Scale and urgency of the situation demands joint working to find solutions
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for urgent four nation talks to continue to drive coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission to the lowest possible level.
Acting quickly and decisively is essential, said the First Minister, pointing to scientific opinion that bringing the virus back under control will require measures beyond those which any of the four nations have so far announced.
Last night’s letter also highlights the fact that the ability of the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations to take action is curtailed by a lack of financial levers to deliver economic support, for example to the hospitality sector.
The First Minister said four-nation talks should consider three inter-related questions:
Based on the most recent data, what further actions might be necessary and is it possible to reach early four nations agreement on introducing them?
Given that further restrictions will inevitably have an economic impact, what support is required for affected sectors?
If it is not possible to reach a four nations agreement on further restrictions with associated support, what arrangements can be put in place to ensure that devolved administrations are not constrained in making what they judge to be essential public health decisions because they lack the financial flexibility to provide support to affected sectors or individuals?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on coronavirus
Good evening, the struggle against covid is the single biggest crisis the world has faced in my lifetime.
In less than a year this disease has killed almost a million people, and caused havoc to economies everywhere.
Here in the UK we mourn every person we have lost, and we grieve with their families.
And yet I am more certain than ever that this is a struggle that humanity will win, and we in this country will win – and to achieve what we must I want to talk to you directly tonight about the choices that we face – none of them easy – and why we must take action now.
I know that we can succeed because we have succeeded before.
When the sickness took hold in this country in March, we pulled together in a spirit of national sacrifice and community. We followed the guidance to the letter. We stayed at home, protected the NHS, and saved thousands of lives.
And for months with those disciplines of social distancing we have kept that virus at bay.
But we have to acknowledge this this is a great and freedom-loving country; and while the vast majority have complied with the rules there have been too many breaches – too many opportunities for our invisible enemy to slip through undetected.
The virus has started to spread again in an exponential way. Infections are up, hospital admissions are climbing.
We can see what is happening in France and Spain, and we know, alas, that this virus is no less fatal than it was in the spring, and that the vast majority of our people are no less susceptible, and the iron laws of geometrical progression are shouting at us from the graphs that we risk many more deaths, many more families losing loved ones before their time; and I know that faced with that risk the British people will want their government to continue to fight to protect them, you, and that is what we are doing, night and day.
And yet the single greatest weapon we bring to this fight is the common sense of the people themselves – the joint resolve of this country to work together to suppress covid now.
So today I set out a package of tougher measures in England – early closing for pubs, bars; table service only; closing businesses that are not covid secure; expanding the use of face coverings, and new fines for those that fail to comply; and once again asking office workers to work from home if they can while enforcing the rule of six indoors and outdoors – a tougher package of national measures combined with the potential for tougher local restrictions for areas already in lockdown.
I know that this approach – robust but proportionate – already carries the support of all the main parties in parliament.
After discussion with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations, I believe this broad approach is shared across the whole UK. And to those who say we don’t need this stuff, and we should leave people to take their own risks, I say these risks are not our own.
The tragic reality of having covid is that your mild cough can be someone else’s death knell.
And as for the suggestion that we should simply lock up the elderly and the vulnerable – with all the suffering that would entail – I must tell you that this is just not realistic, because if you let the virus rip through the rest of the population it would inevitably find its way through to the elderly as well, and in much greater numbers.
That’s why we need to suppress the virus now, and as for that minority who may continue to flout the rules, we will enforce those rules with tougher penalties and fines of up to £10,000. We will put more police out on the streets and use the army to backfill if necessary.
And of course I am deeply, spiritually reluctant to make any of these impositions, or infringe anyone’s freedom, but unless we take action the risk is that we will have to go for tougher measures later, when the deaths have already mounted and we have a huge caseload of infection such as we had in the spring.
If we let this virus get out of control now, it would mean that our NHS had no space – once again – to deal with cancer patients and millions of other non-covid medical needs.
And if we were forced into a new national lockdown, that would threaten not just jobs and livelihoods but the loving human contact on which we all depend.
It would mean renewed loneliness and confinement for the elderly and vulnerable, and ultimately it would threaten once again the education of our children. We must do all we can to avoid going down that road again.
But if people don’t follow the rules we have set out, then we must reserve the right to go further. We must take action now because a stitch in time saves nine; and this way we can keep people in work, we can keep our shops and our schools open, and we can keep our country moving forward while we work together to suppress the virus.
That is our strategy, and if we can follow this package together, then I know we can succeed because in so many ways we are better prepared than before. We have the PPE, we have the beds, we have the Nightingales, we have new medicines – pioneered in this country – that can help save lives.
And though our doctors and our medical advisers are rightly worried about the data now, and the risks over winter, they are unanimous that things will be far better by the spring, when we have not only the hope of a vaccine, but one day soon – and I must stress that we are not there yet – of mass testing so efficient that people will be able to be tested in minutes so they can do more of the things they love.
That’s the hope; that’s the dream. It’s hard, but it’s attainable, and we are working as hard as we can to get there.
But until we do, we must rely on our willingness to look out for each other, to protect each other. Never in our history has our collective destiny and our collective health depended so completely on our individual behaviour.
If we follow these simple rules together, we will get through this winter together. There are unquestionably difficult months to come.
And the fight against covid is by no means over. I have no doubt, however, that there are great days ahead.
But now is the time for us all to summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): What has changed?
The UK Government has today announced further national measures to address rising cases of coronavirus in England.
It is critical that everybody observes the following key behaviours:
HANDS – Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds.
FACE – Cover your face in enclosed spaces, especially where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
SPACE – Stay 2 metres apart where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place.
Face Coverings
Customers in private hire vehicles and taxis must wear face coverings (from 23 September).
Customers in hospitality venues must wear face coverings, except when seated at a table to eat or drink. Staff in hospitality and retail will now also be required to wear face coverings (from 24 September).
People who are already exempt from the existing face covering obligations, such as because of an underlying health condition, will continue to be exempt from these new obligations.
Guidance stating that face coverings and visors should be worn in close contact services will now become law. (from 24 September)
Staff working on public transport and taxi drivers will continue to be advised to wear face coverings.
Working from home
To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so. Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work. The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.
Businesses
Businesses selling food or drink (including cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants), social clubs, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement arcades (and other indoor leisure centres or facilities), funfairs, theme parks, and adventure parks and activities, and bingo halls, must be closed between 10pm and 5am. This will include take-aways but delivery services can continue after 10pm. (from 24 September)
In licensed premises, food and drink must be ordered from, and served at, a table.
Customers must eat and drink at a table in any premises selling food and drink to consume indoors, on site. (from 24 September)
Businesses will need to display the official NHS QR code posters so that customers can ‘check-in’ at different premises using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details once the app is rolled out nationally. (from 24 September)
Businesses and organisations will face stricter rules to make their premises COVID Secure (from 28 September).
A wider range of leisure and entertainment venues, services provided in community centres, and close contact services will be subject to the COVID-19 Secure requirements in law and fines of up to £10,000 for repeated breaches.
Employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work.
Businesses must remind people to wear face coverings where mandated.
Meeting people safely
Support groups must be limited to a maximum of 15 people (from 24 September)
Indoor organised sport for over 18s will no longer be exempt from the rule of six. There is an exemption for indoor organised team sports for disabled people. (From 24 September)
There will be a new exemption in those areas of local intervention where household mixing is not allowed to permit friends and family to provide informal childcare for children under 14. (from 24 September)
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies and receptions will be restricted to a maximum of 15 people (down from 30). Other significant standalone life events will be subject to the ‘rule of six’ limits, except funerals (from 28 September).
