The Scottish Government will provide £2 million of funding to mitigate the financial challenges facing the residential outdoor education sector as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
The package will include funding to help centres provide safe, impactful outdoor learning experiences to support young people’s education and wellbeing through this challenging period.
Science Minister Richard Lochhead has written to MSPs to outline the package of support. He said: “I met representatives from the sector recently to discuss their concerns and request for funding. I am acutely aware of the challenges the sector has had to face in the wake of the restrictions imposed to supress the spread of COVID-19.
“Outdoor learning is an important aspect of Scotland’s curriculum. It can play a vital role in supporting children’s wellbeing and attainment and we are fully committed to supporting outdoor education providers. I hope this funding, along with third sector and youth work funding streams which are already available, alleviates some of the pressures facing the sector during these challenging times and allows them to offer meaningful experiences to young people.
“Funding on its own will not address all of the challenges that are faced at the current time. We will continue to engage with local authorities to support the important role that outdoor education centres and their staff can play during the period when overnight residential stays are not permitted for public health reasons.”
Discussions on administration of the package of support continue. Details of how to apply will be made available as soon as possible.
Alongside the new fund, the Scottish Government will produce a package of communication and support materials to local authorities and schools in order to publicise the opportunities for outdoor learning experiences in their area.
Guidance for schools and local authorities on the positive contribution made by outdoor education centres, developed by the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education, was published in August 2020.
Guidance for school visits and trips to outdoor education centres is here
Guidance on the educational value of outdoor education centres (published August 2020, funded by Scottish Government) is here
Pupils in Scotland have higher than average awareness of global issues, according to an international survey.
Data from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on ‘global competence’ – the ability to examine global and intercultural issues and understand and appreciate different perspectives – also found pupils in Scotland have very positive attitudes towards immigrants and respect for people from other parts of the world.
The 2018 assessment included a test which measured pupils’ knowledge and understanding of global issues and the world views of others. Only two countries out of 27 who took part scored higher than Scotland.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “One of the core aims of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is that Scotland’s young people become responsible citizens, with knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it. This survey shows CfE is working – our pupils are highly aware of issues beyond our borders and they are respectful of people from other parts of the world.
“Since this data was collected, a wide-ranging action plan has been published to make it easier for schools to cover important global issues such as climate change and a sustainable economy. This continuing work will help teachers equip our young people with the skills and knowledge to be active global citizens so they can contribute to sustainability goals, flourish in the global economy and contribute to the international community.”
The survey showed:
Scotland’s average score in the global competence assessment was 534. It was one of five countries to score at least 50 points above the average
Two countries (Singapore and Canada) achieved an average score higher than Scotland, two countries/economies were similar (Hong Kong and Taiwan), and 22 countries were lower
Twelve per cent of students in Scotland were at Level 5, the highest level in the assessment, compared to 4.3% of students across all countries. Only two countries had a higher proportion of students assessed at Level 5
Based on responses to a Global Competence questionnaire, students in Scotland had an above average respect for people from other countries, including respecting their values and opinions
Students in Scotland were among the 10 countries/economies (out of 66) with the most positive attitudes towards immigrants
Sex worker charity Umbrella Lane has been advocating in the media and the community to fight The Equally Safe Consultation put forward by Ash Denham and published by the Scottish Government.
Having worked to build trust and support sex workers in Scotland since 2015, Umbrella Lane has seen the lack of awareness about the realities of Sex Work and the stigma Workers face.
Therefore, taking a holistic approach, Umbrella Lane have decided to take the voices of their community to the streets of Glasgow on the 23rd October and Edinburgh on the 24thOctober to raise awareness around #TakingBackOurVoice campaign.
The campaign aims to humanise the people affected by the consultation and will highlight the devastating effects the consultation will have on the safety, health and human rights of the Sex Worker community, should it be passed.
While the Equally Safe Consultation is based on misinformation and over generalisations; Umbrella Lane and Sex Workers have fact on our side, with numerous studies showing the dangerous effects of criminalisation, and the benefits of full decriminalisation as a solution.
