Aberdeen is extremely challenging. And our focus is on getting it under control.
At the same time, we want to learn the lessons of this outbreak. We have seen similar outbreaks in countries around the world. And it’s clear that a common factor in many of them is a link to hospitality.
We’ve always known that settings such as pubs and bars are particularly susceptible to the spread of this virus. That’s why we held back the reopening of hospitality until a later phase. It’s also why we staggered the reopening of hospitality – with outdoor venues opening first.
We’ve also got clear guidance for the hospitality sector, on how it could operate safely. Among other things, the guidance set out important advice on things like physical distancing, cleaning and hygiene arrangements, and the collection of customer details.
Now, it’s very clear many businesses have complied very strictly with those kinds of measures, and I’ve very grateful to them for that. However, we also know there are some where that has not been the case.
The Scottish Government is determined to do everything we can to prevent further outbreaks. And we want to ensure that our hospitality sector can continue to remain open. That’s why today I’m announcing two further measures.
The first is that we now intend to make it mandatory for a range of settings, including hospitality businesses, to collect customer details.
That requirement already exists in guidance, but we are now placing it on a statutory footing. And it should help to ensure that our Test and Protect system can function as effectively as possible.
Second, we intend to issue new statutory guidance relating to indoor hospitality.
We’ll set out more detail on this next week, but the aim is to ensure greater compliance with some of the key public health measures – such as physical distancing. And we will work closely with Police Scotland and local environmental health teams to explain these measures – and if necessary, enforce compliance.
Both these changes will take affect from next Friday. And they will help to clarify exactly what is required of the hospitality industry. However, I want to be emphasise that businesses should already be doing these things. So if you’re not – don’t wait till next week, start complying now:
Premises should be collecting and keeping contact details.
Wherever possible, people should pre-book tables in advance. And there should be no queueing.
People should be seated, with table service.
Customers should not be standing together to watch football, dancing, or queuing at the bar.
There should be no queueing outside either. If it is unavoidable for any reason, those in queues should be physically distanced.
And there should be no background music – or volume from the TV. We don’t want people having to shout or lean in to each other in order to be heard.
Our hospitality businesses obviously have a vital role to play in making premises safe. But as I said yesterday, we are all the first line of defence against this virus. So please think about your own actions.
No more than three households should be meeting together in places like bars and restaurants at any one time. People from different households should be staying physically distant from each other at all times.
The final update I want to cover today concerns the use of face coverings.
At the moment, the use of face coverings is mandatory in shops and on public transport. And we are very satisfied that the vast majority of people are complying with those requirements, and I want to thank the public for that.
When it comes to other enclosed spaces, we currently advise people to wear face coverings. But we have not made it mandatory.
However, as come further out of lockdown, the risks are. More people are out and about. More places have reopened. And more people are gathering together.
So as a precautionary measure, I am announcing today that we are expanding the range of indoor premises where people must wear a face covering.
From tomorrow, that list will include venues like libraries, museums, and places of worship. You’ll be able to find more detail on exactly which kinds of premises are covered, on the Scottish Government website.
I can also confirm today that we are updating our guidance on face visors. Based on the latest scientific evidence, we are not convinced that a face visor on its own provides sufficient protection – to the wearer or to others.
So again from tomorrow, if a visor is worn it must be accompanied by another type of face covering.
These changes will help to reduce some of the risks that people face, and they are not any of them being made lightly. However, it’s important to remember that face coverings are just one additional form of protection. We still must observe all of the other public health guidelines.
So to close today, as usual I want to remind you – once again – of the FACTS, the five rules that we all must follow to stay safe:
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule.
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all comply with these five golden rules then we reduce the risk of this virus spreading and taking hold of us again, so my thanks to everyone who is complying and, as always, my encouragement to those who may need to take greater care in doing so.
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’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.
FM @NicolaSturgeon has announced changes to the way people who are shielding can meet with friends and family, which will come into effect tomorrow (24 July).
From 1 August people who were advised to shield will no longer have to do so.
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.
To continue to stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives, there are 5 things we all still need to do.
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.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Tuesday 21 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 22 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,474.
These cases are all being looked into carefully, as you would expect, and steps taken to trace contacts and break chains of transmission.
A health board breakdown will be available later as normal. However, the provisional information I have at this stage is that the majority of these cases are in Lanarkshire, and at least some of them are likely to be connected to the outbreak at the Sitel call centre that has being doing work for NHS England.
I will chair a Scottish Government resilience meeting later this afternoon to consider the latest situation and any further steps that may be required and of course we will keep you updated within the course of today and again at the briefing tomorrow.
I can also report that a total of 618 patients are currently in hospital with the virus – either confirmed or suspected. That is 51 more than yesterday, and it includes an increase of 4 in the number of confirmed cases.
A total of 4 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed COVID, which is an increase of 1 since yesterday. There were also 16 people in ICU with suspected Covid-19. That is 9 more than yesterday.
It is maybe worth saying that although we currently report both suspected and confirmed Covid patients, or in ICU, that has – as some of you have noticed – caused significant fluctuations in the daily figures.
That is partly because most patients in hospital who are over the age of 70, are tested for Covid every four days or so.