Government has announced an initial £60 million to support additional enforcement activity by local authorities and the police, in addition to funding that has already been awarded.
The spread of the virus is also affecting our ability to reopen business conferences, exhibition halls and large sporting events, so we will not be able to do this from 1 October.
The government’s expectation is the measures described above will need to remain in place until March.
These measures apply to England – but there may be different rules if you live in an area under local lockdown: and you should check local lockdown rules. If you are in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, different rules may apply.
Statement given by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the Scottish Parliament, (Tuesday 22 September):
Thank you Presiding Officer. I want to update the chamber on additional restrictions that the Scottish Government believes are now necessary to get COVID back under control as we enter winter.
I will also set out why these measures are essential, and the principles and priorities that have guided our decisions.
First, though, let me provide a summary of today’s statistics.
Since yesterday, an additional 383 cases of COVID have been confirmed.
That represents 7.6% of people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 25,009.
A total of 73 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID, which is the same as yesterday. And 10 people are in intensive care which is two more than yesterday.
I am also sorry to report that in the past 24 hours, one further death has been registered of a patient who had tested positive. The total number of deaths in Scotland under that measurement is now 2,506.
That reminds us of the impact of COVID. These deaths are not just statistics – they are of real people whose loss is a source of heartbreak and my condolences go to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.
Today’s figures reflect the course the virus has taken in recent weeks.
In mid-July, we were recording an average of nine new cases every day. Around four weeks later, that had risen to an average of 52 a day. Three weeks after that, it was 102. And as of today the average daily number of cases is 285.
We have also seen an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive. In late August, that percentage was consistently below 1%. Today it is over 7%.
The R number is above 1 again, possibly as high as 1.4.
Now it is worth stressing that this growth in cases – because of the collective sacrifices we all made to drive infection levels down over the summer period – is from a low base.
It is also, at this stage, far less rapid than it was in March.
But it is rising, faster than we can be comfortable with and we cannot let it continue unchecked.
And while in recent weeks, the biggest number of new cases has been in people under the age of 40, we now see an increase amongst the older population too.
And unsurprisingly, in light of that, hospital and intensive care admissions and also deaths are starting to rise as well.
All of this underlines what, for me, is, and always has been, a key point,
We cannot and must not be complacent about COVID.
It kills too many old and vulnerable people. And for younger, healthier people, while the risks of dying from it are much lower – though not non-existent – it can still result in long term, serious health problems.
That’s why action to bring it back under control is necessary – and to bring the R number down again, the action we take now must go beyond the step we announced almost two weeks ago to restrict indoor and outdoor gatherings to six people from two households.
Over the weekend and in the course of yesterday the Scottish Government considered a range of options.
On Saturday, I had a discussion with other devolved administrations, and I spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday. I also took part in this morning’s COBR meeting.
I’m please to say that at that meeting, all four UK governments committed to suppressing the virus to the lowest possible level and keeping it there.
Our challenge in the weeks to come is to ensure our actions are commensurate with this objective.
Following on from the COBR meeting, measures to further control the virus were agreed at the Scottish Government Cabinet.
I can confirm that we will introduce measures on hospitality similar to those outlined for England by the Prime Minister a short while ago – and thereby align as far as possible with the rest of the U.K.
However, the advice given to the Cabinet by the Chief Medical Officer and the National Clinical Director is that this on its own will not be sufficient to bring the R number down.
They stress that we must act, not just quickly and decisively, but also on a scale significant enough to have an impact on the spread of the virus.
And they advise that we must take account of the fact that household interaction is a key driver of transmission.
To that end, we intend – as Northern Ireland did yesterday – to also introduce nationwide additional restrictions on household gatherings, similar to those already in place in the West of Scotland.
I will say more about the detail of these measures shortly and, of course, full details will also be published on the Scottish Government’s website.
But first let me be clear about the priorities that have guided our decisions.
And it is essential that we do think in terms of priorities. Faced with a global pandemic of an infectious and dangerous virus, it is not possible to do everything and it is not possible, unfortunately, to live our lives completely normally.
No country is able to do that just now.
So instead we have to decide what matters most to us and make trade-offs elsewhere to make those things possible.
Of course, the most important priority for all of us is saving lives and protecting health. But there are other priorities too:
Firstly, we are determined to keep schools open and young people in education. That is vital to the health, wellbeing and future prospects of every young person across our country.
Second, we must restart as many previously paused NHS services as possible, so that more people can get the non-COVID treatment that they need. Our NHS must be equipped this winter to care for those who have COVID – and it will be.
But it must be there for people with heart disease, cancer and other illnesses too.
And, third, we must protect people’s jobs and livelihoods – that means keeping businesses open and trading as normally as is feasible.
To achieve all of that, we must stop the virus from spiralling out of control and we can only do that if we accept restrictions in other aspects of our lives.
Now the more positive news is that because we did drive COVID down to low levels over the summer, and because we now have Test & Protect in place and functioning well, the restrictions can be more targeted than was the case earlier in the year.
The measures I am announcing today are tough – I am not going to pretend otherwise – but they do not represent a full scale lockdown of the kind imposed in March.
Indeed, on the contrary, today’s measures are an attempt to avoid the need for another lockdown.
I also want to address talk that there has been in recent days about restrictions being needed for six months or more.
It is certainly the case, that until scientific developments such as a vaccine change the game in the battle against COVID, it will have a continuing impact on our lives.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of the new restrictions I am announcing today will be in place for six months.
By acting early and substantially, our hope is that these new measures will be in place for a shorter period than would be the case if we waited longer to act.
In the first instance, we will review these measures in three weeks – although given the nature of this virus, it is important to be clear that they may be needed for longer than that.
So let me set out the package of measures that we hope can bring COVID back under control. I will focus first on those areas where we intend to reinforce existing guidance and provide better support for compliance.
Firstly, everyone who can work from home, should work from home.
That has, of course, been the Scottish Government advice throughout, but we are reinforcing and underlining it today.
To employers, if you have encouraged workers back to the office who could be working from home, please rethink that now.
We know not everyone wants to work from home – and we know it has an impact on our town and city centres – but with the virus on the rise again, home working limits the numbers of people on public transport and limits the numbers of people gathering together for lengthy prolonged periods indoors. That is why it is so important.
Now we want employers to comply with this advice voluntarily as indeed the vast majority do. But we want to be clear today that if necessary we will put a legal duty on businesses to allow home working where possible.
Second, we intend in the coming days, through media and social media, to reinforce the central importance of the FACTS advice – face coverings, avoiding crowded places, cleaning hands and hard surfaces, keeping two metres distance and self-isolating and booking a test if you have symptoms.
At the start of the pandemic, compliance with basic hygiene measures was very strong.
That really does make a difference – we know that – and it is just as important now, perhaps even more so, as it was back then.
So I am asking everyone today to make a conscious and renewed effort to comply with all of this advice.
And third – and related to that last point – we will introduce a package of support for people who are asked to self-isolate.
Self-isolation of people with symptoms awaiting a test, people who test positive and household and other close contacts of such people is absolutely essential to helping break the chains of transmission.