Join Umbrella Lane to hear what sex workers have to say about the consultation and how you can support us in submitting a response.
*We will be wearing face masks and practicing mandatory social distancing, track and trace is recommended for participating in the event.*
Statement given by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Wednesday 21 October 2020:
Good afternoon, thank you for joining us. I will start with the usual daily report on the COVID statistics. The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1,739.
That represents 19.8% of people newly tested, and 9.7% of the total number of tests carried out.
The total number of cases in Scotland since the start of the pandemic therefore now stands at 50,903.
Of yesterday’s cases 605 were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 520 in Lanarkshire, 250 in Lothian and 105 in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining cases were spread across nine other health board areas.
Now I would remind you that an element of today’s cases will be catch up on the past few days given the backlog in testing that we’ve had over the weakened, and that I have spoken about earlier in the week.
I can also confirm that 873 people are currently in hospital which is an increase of 49 from yesterday.
And 73 people are in intensive care, that is three more than the figure yesterday, although again, for them who follow these figures very closely,
Let me point out that yesterday’s figure was revised in the course of the day from 69 to 70. So today’s 73 is an increase of three.
I very much regret though, to report that in the past 24 hours, 28 additional deaths have been registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.
That is the highest number of deaths we’ve reported in the daily figures since the 21st May. And it takes the total number of deaths, under this measurement, to 2,653.
National Records of Scotland has also just published its weekly update, which you will recall includes cases where COVID is a suspected or contributory cause of death.
Today’s update shows that by Sunday just passed, the total number of registered deaths linked to COVID, under that wider definition, was 4,376.
75 of those deaths were registered last week, that is 50 more than in the week before – and that is the highest weekly total since early June. 58 of the 75 deaths took place in hospitals, 12 in care homes, and five at home or in other non-institutional settings.
Every single death, of course, represents the loss of somebody who was special and loved and I want, again today, to send my deepest condolences to all those families and networks of friends across the country who have been impacted in this most extreme and cruel way by the impact of this virus.
I want, though, to just give a point of context though, and it doesn’t in anyway take away from the very upsetting nature of the statistics I have just reported to you.
Today’s figures on hospital and ICU admissions and the figures I’ve just reported on deaths are obviously clearly concerning – and we take them very seriously as we consider our response and our next steps in the fight against the virus – however, as Jason will touch on briefly as well, these figures, it must be remembered, relate to people who could have been infected with the virus perhaps two to three weeks ago.
So they should not be taken as an indication that the current restrictions we are all living under are not having any impact.
I’ll say a little bit more about the early indications that the impact that is having later on.
My main update for today though concerns the temporary restrictions on hospitality which we introduced two weeks ago, and which legally took effect on Friday 9th October.
As I said yesterday, we will publish, and I can tell you now that we will do this on Friday, a new strategic framework for managing the virus, and indeed living with the virus through the winter and into the early parts of next year.
That strategic framework will include different levels of restrictions that can be applied, either nationally or regionally, depending on the level of infection across the country or in different parts of the country.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the broad framework, it is intended that the levels will be applied from the 2nd November and reviewed regularly thereafter.
The detail of what level will initially apply to each part of the country will be assessed in the coming days and set out in advance of 2nd November.
It is important for me to be clear at this stage that given the nature of what we are dealing with, and given some of the numbers I’ve just reported, all be it with the caveats attached to them that I did.
We can’t rule out that this new approach will entail further extension of existing restrictions, or perhaps even tougher restrictions for all or parts of the country, if we think that is necessary to safeguard health and life.
But that will depend on up to date assessments of the impact of our current restrictions, and it’s also important to be very clear that all of our decisions will be balanced by an assessment of the wider harms that COVID and the measures we are taking to tackle it are having, and that includes the wider harms to health and wellbeing and to jobs and livelihoods.
The timescale for introducing the new levels system leaves us with a short term decision about the current temporary restrictions on hospitality. These are currently due to expire on Monday coming, the 26th October.