These patients are often counted as “suspected Covid cases” until their results come back, even if there is no reason to believe that they have the virus. From tomorrow, therefore, we intend to report only on confirmed Covid cases in intensive care and in hospital, which I think gives a more accurate picture of the situation.
This is part of a wider review of how we report information which I will say more about later this week.
As we go into the next stage of dealing with this pandemic, it is important that the information we have been providing gives you – the public – the most reliable and comprehensive picture of how the virus is behaving.
Finally, I am glad to say that during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having Covid-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,491.
This is, of course, very welcome news – but the overall figure for deaths is a reminder of how many families have been deeply affected by this virus. My thoughts are with everyone who is grieving 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 the work that you have done and continue to do.
The Deputy First Minister will speak in a few minutes about the reopening of schools.
The Chief Medical Officer will then talk about yesterday’s news in relation to vaccine trials, and will confirm that Covid testing is now available for children with Covid symptoms who are under the age of 5.
This is a step which should prevent families from having to self-isolate unnecessarily if young children develop symptoms – something which will be increasingly important as childcare resumes.
Before their remarks, I want to talk about two different points. First, I want to say a bit more about the figures for new cases that we have seen in recent days.
Since the last media briefing on Thursday there has – rightly – been quite a lot of attention paid to the fact that we reported more than 20 new cases on both Saturday and Sunday, and of course I have just reported an additional 22 positive cases were confirmed yesterday, and I have already mentioned the cluster of cases identified in the call centre in Lanarkshire
Those figures are, of course, a sharp reminder of something I think you have heard me saying on almost a daily basis – that the virus is still circulating in Scotland, and it is also a reminder that if we allow it to, it will spread rapidly in workplaces or social settings, if we give it the chance to do so.
That said, a great deal of work is being done – not least through test and protect – to understand all of these cases and follow up contacts.
All necessary steps are being taken to break the chain of transmission.
In total, more than 25,000 tests were processed across the two days at the weekend when we reported more than 20 cases. And even though the number of cases then was larger than usual, they are still at a relatively low level and so new cases can be assessed in a lot of detail.
Health Protection Scotland can tell us if new cases are clustered, and if any particular patterns are being identified.
Where care homes are involved, we can take necessary precautions. And of course Test and Protect staff are tracing and testing contacts for all cases that are identified.
Any rise in new cases is unwelcome – but as we have always said, the virus is still out there so, as lockdown eases, cases are likely.
The job of our public health teams and test and protect, supported by Government, is to step in and break the chains of transmission wherever possible.
I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to the public health teams and test and protect staff across the country.
But the point I also want to make, is we all have a part to play in keeping this virus under control.
So things such as physical distancing and washing hands and surfaces, face coverings – and indeed all of the elements of our FACTS campaign – continue to be crucial.
As life starts to feel a bit more normal than it has done for months, there is a danger that we are all capable of succumbing to it, or dropping our guard.
We should all stop right now and think about whether that might be true in our own behaviours, and if it is, resolve to tighten up again
Remembering all of the basic measures – summarised through our FACTS campaign – becomes more and more important as we see more people, and have more indoor meetings.
So at all times, as you go out and about, please make sure that you avoid creating a bridge which allows the virus to cross from one household to another. By doing that, all of us can continue to protect each other, and to stop the spread of the virus.
The second point I want to cover today relates to wellbeing. At last Thursday’s briefing, I mentioned the work we are doing to support the mental health of people who have had Covid, and who have been in intensive care.
We are also making sure we provide support for our health and social care staff. Many of them have faced the most testing and stressful conditions of their working lives over the last few months. They have responded magnificently to incredibly challenging circumstances.
There is already a national wellbeing hub, which provides online help and support for NHS and care staff. It can be found at www.promis.scot.
Today we are also launching a dedicated phone line. I will read out the number for the line in a few moments.
It allows health and care workers to talk to a team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners – who will provide a sympathetic ear for callers, while also providing advice, and referring people on to local services if needed.
The line is open from today, for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is available to all health and social care workers. So if you are stressed or anxious – and it would not be a surprise if that were true – and need support, you can call 0800 111 4191. That is 0800 111 4191.
The line will be open for at least a year, and I would encourage any health and care workers to use it if you need help, or just want a sympathetic ear. It is an important additional way in which we are trying to make support available to you, given everything you are doing to protect and care for us.
I will hand on to the Deputy First Minister in a moment, but I want to end – as I usually do – by reminding you again of FACTS.
Those are the five key health measures that we need everyone to abide by, and all of us should remember in everything we do, if we are to keep this virus under control.
They are even more important now – as we go to more shops, restaurants and pubs, and as we meet each other indoors – than they have been over the last four months.
So please remember that:
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, and
Self isolate and book a test if you have symptoms of Covid
Don’t wait to see if you feel better if you have a new cough or fever, or have a change in your sense of taste or smell. Book a test.
If we all remember those 5 basic measures to give ourselves the best possible chance to keep the virus under control, all of us can minimise the opportunities for Covid to spread.
And we can stay safe, protect the NHS, and save lives.
This is a moment I think for all of us across the country to take stock to ask ourselves if our behavior perhaps has been eased a little bit too much in recent days, and to resolve to follow all of the advice
So thank you, once again, to everyone who is doing the right thing, and sticking with these rules. By doing that, we can continue to suppress the virus, and we can continue to move out of lockdown together