But we know self-isolation is hard. It asks a lot of people and, for some, the financial implications make it even more difficult, perhaps even impossible.
So we intend, firstly, to raise awareness of the importance of self-isolation and what it entails. I believe that ensuring people fully understand why we are asking them to do difficult things and exactly what it is they need to do is the first crucial step to ensuring compliance.
Next, we are working with local authorities to ensure that when someone is asked by Test & Protect to self-isolate, they will be contacted proactively and offered essential practical support – for example help with delivery of food and other essentials.
And, most importantly, we will introduce financial support of £500 for those on low incomes. More detail of this scheme will be published shortly.
As I said yesterday, we will keep issues of enforcement for non-compliance with self-isolation under review.
However, our judgment at this stage – particularly given the spirit of solidarity that is so essential in this fight against COVID – is that supporting people to do the right thing is much more effective than threatening harsh punishment if they can’t.
Presiding Officer, Let me turn now to the new restrictions that we consider are necessary to bring the virus back under control.
First, as I indicated earlier, we will introduce a strict nationwide curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants.
From Friday, pubs, bars and restaurants will be required to close at 10pm.
Now, people sometimes ask me why we don’t just close pubs again altogether – and I understand that sentiment.
The answer – to be frank – is that we are seeking to find a balance between action to suppress the virus and the protection of people’s jobs and livelihoods.
If the Scottish Government had greater powers to borrow money, or the ability to extend the Job Retention Scheme, for example, it is possible that we could reach a different balance of judgment on some of these issues.
But we don’t.
So this decision today means that we can reduce the amount of time people are able to spend in licensed premises, thereby curtailing the spread of the virus, while still allowing businesses to trade and provide jobs.
This is the best balance we can strike for now.
But I want to be clear with the hospitality trade about this.
Notwithstanding the economic implications, further restrictions, including possible closure, will be unavoidable – locally or nationally – if the rules within pubs and restaurants on hygiene, face coverings, table service, maximum numbers in groups, and the distance between them are not fully complied with.
I want to thank those businesses, I believe the majority, that are making huge efforts to ensure compliance.
However, to ensure that this is the case for all, we will be providing resources for additional Environmental Health Officers and asking local authorities to significantly step up inspection and enforcement.
Let me turn now to the most difficult part of today’s announcement – further restrictions on household gatherings.
We know from the data available to us through Test & Protect that a high proportion of new cases come from social interactions between different households in our homes.
We also know from Test & Protect – and perhaps more so from our own experiences – that it is much more difficult to maintain physical distance – and have, for example, good ventilation – inside our own homes.
We also know that when the virus infects one person in a household it is highly likely to affect others in the same household. It will also infect people visiting that household, who will in turn take it back to their households.
Therefore, difficult though this is, any serious effort to reduce the R number below 1, which must be our objective, must take account of this key driver of transmission and it must seek to break that driver of transmission.
So after careful consideration, we have decided that from tomorrow, to be reviewed every three weeks, and with exceptions that I will come on to, visiting other households will not be permitted.
To be clear, this extends the restriction that has been in place across the West of Scotland for the past three weeks to all of Scotland. Regulations giving effect to this change will come into force on Friday, but I am asking people to comply from tomorrow.
One of the reasons we have decided to do this is that our early data suggests this restriction is starting to slow the increase of cases in the West of Scotland.
So if we take the difficult decision to extend it nationwide now, in an early and preventative way, we hope it will help to bring the R number down and the virus back under control.
There will be exceptions for those living alone, or alone with children, who form extended households; for couples in non-cohabiting relationships; for the provision of informal childcare by, for example, grandparents; and for tradespeople.
But for everyone else visiting each other’s houses will, for now, not be permitted. These new restrictions apply to people’s homes – in other words, to private indoor spaces.
Rules for meeting other people in public indoor spaces that are subject to strict regulation and guidance, remain the same – you can meet with one other household only and in groups of no more than six people.
As I said earlier, we will be working with local authorities to strengthen inspection and enforcement in indoor public places and enforcement action, including closure if necessary, will be taken against shops, pubs, restaurants or other premises that do not ensure compliance.
You can also continue to meet with one other household in groups of up to six people outdoors, including in private gardens.
Outdoors, though, we intend to exempt children under 12 – both from the limit of six and the limit of two households. There will be no limits on the ability of children under 12 to play together outdoors.
And young people aged 12 to 18 will be exempt from the two household limit – they will be able to meet together outdoors in groups of up to six, though we will need to monitor this carefully and let me stress that this is outdoors only.
And let me say to teenagers in particular – I know how miserable this is for you and I am so grateful for your patience. We are trying to give you as much flexibility as we can at this vitally important time of your lives. In return, please work with us and do your best to stick to the rules, for everyone’s sake.
Presiding Officer, The last new restriction I want to cover today relates to travelling by car. It may seem minor but it is important.
We know, again from Test & Protect data, that sharing car journeys presents a significant risk of transmission.
We are therefore advising against car sharing with people outside your own household.
Finally, I think it’s important that I indicate today, in light of the current situation, that the route map changes with an indicative date of 5 October are unlikely now to go ahead on that timescale.
Presiding Officer, I also want to touch briefly today on an issue that has been the subject of media speculation in recent days – namely the possibility of a so called circuit breaker, timed to coincide with the October school break, and during which people would be given much more comprehensive advice to stay at home.
The Scottish Government has not made any decision at this stage to implement such a policy – however, we are actively keeping it under review.
What I would say to people now is this. Please think of the October break as an opportunity to further limit social interaction, particularly indoors.
And, given that this is a global pandemic, please do not book travel overseas for the October break if it is not essential.
Finally, I want to say a few words to people who were shielding earlier in the year. I know you will all be feeling particularly anxious.
However the best way to keep you safe is by reducing the spread of the virus in our communities – which is what today’s measures are all about.
The steps I have outlined today will help keep you safe, so please follow the guidance for the general population with great care.
And if you haven’t signed up for our text alert service, please do so.
Fundamentally, I want to assure you that your safety is uppermost in our minds.
But we do not believe that asking you to return to shielding is the best way to secure it, given the impact it would have on your mental and physical health. In our view, all of us acting together collectively to reduce the spread of the virus is a better way to keep you safe.
Presiding Officer, These are the changes we are making now. I can’t and will not rule out the need to make more – nationally or locally – in the weeks to come.
Suppressing the virus and getting R below 1 again is essential and we will act in a way that can achieve that.
Indeed, we intend to publish soon an overall strategic approach to escalation in areas with particularly high rates of transmission.
However, I am acutely aware that the restrictions I have announced today will not be welcome.
But it is our judgment they are absolutely essential.
Inevitably, some will think they go too far and others will think they don’t go far enough.
But we have tried to get the balance as right as possible – and to act urgently and in a substantial and preventative way now to try to get the situation under control quickly.
We judge that this will give us the best chance of avoiding tougher or longer lasting measures later.
But I know that doesn’t make this any easier.
Many people, me included, will find not being able to have family and friends in our own homes really difficult – especially as the weather gets colder.
But today’s measures – although tough – are not a lockdown. They are carefully targeted at key sources of transmission. And we believe they can make a significant difference, while keeping our schools, public services and as many businesses as possible open.
However the success of these measures depends on all of us.
The decisions that we all make as individuals in the weeks ahead, will determine whether they work, and how quickly they can be lifted.