However, following a meeting of the Cabinet this morning, I can confirm that we have decided to extend these measures for a further week.
This is first and foremost a public health decision. Although we have grounds for cautious optimism that the restrictions are having an effect, the clinical advice to Cabinet is that it would not be safe to lift them as early as Monday.
But, secondly, the extension allows us to transition more smoothly to the new levels system that we hope that will be introduced on 2nd November.
So I can confirm that the current temporary restrictions will now apply until 6am on Monday 2nd November. And that of course includes the tighter restrictions that are currently in place across the Central Belt.
Let me run through what those restrictions are.
But before I do so, let me take the opportunity to remind everyone that the rule against visiting other people’s houses also remains in place for now.
Because that is best way of limiting transmission from one household to another.
Let me run through the wider restrictions.
Firstly – and with the exception of the five Central Belt health board areas that I’ll come onto in a moment – the restrictions mean that pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes can only operate indoors from 6 am to 6 pm.
These premises cannot serve alcohol indoors at any time, although they can serve alcohol outdoors up until 10 pm.
In addition, hotel restaurants can serve residents indoors beyond 6pm, but not with alcohol.
We also introduced much tighter restrictions in the five health board regions where case numbers have been especially high those are Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley.
In these areas, all licensed bars and restaurants must remain closed indoors and outdoors, although takeaways are permitted.
And again there is an exception for hotels serving food and non-alcoholic drinks to guests. And cafes – whether licensed or unlicensed – can stay open until 6 pm to prevent social isolation. But they must not serve alcohol.
In addition in these areas, snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will remain closed for an additional week.
Contact sports for people aged 18 and over will also remain suspended – with an exception for professional sports.
Indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed for people aged 18 and over for that further week – although gyms and pools can remain open for individual exercise.
And outdoor live events are not permitted in those five regions.
Finally, we continue to advise people very strongly who live in these Central Belt areas, not to travel outside the health board area that they live in, if they do not need to do so.
Similarly, people in other parts of Scotland should not travel to those areas unless it is absolutely necessary.
I know all of this is really unwelcome and these restrictions are harsh. They are harsh financially for many individuals and businesses, and they are harsh emotionally for all of us.
So I want to stress again, firstly that none of these decisions are being taken lightly. This is all about trying to save lives and minimise the health damage that this virus we know is capable of doing.
But I also want to stress that we do believe that these restrictions do make a difference, and indeed we believe they may already be making a difference.
Even allowing for today’s figures, though it is and I must insert this note of caution, it is too early to be certain about any of this this.
But even allowing for today’s figures we think that we may be starting to see a reduction in the rate at which new cases are increasing.
So the early data underlines the importance of all of us sticking with the restrictions that are in place.
Now given that today’s Cabinet decision today requires many business to stay closed or continue to restrict their trading, I also want to confirm today that we will extend the support, the financial support available to them, to cover the additional week.
Full details of that support and how it applies to different sizes of business will be published online. But there will be extensions to both the Business Support Grants that we offer, and the support we are providing at this stage for the job furlough scheme.
All businesses will receive, proportionally, the same level of support over the extension 7 days – for each day of closure – as they did in the first 16 days of restrictions.
And, for this limited period, as I say, we are also extending the Scottish Governments furlough support scheme for an extra week as well.
Now later in the week, when we publish the new Strategic Approach to managing COVID, we will also set out our planned levels of support for the future in the event of further restrictions.
It is important to be clear at this stage, and this is a point that I will speak more about in days to come, but I want to be clear about it now.
That while the level of support we set out in the strategic framework will be the maximum level of support that the Scottish Government is able to provide within the resources available to us at this time, it is the minimum that we think is necessary.
In common with other devolved administrations and indeed many councils now across England, we will continue to pursue urgent discussions with the Treasury about the provision of adequate support and funding to support businesses and individuals through the kinds of restrictions that are likely to be necessary in the period ahead.
Now I’ve spent, for good reason, a bit of time talking about the extension to the temporary restrictions, but I want to draw my remarks to a close by just giving my usual reminder of the general rules and guidelines that we are asking everybody to follow right now.
Again let me remind people living in Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Ayrshire and Arran and Greater Glasgow and Clyde not to travel outside their own health board area unless they really need to do so.
Let me remind everybody, all of us across the country that we should not visit other people’s homes right now except for very specific purposes. If you are providing childcare or looking after a vulnerable person.
And when we do meet people from other households – outdoors, or in indoor public places that are open, for example cafés, we shouldn’t be meeting in groups of more than 6, and those 6 people should not be from more than two households.
Please don’t share cars with other people outside your household if you can avoid it.
Work from home if you can and download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t already done so.
And finally;
remember to wear Face coverings when you are out and about
remember to Avoid crowded places.
remember Clean your hands and hard surfaces
remember keep Two metres away people in other households.
and remember Self isolate, and get tested, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID.
Thank you all for the sacrifices you continue to make.
It will make a difference, I know it is hard but we must stick with it in order to continue that process of getting COIVID under control.
Extra week of closures and new tiered restrictions could be end of Scotland’s pubs as we know them: CAMRA
Responding to the First Minister’s announcement for further restrictions for pubs, CAMRA’s Director for Scotland Joe Crawford said: “The First Minister’s announcement of an extra week of pub closures and the prospect of further lockdowns and restrictions from 2nd November has come as a hammer blow to pubs and breweries across the country.
“These businesses feel like they are being offered up as a sacrificial lamb without sufficient evidence that pubs – who have done everything they have been asked to track and trace customers and make their venues COVID-secure – are responsible for transmission of the virus.
“The Scottish Government must urgently review and improve their support package to make sure all our pubs and breweries get the financial compensation and support they need to get through this extended closure period – and, crucially, also during the tiered restrictions that will follow.
“In addition, ministers need to give breweries and pubs enough notice about their plans so people can plan and re-stock for opening their doors again.
“Without a longer-term support package to make up for lost trade and reduced consumer confidence I fear that this could be the end for the beer and pub sector as we know it.”
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has expressed “extreme disappointment” at the decision by the Scottish Government to extend current restrictions on hospitality across Scotland ahead of the “tier” approach to local lockdowns that is expected to be introduced next month.
Paul Waterson, media spokesman for the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said: “We expected this so we are not surprised. However, yet again there has been no consultation with the industry and as we said earlier this month, we believe these measures to be cataclysmic for hospitality operators.
“Hundreds of businesses are facing permanent closure and with that thousands of jobs will be lost – the damage could be irreparable.”
A recent survey highlighted that nearly 40% of hospitality businesses were considering closure or business exit. In September, an SLTA survey of 600 on-trade premises highlighted that within the pub and bar sector, 12,500 jobs could go.
Mr Waterson added: “We estimate that two-thirds of hospitality businesses could be mothballed or go under in the coming months. Over 50% of jobs in the pub and bar sector could also be lost which will have a particularly deep impact on the employment of young people as over 40% of staff employed are under the age of 25.”
Reiterating that responsible operators continue to run safe, carefully monitored establishments, he said: “Our industry is in serious trouble and it is only going to get worse. The £40 million financial support package is nowhere near enough to save jobs and prevent operators from going under. And once again we do not have details of other financial help promised by the Scottish Government.
“Once again it is the licensed trade that is suffering and the current measures affect not just our industry but the wider economy.”
Statement given by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Monday 19 October):
Good afternoon, thanks for joining us again today. I will give you the usual report on the COVID statistics first of all. I can report that the total number of positive cases yesterday was 993.
That represents 17.1% of people who were newly tested and 6.4% of the total number of tests that we carried out and I am going to come on later to say a little bit more about these different measurements.
The total number of cases now stands at 47,708. 362 of today’s cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 294 in Lanarkshire, 122 in Lothian and 57 in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining cases are spread across the other seven mainland health board areas.