That fact isn’t just a reminder of the responsibilities we all owe to each other – it is also a reminder that we are not powerless against this virus.
None of us can guarantee that we won’t get it, or pass it on. But we can all make choices that significantly reduce our own risk, and help keep our communities safer.
So please, make those choices. Stick with this.
Please don’t meet people in their homes or your home – because that is where the virus often spreads.
Limit how often you meet up with people in public places – and abide by the rules in force there.
Work from home if you can.
Follow the advice on self-isolation if you have symptoms, test positive, or are a contact of someone with the virus.
Download the Protect Scotland app.
And when you do meet other people, remember FACTS at all times.
Face coverings
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and surfaces.
Keep a two metre distance from other households.
And self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms.
Keeping to all these rules isn’t easy – but they remain the best way for all of us to protect ourselves, each other, the NHS and ultimately save lives.
Presiding Officer, All of this is incredibly tough – and six months on, it only gets tougher.
But we should never forget that humanity has come through even bigger challenges than this one – and it did so without the benefits of modern technology that allow us to stay connected while physically apart.
And though it doesn’t feel like this now, this pandemic will pass. It won’t last forever and one day, hopefully soon, we will be looking back on it, not living through it.
So though we are all struggling with this – and believe me, we are all struggling – let’s pull together.
Let’s keep going, try to keep smiling, keep hoping and keep looking out for each other.
Be strong, be kind and let’s continue to act out of love and solidarity.
I will never be able to thank all of you enough for the sacrifices you have made so far.
And I am sorry to have to ask for more.
But if we stick with it – and if we stick together – I do know we will get through this.
Responding to the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish parliament this afternoon, confirming new restrictions to help tackle the rising levels of COVID across Scotland, GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said:“While workers that can do will work from home our key workers will go the extra mile once again – the least Ministers can do is maximise their safety at work and recognise their incredible value to our communities and country.
“And it’s a fact that the bulk of the frontline response will continue to be delivered on the backs of low paid and often exploited workers, many of whom are women or from BME backgrounds, and earn just under or just over £10 an hour.
“We support the Scottish Government’s calls for an extension of the UK Government’s furlough scheme, welcome the support grant plan for low-income households that must self-isolate, and we would reiterate again the urgent need to bring forward a jobs plan for Scotland to aid our post-COVID recovery.
“But the reality of asking the lowest paid to again shoulder the greatest risk without recognition of their value should make anyone who wants Scotland to be a fair work nation extremely uncomfortable. That’s why we are urging the Scottish Government to ensure:
The guaranteed provision of full and proper PPE and workplace testing regimes;
The enhanced role of Trade Union Health and Safety reps in our workplaces;
The extension of the Social Care Welfare Fund support package for carers; and
The delivery of a key worker payment for staff on the frontline of public service.
“After the applause of the first lockdown, many workers have been left to get on with it, and in some cases the working practices put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID are being eroded by employers who want to get ‘back to normal’.
“What’s needed now is cooperation, safety and value for the people who deliver care, collect our rubbish, clean our schools and keep the economy turning, and they need to be confident that government and employers recognise their continued sacrifice as we tackle this pandemic.”
The First Minister will address the nation on BBC Scotland at 8:05pm tonight.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, is supporting the campaign to save indoor and soft play centres in Scotland. Mr Briggs has submitted a motion at the Scottish Parliament which has gained cross party support from Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent MSPs.
Indoor and soft play areas employ hundreds of staff across Edinburgh and the Lothians, whose jobs are at risk due to closures.
Indoor play centres were due to open on the 14th September, but was postponed with 4 days’ notice. The new opening date of 5th October is looking increasingly unlikely with the rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland.
Thousands of pounds have been spent by indoor and soft play centres preparing for a reopening that is looking like it will not happen. The autumn and winter months are the busiest times for indoor and soft play centres, with the weather being less good.
Jennifer McNaughton, manager at Pandamonium Play Centre, Renfrewshire, said: “The majority of family run soft play areas in Scotland will not survive after the announcement at the start of October if they do not receive financial support from the Scottish Government.
“Indoor and soft play centres in England, Ireland and Wales are allowed to be opened with strict guidelines and since mid-August in England.
“Why are other sectors such as night clubs and theatres allowed to open when indoor soft play areas are not, which provide cheap and cheerful unstructured play, that prevents obesity and is crucial for children’s mental health.”
Indoor and soft play centre campaigners will be holding a rally outside the Scottish Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd September, between 12 and 2pm to raise the profile of indoor play centres and highlight the lack of support from the SNP Ministers and the Scottish Government.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Indoor and soft play areas have spent thousands of pounds getting themselves Covid-19 ready, to minimise the spread of transmission, and allow them to open their doors again.
“These businesses have been told at short notice that they are no longer able to reopen and many are at real risk of closure, with companies taking on large amounts of debt.
“If the indoor and soft play areas are being singled out to stay closed, then the Scottish Government must provide them with the necessary support to survive through to next year.
“Indoor and soft play areas are valuable in the community, allowing young children to play and interact, as well as being sociable places for parents.”
An online petition has received over 6,000 signatures, since indoor and soft play centres were told they couldn’t open:
Motion Number: S5M-22774 Lodged By: Miles Briggs Date Lodged: 21/09/2020
Title: Save Scotland’s Indoor and Soft Play Centres
Motion Text:
That the Parliament believes that Scotland’s indoor and soft play centres are critical to providing exercise and fitness locations for younger children to learn to play together; values the role of indoor and soft play centres as social hubs for the whole community; supports the small business owners who operate indoor and soft play centres across Scotland; notes that, while under-12s are not required to socially distance under Scottish Government guidance, indoor and soft play centres are still prevented from opening despite catering for a younger age group; acknowledges the disappointment and frustration that it considers is felt by many indoor and soft play businesses that their planned reopening date of 14 September 2020 has been delayed; supports the rally being held safely outside the Parliament on 23 September to inform Members of these issues, and believes that it is critical that Scotland’s indoor and soft play centres are provided financial support by the Scottish Government to prevent the loss of these valuable small businesses.
Coronavirus crisis: Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement to the House of Commons
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will make a statement on our response to the rising number of Coronavirus cases and how we must act now to avoid still graver consequences later on.
At every stage in this pandemic we have struck a delicate balance between saving lives by protecting our NHS and minimising the wider impact of our restrictions.
And it is because of the common sense and fortitude of the British people that earlier this year we were able to avert an even worse catastrophe, forming a human shield around our NHS, and then by getting our country moving again by reopening key sectors of our economy and returning children to school.
But we always knew that while we might have driven the virus into retreat, the prospect of a second wave was real. And I am sorry to say that – as in Spain and France and many other countries – we have reached a perilous turning point.
A month ago, on average around a thousand people across the UK were testing positive for Coronavirus every day. The latest figure has almost quadrupled to 3,929.
Yesterday the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser warned that the doubling rate for new cases could be between seven and 20 days with the possibility of tens of thousands of new infections next month.
I wish I could reassure the House that the growing number of cases is merely a function of more testing, but a rising proportion of the tests themselves are yielding a positive result.
I also wish I could say that more of our people now have the antibodies to keep the virus off, but the latest data suggest that fewer than 8 per cent of us are in this position.
It is true that the number of new cases is growing fastest amongst those aged 20-29, but the evidence shows that the virus is spreading to other more vulnerable age groups, as we have seen in France and Spain where this has led to increased hospital admissions and, sadly, more deaths.
In the last fortnight, daily hospital admissions in England have more than doubled.
Tens of thousands of daily infections in October would, as night follows day, lead to hundreds of daily deaths in November and those numbers would continue to grow unless we act.
And as with all respiratory viruses, Covid is likely to spread faster as autumn becomes winter.
Yesterday, on the advice of the four Chief Medical Officers, the UK’s Covid alert level was raised from 3 to 4, the second most serious stage, meaning that transmission is high or rising exponentially.
So this is the moment when we must act.
If we can curb the number of daily infections, and reduce the Reproduction rate to 1, then we can save lives, protect the NHS, and the most vulnerable, and shelter the economy from the far sterner and more costly measures that would inevitably become necessary later.
So we are acting on the principle that a stitch in time saves nine.
The Government will introduce new restrictions in England, carefully judged to achieve the maximum reduction in the R number with the minimum damage to lives and livelihoods.
I want to stress that this is by no means a return to the full lockdown of March. We are not issuing a general instruction to stay at home.
We will ensure that schools, colleges and universities stay open – because nothing is more important than the education, health and well-being of our young people.
We will ensure that businesses can stay open in a Covid-compliant way.
However, we must take action to suppress the disease.
First, we are once again asking office workers who can work from home to do so.
In key public services – and in all professions where homeworking is not possible, such as construction or retail – people should continue to attend their workplaces.
And like Government, this House will be free to take forward its business in a Covid-secure way which you, Mr Speaker, have pioneered.
Second, from Thursday all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, Mr Speaker, except for takeaways.
Together with all hospitality venues, they must close at 10pm.
To help the police to enforce this rule, I am afraid that means alas closing, and not just calling for last orders. Simplicity is paramount.
The same will apply to takeaways – though deliveries can continue thereafter.
I am sorry this will hurt many businesses just getting back on their feet, but we must act to stop the virus from being transmitted in bars and restaurants.
Third, we will extend the requirement to wear face coverings to include staff in retail, all users of taxis and private hire vehicles, and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink.
Fourth, in retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors, our Covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations.
Businesses will be fined and could be closed if they breach these rules.
Fifth, now is the time to tighten up the rule of six. I’m afraid that from Monday, a maximum of 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Though, up to 30 can still attend a funeral as now.
We will also have to extend the rule of six to all adult indoor team sports.
Finally, we have to acknowledge that the spread of the virus is now affecting our ability to reopen business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events so we will not be able to do this from 1 October.
And I recognise the implications for our sports clubs, which are the life and soul of our communities, and my RH Friends the Chancellor and Culture Secretary are working urgently on what we can do now to support them.
Mr Speaker, these rules measures will only work if people comply.There is nothing more frustrating for the vast majority, the law-abiding majority that do comply than the sight of a few brazenly defying the rules.
So these rules will be enforced by tighter penalties.
We have already introduced a fine of up to £10,000 for those who fail to self-isolate and such fines will now be applied to businesses breaking Covid rules.
The penalty for failing to wear a mask or breaking the rule of six will now double to £200 for a first offence.
We will provide the police and local authorities with the extra funding they need, a greater police presence on our streets, and the option to draw on military support where required to free up the police.
The measures I have announced all apply in England and the Devolved Administrations are taking similar steps.
I spoke yesterday with each of the First Ministers and again today and I thank them for their collaboration:
the health of everyone in these islands depends on our common success.
Already about 13 million people across England are living under various local restrictions, over and above national measures.
We will continue to act against local flare-ups, working alongside councils and strengthening measures where necessary. And I want to speak directly to those who were shielding early in the pandemic and may be anxious about being at greater risk. Following advice from our senior clinicians, our guidance continues to be that you do not need to shield – except in local lockdown areas – and we will keep this under constant review.
I must emphasise that if all our actions fail to bring the R below 1, then we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower, with significantly greater restrictions.
I fervently want to avoid taking this step, as do the Devolved Administrations, but we will only be able to avoid it if our new measures work and our behaviour changes.
Mr Speaker, we will spare no effort in developing vaccines, treatments and new forms of mass-testing but unless we palpably make progress, we should assume that the restrictions I have announced will remain in place for perhaps six months.
For the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives and I must tell the House and the country that our fight against it will continue.
We will not listen to those who say let the virus rip; nor to those who urge a permanent lockdown; we are taking decisive and appropriate steps to balance saving lives with protecting jobs and livelihoods.
I know all of this will have profound consequences for our constituents, so the government will give the House every opportunity to scrutinise our decisions.
In addition to regular statements and debates, Hon Members will be able to question the government’s scientific advisers more regularly, gain access to data about their constituencies, your constituencies and join daily calls with my RH Friend the Paymaster General.
After six months of restrictions, it would be tempting to hope that the threat has faded, and seek comfort in the belief that if you have avoided the virus so far then you are somehow immune.
I have to say that it is that kind of complacency that could be our undoing.
If we fail to act together now we will not only place others at risk but jeopardise our own futures with the more drastic action that we would inevitably be forced to take.
Mr Speaker, no British government would wish to stifle our freedoms in the ways that we have found necessary this year. Yet even now we can draw some comfort from the fact that schools and universities and places of worship are staying open, shops can serve their customers, construction workers can go to building sites, and the vast majority of the UK economy can continue moving forwards.
We are also, Mr Speaker, better prepared for a second wave, with the ventilators, the PPE, the dexamethasone, the Nightingale Hospitals, and a hundred times as much testing.
So now it falls to each of us and every one of us to remember the basics – wash our hands, cover our faces, observe social distancing – and follow the rules.
Then we can fight back against this virus, shelter our economy from even greater damage, protect the most vulnerable in care homes and hospitals, safeguard our NHS and save many more lives.
And I commend this statement to the House.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will address the Holyrood Pariament at 2:15pm.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation on television tonight at 8:00pm
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will then address Scotland on television at 8:10pm.
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers issued a joint statement last night recommending that the UK COVID-19 alert level move from level 3 to level 4:
‘The Joint Biosecurity Centre has recommended that the COVID-19 alert level should move from level 3 (COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation) to level 4 (COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation, transmission is high or rising exponentially).
‘The CMOs for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have reviewed the evidence and recommend all 4 nations of the UK should move to level 4.
‘After a period of lower COVID cases and deaths, the number of cases are now rising rapidly and probably exponentially in significant parts of all 4 nations. If we are to avoid significant excess deaths and exceptional pressure in the NHS and other health services over the autumn and winter, everyone has to follow the social distancing guidance, wear face coverings correctly and wash their hands regularly.
‘We know this will be a concerning news for many people. Please follow the rules, look after each other and together we will get through this.’
Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith
Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Chris Jones
Earlier yesterday the Prime Minister had calls with the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland about how coronavirus is spreading across the country.
During these calls, the Prime Minister made clear that the rising infection rates are a cause for great concern, which he is taking very seriously.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to working with the devolved administrations as we continue to tackle the virus. They all agreed to act with a united approach, as much as possible, in the days and weeks ahead.
The Prime Minister invited the First Ministers and the deputy First Minister to attend a COBR this morning to discuss next steps for the country.
Further restrictions are expected to be announced later today.
‘Additional restrictions will almost certainly be put in place in Scotland over the next couple of days’
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, this afternoon:
Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today. I am joined, as you can see, by the Chief Medical Officer and the National Clinical Director, and both of them will say a few words shortly.