754 people are currently in hospital which is an increase of 40 from yesterday and 61 people are intensive care, that’s two fewer than yesterday.
Now for the eagle-eyed amongst you who follow these figures very closely day-to-day and might have spotted that yesterday’s hospital and ICU figures and today’s don’t exactly tally,
I can tell you there has been a small revision made to the figures reported by Ayrshire and Arran yesterday and that will be shown in the publication that will appear on the website later.
I also regret to say that in the last 24 hours 1 additional death has been registered of a patient who had tested positive over the previous 28 days.
We also reported 15 deaths on Saturday. So since I last stood here to give the daily update on Friday, 16 additional deaths have been registered. And the total number of deaths, under the daily measurement is now 2,610.
That figure is a reminder of the heartbreak that this virus is capable of causing and once again I want to pass on my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one.
Now I have got a few things I want to briefly update on today. I am going to highlight two points about the daily figures that I have just reported and at the end of my remarks I will look forward to the week ahead and some of the decisions that lie ahead of us.
But briefly first of all, let me just look back. It seems clear from anecdotal reports that people overwhelmingly stuck to the rules over this weekend, including the rules on household gatherings.
And that’s really important – stopping households meeting up indoors is, as you know, crucial to slowing the spread of Covid.
But I am aware that it is also really tough, and it gets tougher with every week that passes.
I just wanted to take the opportunity today to say thank you to everyone who has played a part by following the rules and guidelines. You are making a difference and please be assured of that.
Let me now cover a couple of issues relating to the daily statistics. We reported only 316 new cases yesterday and as you can see that’s far lower than the numbers we have been reporting on previous days.
Now, we are still exploring this with the UK Government but we think this might be because from Friday onwards, quite a large number of tests were diverted from the Lighthouse laboratory in Glasgow, to be processed in other laboratories in the Lighthouse network.
Our understanding – although we do not control this process – is that this was to ensure that the Lighthouse lab in Glasgow didn’t handle more tests, from across the UK, than it had the capacity to deal with promptly.
We also understand that the tests diverted included those of people with symptoms, who had gone to drive-through or walk-in testing centres.
And it stands to reason these people are more likely to test positive than asymptomatic people who are being tested as part of routine care home testing, for example. And that might help to explain why yesterday’s number of positive cases was probably artificially low.
The rerouting of cases was due to stop yesterday and my expectation is that any new cases which we would have expected to see yesterday, will be included in the figures for today and tomorrow, although we continue, as I said earlier, to explore whether there might be any other issues at play here.
Of course this is one reason why – when we consider the number of positive cases – we always look at the trends over a number of days, rather at any single day at a time.
And of course our Test and Protect teams will be working to identify contacts of positive cases as soon as the information about them comes into our case management system.
And I would remind anyone who may be waiting for a test result, that you should of course be continuing to self-isolate while you wait for that. That is a really important part of our collective effort to control the virus.
Now, the other point about our statistics that I want to cover, relates to the percentage of people who test positive for Covid.
And I’m afraid that – as occasionally happens – I’m going to discuss an issue now which is quite technical, but which is important, so please bear with me as I always like to try and give you an understanding of what lies behind our statistics and the reasons for any change in how we are calculating any aspect of them.
For some time now, as you know, I have reported here a daily figure for the proportion of people who test positive for Covid – that’s an important metric that allows us, amongst other metrics, to determine whether the virus is spreading more rapidly or going into decline.
To arrive at that figure what we have done so far is measure the number of people
testing positive, as a percentage of the total number of people being tested, who had never been tested before. That’s why you hear me say every day that it is a percentage of people newly tested.
That ensures that we don’t count people who are tested twice in a very short period of time – for example if a test result needs checked, or perhaps some days tested both on admission to hospital and then a few days later.
Now the current measure has been helpful so far in assessing how the virus is spreading.
All of you will have seen in recent weeks in the percentage of positive cases that we have reported the rise in that has been consistent with the rise in case numbers, in hospital admissions and increasingly, unfortunately, in people dying.