I will start though with the usual run-through of the daily statistics in Scotland.
I can report that the total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 255. This represents 6.3% of people newly tested and takes the total number of cases now to 24,626.
The full regional breakdown will be published later, as it always is, but I can confirm now that 103 of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 47 in Lanarkshire, and 30 in Lothian.
The remaining 75 are spread across the remaining 8 mainland health boards, meaning that we have new cases again today in every mainland health board area.
I can also confirm that 73 people are in hospital – which is an increase of ten from yesterday.
And 8 people are in intensive care, which is one fewer than yesterday.
And finally, in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. It is however worth remembering that registration offices just now are closed over the weekend, so that is not surprising.
And of course since the last briefing, three additional deaths were registered on Friday, and reported in Saturday’s figures.
That means that the total number of deaths, under our daily measurement, is now 2,505.
And that is again a very sharp reminder of the impact that this virus has had and the impact it is still capable of having. And I want again today to pass on my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one throughout this pandemic, including obviously those whose loved ones’ deaths have been registered in more recent days.
Now the figures I have just reported reinforce something that has been evident now over recent days. Covid is spreading again in Scotland.
Now, because of our collective efforts over the summer, which suppressed the virus to very low levels, we are in a much stronger position than we would otherwise be – and it’s important not to forget that.
Those collective efforts also meant that many people who might otherwise have succumbed to this virus didn’t get it and therefore we collectively saved a lot of lives.
However, with the virus on the spread again – in Scotland, across the UK, across Europe, and indeed still accelerating in much of the world – doing nothing in the face of this quite rapid spread now is not an option.
I know that the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor for England have just given a televised briefing (above) and Gregor and Jason may touch more on the data later on, but we would endorse the overall message that was being conveyed by Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty.
In Scotland, as across the UK, the R number – which remember is the number of people who will on average be infected by one infectious person – is again above one, and when that happens we know that the virus will begin to spread again.
The percentage of tests which are returning positive results has been increasing. And you will have heard that through our daily reports for the last few days.
At the weekend it was above 5% across the country.
Today – with the usual caveat about single day figures – it is 6.3%, and in some health boards it is even higher than that.
In addition, new cases are not confined now to just specific clusters – they are happening cross Scotland, and in particular across mainland Scotland, and we must take all of this very seriously.
Of course, on the other side of this equation, the number of cases is not rising as quickly as it was in the spring, and the percentage of positive tests, while rising, is nowhere near as high as it was back then – back in those days it was 20% or thereabouts.
In addition, we are not yet seeing an increase in hospital admissions on anything like the same scale that we saw back in the spring.
And that is partly because the highest proportion of new cases in recent weeks has been in in people under the age of 40.
However, we know that transmission in the community cannot rise indefinitely, without it starting to increasingly affect older people too. And we are now an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital and in intensive care – albeit from a fairly low level. And if the number of new cases continues to rise, that rise will continue as well, and unfortunately we will also see the number of people dying increasing too.
In fact in many ways, as I indicated on Friday, the position Scotland is now in is similar to the position that for example France might have been in around 4 weeks ago.
And we don’t want to reach the position that France is in now – with case levels more than 4 times higher than in Scotland, and with significant numbers of people now in hospital, intensive care, and with deaths rising.
We have of course in the last couple of weeks already taken a significant step by reducing the maximum size of household gatherings to six people, from two households.
However in my view, further and urgent action will now be needed to stop the increase in the number of cases.
I and my advisors have spent the weekend immersed in discussion and analysis, looking at a variety of options and considering carefully the impact that we judge these would have. These discussions are continuing throughout today, but we are very close to a point of decision.
And, at the heart of this decision is a simple truth: the longer we wait to introduce new measures, the longer these measures are likely to be in place.
If we move sharply now to get the virus back under control, we can minimise the time we all spend under any new restrictions.
If we wait, it will take longer – potentially a lot longer – to come out of the other side.
For that reason, as I indicated on Friday, we are preparing to introduce a package of additional measures with the intention of bringing the R number back below 1.
Now ideally, at least some of these decisions will be taken on a four nations basis, across the UK.
We all of course have our individual responsibilities and we will perhaps take decisions that are not entirely identical. But given that the virus does not respect borders, alignment if possible does make sense. And of course it is the UK Government that holds the financial levers necessary to mitigate the economic impact of any measures.
That’s why I asked on Friday for an urgent Cobra meeting – and repeated that call over the weekend. That call has been echoed in Wales and London.
I am therefore pleased that in a four nations call with Michael Gove on Saturday he confirmed that a Cobra will take place, although it is frustrating that we still don’t have a precise time for that and indeed don’t even have confirmation yet of whether that will take place today or tomorrow (UPDATE – COBRA meeting has now been confirmed for tomorrow morning).
I am however talking directly to the Prime Minister immediately after this press conference, and hopefully we will have greater clarity from that discussion.
In that call I will impress upon the Prime Minister my view that we need decisive, urgent, and – as far as possible given our individual responsibilities – coordinated action across the UK.
And I will be clear that I am willing to allow a bit more time for four nations discussions to take place before reaching final decisions for Scotland, but I be equally clear that the urgency of this situation means that we cannot, must not and will not wait too long.
The Scottish Cabinet will meet tomorrow to take stock – and I am very clear that it must be in a position to decide the way ahead for Scotland within the next 48 hours.
And I need to be absolutely straight with people across Scotland that additional restrictions will almost certainly be put in place in Scotland over the next couple of days.
Hopefully this will be with four nations alignment, but if necessary it will have to happen without that.#
I intend to make a full statement to parliament later this week – tomorrow or Wednesday I hope – to outline the steps that the Government has decided are necessary and to set out the rational for them.
Whatever else we decide, one thing I want to confirm today is that our package of measures will include plans to better support people who are being advisd to self-isolate.
Self-isolation is a key tool in our fight against this this virus – it helps us break the chains of transmission – so we must make it as possible as we can for people to abide by that advice.
We have, and will continue to consider, whether the UK Government approach of imposing potentially large fines for non-compliance with self-isolation is appropriate. But, while we will keep enforcement options under review, we do have a concern about potential disincentives of fines and enforcement to people getting tested.
Our view is that it is better to remove barriers to self-isolation. I believe that people understand the need to keep others safe and may want to do so, but they need to be supported through these difficult circumstances.
So I can confirm today that we will be putting in place a financial support package to help people – particularly those on low incomes – who face a loss of income if they are required isolate.
Nobody should be forced to choose between self-isolating for the collective good, and paying their rent and feeding their families. If that’s the choice that people face, then it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that compliance levels will be lower than we need them to be.
Now, the details of that package are being worked through at present, and we also await information from the UK Government on additional Barnett consequentials as a result of announcements made by them over the weekend.
The last thing that I wanted to touch on briefly today, given that I mentioned this on Friday, is that on Friday I indicated that I would confirm today whether we were going to exempt children under 12 from the current two household rule – as you’ll recall children under 12 don’t count towards the limit of six but do count towards the two households.
However, given the more fundamental decisions may well be taken this week I’ve decided to consider this issue in that wider context and I will cover it in the statement I make to Parliament later in the week.
Now I’m going to hand over to the Chief Medical Officer and to the National Clinical Director in a moment. But I want to end by stressing two things.
First, this is a serious moment again for the country. We cannot allow cases to continue rising. Those who say that we should just allow this virus to do what it does – the so-called ‘herd immunity’ argument – I don’t agree with that.
We know this virus can take life, particularly of older and vulnerable people, but we also know this virus can have serious health implications for younger, healthier people. It’s not a virus we can be complacent about allowing people to get. So this is a moment for us to take action.
But secondly, and it’s a point I made earlier on, we must understand that we are in a different and better position than we were in March. Cases are not rising as fast, we have a better idea of the settings which pose the main risk of transmission, and Test and Protect – despite the volume of cases we’ve had recently – is managing well.
And because of this – and despite the temptations for shorthand – we shouldn’t frame the decisions we face this week in the language of lockdown or not lockdown. Implementing further measures now is very much, I hope, about controlling this virus while avoiding the need for another full-scale lockdown of the type that we had to impose in March.
And lastly, let’s not forget that all of us have the ability to make a difference now. None of us as individuals are powerless in the face of this virus. We can make choices and decisions which increase our own chances of staying safe, and which also help to keep people around us safe as well.
So please, I’m asking everybody to think carefully about what you can do as an individual to play your part in this collective action that we need to take – which Scotland is only one country of many across the globe that are having to consider these actions.
So please, work from home if you are able to do so. It has been and continues to be the Scottish Government advice to work from home if it is possible. We are not, and haven’t, been advising you to go back to the office if you are able to work from home.
Secondly, download the Protect Scotland app. That seems like a small thing to do but it is a really powerful thing to do because it helps us widen the net of people who can be contacted and advised to self-isolate if they have been exposed to this virus.
More than a million people have downloaded it already – it can make a difference at those levels, but it will make a bigger difference if more of us do it.
Thirdly, limit your travel and social interactions as much as you reasonably can.
The current rules on gatherings – six people, from two households – see that as a maximum. Limit how many people you see in one day or over a small number of days.
And of course, if you live in Glasgow; East or West Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire; North or South Lanarkshire right now, please don’t visit other households at all.
And finally, when you are meeting and interacting with other people – which we all have to do to some extent notwithstanding that need to limit it – when you are interacting, please remember to follow the FACTS advice. If we all follow these five golden rules, we minimise and limit the opportunities the virus has to transmit from person to person, or household to household. So please, remember::
the F – wear Face coverings in enclosed spaces
the A is Avoid crowded places – wherever they might be, indoors or outdoors
C – Clean your hands regularly, clean hard surfaces that you’re touching
T – keep Two metres distance from people in other households
and S – Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all do all of these things then we are all individually helping this collective effort to keep this virus under control, and allow us to retain as much normality in our lives, notwithstanding the restrictions all countries are having to operate in right now as we possibly can.
My thanks again to everybody for joining us, please spread the word that you hear at these briefings as widely as you possibly can.
I’m going to ask the Chief Medical Officer to say a few words now, then the National Clinical Director, and then as normal we will take questions but we wanted to make sure that you heard – not just from me today – but from the Government’s chief clinical advisors as well.
PM Boris Johnson warns of further measures following rapid rise in coronvirus cases
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will spend the weekend considering whether to tighten Covid-19 measures further, after saying the UK was “now seeing a second wave”.
Speaking during a visit to a Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre construction site near Oxford, Mr Johnson said: “There’s no question, as I’ve said for several weeks now, that we could expect – and are now seeing – a second wave coming in.
“We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe – it has been absolutely, I’m afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country.”
The government is now looking at a ban on households in England mixing, and reducing opening hours for pubs and restaurants and is considering the introduction of a nationwide ‘circuit break’ to halt the spread of the virus.
At least 13.5 million people – around one in five of the UK population – are already facing local restrictions, including a swathe of the West of Scotland. The latest area to be added is the North West of England, which will see new measures introduced on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister only has direct power over restrictions in England, however, and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can set their own rules. They are urging the PM to call an emergency COBRA meeting over the weekend to agree a coordinated approach to address the latest surge.
Coronavirus cases are now doubling everTy seven to eight days, with 4,322 confirmed cases yesterday – the highest daily total of positive tests 8 May.
Mr Johnson said he did not “want to go into bigger lockdown measures” but that tighter social distancing rules might be necessary.
He added: “Clearly when you look at what is happening, you have got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in on Monday.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House this afternoon (Friday 18 September):
I can report that the total number of positive cases that were reported yesterday was 203. This represents 4.4% of people newly tested and takes the total number of cases now to 23,776.
Let me remind you again that these are positive cases reported yesterday.
Because of the processing backlog we have been dealing with, which as I said yesterday is improving, more of these than normal may be from swabs taken over the past few days.
However, as I’ve also said before, when we look at whether case numbers are rising or not, we look at results by the date the sample was taken, not just the reporting date – so the backlog doesn’t distort our trend analysis.
The full regional breakdown will be published later as normal, but I can confirm now that 69 of the 203 cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 30 in Lothian, and 29 in Lanarkshire. The remaining 75 are across the other 8 mainland health board areas.
I can also confirm that 61 people are in hospital – which is an increase of 9 on yesterday. 5 people are in intensive care, which is the same as yesterday. And finally, I regret to say that in the past 24 hours, one additional death was registered of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.
That means that the total number of deaths, under this daily measurement, is now 2,502.
This is a reminder that we are again reporting deaths, albeit small numbers, on a regular basis again.
That’s an indication that in Scotland, as elsewhere, Covid is accelerating again, and I will say more about that shortly.
But I want once again to pass on my condolences to everybody who has lost a loved one to this illness – including of course, those grieving as a result of the death that was registered yesterday.
I’m joined today by our National Clinical Director Jason Leitch. After my remarks, Jason will say a few words about the news this morning that an Edinburgh Rugby Academy player has tested positive for Covid.
Before that, though, here are a few items I want to cover.
The first let me briefly highlight an announcement that was made by the Scottish Government last night.
We have added two additional places to the list of those that are subject to quarantine restrictions. Those are Slovenia and Guadeloupe.
That means that from tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from these countries must self-isolate for 14 days, upon their return or arrival in Scotland. And it is very important that people comply with that.
By contrast, Singapore and Thailand were removed from the international list.
So anyone arriving from either of these countries, from tomorrow, no longer has to quarantine. However, if you have arrived from Singapore or Thailand in the past few days, you do need to complete your 14 days of isolation.
This is all a further reminder of how quickly levels of the virus – in any country or area – can change. So I’ll say again, please avoid non-essential overseas travel at the moment, if possible.
Indeed, please think carefully about non-essential travel at home, as well. In particular, avoid travelling to parts of the UK, that are under tougher restrictions right now because levels of Covid are rising fastest.
The main thing I want to do today is to take a moment to take stock of where the country stands right now in the pandemic.
We are seeing increasing numbers of places both here in Scotland and across the rest of the UK that are under local and regional restrictions. And, many will have woken up this morning to hear the news of the potential for new national restrictions.
The bottom line here is that the virus is on the rise again.
Our case numbers are not yet rising as fast as there were back in March. But they are rising again and they are rising quite rapidly. The percentage of tests coming back positive is also not anywhere near as high as it was back in March, but again it is rising.
And as I reported yesterday, the R number we believe is now above 1.
Across the UK, and this is particularly the case in England right now, hospital admissions are rising. ICU admissions are rising too. While this is particularly the case in England right now, this should sound a warning signal for us here in Scotland too.
And, while for the last few weeks, people might have taken comfort from the low levels of older, more vulnerable people contracting the virus, I have to say to you that picture is also beginning to change.
Recent data shows that the percentage of cases in the older population is now beginning to rise as well.
Looking more widely, we can observe that in broad terms we might now be, at an earlier stage, on a similar path to that which has been taken in recent weeks by France.
About four weeks ago, France stood broadly where we do today.
But now they face around 10,000 new cases per day and hundreds of people in ICU and deaths in France are already rising now as well.
So our task is to make sure – if we can – that we interrupt that, and we don’t end up where they are now.
What lies behind this is a simple reality: we are facing the risk again of exponential growth in Covid. And we all know from our experience earlier this year what that looks like, and why it is so important to seek to avoid it.
So, I want to talk briefly about what we need to do.
First and foremost, we need to act to interrupt that exponential growth. No one wants to see another full-scale lockdown.
And, above all, we want to keep schools and childcare open because we know how important that is to the education but also to the broader well-being of children and young people.
So right now, and I mean right now, today, over the weekend and into next week, that means following all of the rules and the advice currently in place.
Work from home if you can, that remains our advice. As I said a moment ago, avoid if you can non-essential travel. Don’t meet up with any more than six people from a maximum of two households, indoors and outdoors.
If you live in Glasgow, as I do, or in East or West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire or East Renfrewshire, North or South Lanarkshire, don’t visit other households at all, unless you have to visit to care for or deliver shopping to a vulnerable person.
The fact is we know, and this is one of the things we have learned about this virus, is that when it gets into a household, it is very likely to infect everyone in that household.
So to be blunt, we must do everything we can to keep it out of our households. When we do have to interact with others, the last piece of advice I want to remind you of right now, is to remember to follow FACTS: all of the basic things that help us reduce the risks of transmitting the virus.
These are the current rules and I am asking everybody to please abide by them strictly and rigorously. But it may well be that if we are to interrupt and break this growth, we will have to do more over the next few weeks. And this weekend will be critical in the assessment of how best to do that.
As widely reported, SAGE met yesterday. I have chaired a meeting of senior Scottish Government officials and advisors this morning to assess the current situation and discussions across the 4 nations of the UK will, I hope, take place in the coming days. I’ve this morning asked the Prime Minister to convene a COBRA meeting over this weekend.
So, I am today giving the nation advance notice, that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions.
If we want to avoid another full-scale lockdown, which all of us do, doing nothing almost certainly isn’t an option.
Now I will of course, as I have sought to do throughout this pandemic, keep you regularly and fully updated. But for now, over this weekend, please rigorously follow all of the current rules and all of the current advice.
Now there is another issue that I want to update you on, another area where some of us may be able to help in the fight against this virus, and it involves Scotland’s involvement in the UK-wide COVID Infection Survey.
The survey is designed to track the spread and prevalence of the virus in the general population. It is conducted by the Office for National Statistics, and the University of Oxford. And following a successful pilot in England, it has been expanded to other parts of the UK.
In Scotland, it will ultimately see up to 15,000 people being tested, every fortnight. Households will be randomly selected for the survey. And over the coming period, these households will all be sent a letter, inviting them to participate.
Those letters will provide details on how to register. The first of them should be arriving today. And from Monday, survey teams will begin visiting households that agree to take part.
Those who do take part will be asked to administer swabs to their throats and noses, to test for the virus. People aged 12 years or older can take the swab themselves – but parents and carers should administer them for younger children. A subset of participants – over the age of 16 – will also be invited to provide blood samples, to test whether they have already have had Covid.
Participants will be asked to take further tests every week for the first 5 weeks, then every month for up to a year. Members of the survey team will visit households, to collect the tests.
These results will help us to see how many people are infected with the virus at a given point in time – whether ot not they have symptoms.
And they will give us a sense of how many people are ever likely to have had the infection. They should therefore provide us with really important new insights into the spread of Covid in Scotland.
The survey will also provide additional data on the characteristics of those who are testing positive and so it will help us to examine any difference in the impact of the virus, on different groups in society.
The initial survey results for Scotland should be available in November. But that is dependent, and that is why I am raising it today, on people’s willingness to sign up. So if you receive a letter, and you are able to do so, I encourage you to take part in this survey, it is really important and it will be a vital tool in our efforts to understand the virus and therefore equip ourselves better to know the things to keep it under control.
Now to close today, I want to really come back to emphasise my earlier point and really emphasise to you that we are at another really critical point. Covid-19 is on the rise. Not just here in Scotland, it is on the rise in the UK and across Europe.
Just yesterday, the World Health Organization warned that weekly cases across Europe, have now topped 300,000.
That’s higher than it was in March – when the virus first peaked.
As the WHO has said, that must serve as a wake-up call for all of us. The virus could get out of our grip again. That’s the news that should be the wake-up call.
The better news is that hasn’t happened yet: we do still have time to prevent it happening, and that is down to Government to take a lead and be very clear and decisive in what we have to do, but it also ultimately comes down to all of us. So before I hand over to Jason, I want remind all you watching, and to ask you to remind others, of what we need you to do.
If you live in Glasgow; East or West Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire or East Renfrewshire; North or South Lanarkshire, please don’t visit any other households anywhere in Scotland.
In the rest of the country, please do not meet with more than 6 people, from a maximum of 2 households. Don’t give the virus an opportunity to spread between households, because if it spreads between households we know it quickly spreads within households.
Download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t already done so. A million people have done so, already. We know that will help make a difference
And finally – in everything you do – lets all follow the FACTS. These are the five golden rules that help all us of us minimise the risk of transmission:
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places.
Clean hands and clean all hard surfaces that you are touching regularly
keep two metres away from people other households.
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
We are at a critical point right now, but as I said in one of these briefings a couple of days ago, nothing is inevitable. We all have power to try and stop this virus running out of control again.
I know the responsibility that is on the shoulders of me and the government here to take the hard decisions that will determine whether we succeed or not.
But as I have said, so many times throughout, this is down to all of us. We are all in this together and it is only by acting together that we can stop it running out of control and ultimately save lives.
My thanks again to everybody who I know are making all sorts of sacrifices to help us do that. Keep spreading the word to everyone you know.
Pledge to recruit 433 more teachers in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Six yeas ago today Scotland voted to stay in the UK. We must spend the next six years rebuilding Scotland’s education system, say the Scottish Conservatives.
They say they will hire 3000 new teachers over the next parliament to restore local schools to where they were before the SNP came to power.
Today, the Scottish Conservatives unveiled proposals to recruit 3,000 more teachers over the next Parliament.
The plans which would cost £550 million, would end teacher shortages that have arisen since the SNP came into power in 2007.
The paper also calls for a dedicated STEM teacher to be available in every Primary school, increased opportunities for career switchers to move into teaching and a new campaign to encourage the best and brightest to take up teaching.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Education has to be a top priority in Scotland to invest in the future, however under this SNP Government education standards have slipped.
“Recruiting more teachers would allow each pupils to have a larger choice of subjects, as well as increased one on one learning.
“It is well established that smaller class sizes are better for student learning, so having a smaller teacher to pupil ratio can only be a good thing.
“Edinburgh and the Lothians have the fastest growing population in Scotland so it is important more teachers are recruited in advance, rather than after there is a shortage.”