However the way in which we currently calculate this becomes less reliable over time as more and more people in the population have been tested.
We are now more than 7 months into the pandemic and already more than 1/7 of the population of Scotland has already been tested for Covid. Under our existing measure, none of those people will ever count again as a newly tested person – someone who has not been tested before although if they test positive their positive result will be counted.
Let me illustrate that with an example – if you had a fever in August, if you got a test then and you didn’t have Covid – and then you have a cough now, you get tested again, and it turns out you do have Covid – your positive test will be counted, but you will not count as a “newly tested person”, when we work out the percentage.
So, as you can see, over time as more and more people who have already been tested go for further tests – and remember almost 40,000 care home workers are tested every single week – what happens is that the percentage of positive test that we report is artificially high and gets more and more artificially high as time goes on.
So we have been discussing this issue in some detail with the UK’s Office for Statistics Regulation. We have taken their advice into account in deciding a new measure, and will continue to engage with them on future improvements.
Instead of relying only on people who have been newly tested, we will now calculate the percentage of positive tests, based on the total number of test results which have come in on that day.
Now that measure is simple to calculate. And it does come closer to matching the methodologies used by the World Health Organisation, for determining whether the virus is out of control.
It is worth stressing though that although it is a better measurement for this stage in the pandemic for the reasons I have tried to set out as clearly as possible , it’s still not perfect so we’ll continue to look at further improvements. And the imperfections are these – if you need to be tested more than once in the same day or the same week, all of those samples will now be counted.
And in addition, the new measure – to a much greater extent than the old measure – combines test results from different groups of people.
The majority of our tests are of people who have symptoms of Covid.
But we also test lots of asymptomatic people every week as well, principally people who work in care homes. And those tests are much less likely to be positive than tests of people with symptoms, so in a day-to-day basis that could lead to some fluctuations in the daily percentage.
But on a weekly or monthly basis that the trend in test positivity will be clear.
And our view is that the new measure will give us a better picture of the course of the virus over the weeks and months ahead. The old measure was the most accurate for the early phase of the pandemic, we think this one is more accurate for the next phase.
Now, as you have just gathered, that is quite a technical change, and thanks for bearing with me if you have managed to do so. But we also want to give you a bit of time to see the effects of the change in methodology. So, for that reason, and also to be completely transparent, to avoid any suspicion, what we are trying to do here is change methodology to result in a lower number, every day for at least the rest of this week I will am going to give you both our old and our new measurements when I give you the daily figures. Eventually though, I will start to report the figure under our new measurement only.
So to remind you of what I said earlier on, on the old measurement taking people just newly tested, our test positivity rate today was 17.1%, on our new measurement taking all tests it was 6.4%.
The final point I want to cover is to look to the week ahead as I indicated last week we will publish this week detail of our new strategic approach to tackling the virus. I hope to discuss the outlines of this tomorrow with leaders of the other parties in the Scottish Parliament.
And we will then publish a strategic framework at the end of the week, before debating it in parliament next week.
One of the things the framework will set out are the different tiers or levels of intervention and restrictions which may be applied in future – either locally or nationally across Scotland – depending on how the virus is spreading.
We will also indicate – based on the latest advice from the National Incident Management Team and our clinical advisers – what levels should apply to different parts of the country or potentially all of the country once the current temporary restrictions on hospitality come to an end on 26 October.
The framework will also summarise our work to improve the effectiveness of existing measures to curb Covid – for example how we will work to improve compliance with FACTS advice and all of the other guidelines; the review of our testing strategy and how we will continue to support Test and Protect; and also how we will provide support for businesses and individuals so that they can comply with all that they are being asked to do, either now or in the future.
Publication of the framework is an important step, as we look ahead to the winter and prepare to manage the virus over, what may well be and I would expect to be, a very challenging period.
We hope that the framework can command broad support both politically in parliament and across wider society.
But this is where I will end, it is worth stressing that – although the strategic framework will update our approach to tackling the virus – many of the basic elements of that approach will not change.
In particular, it will continue to be vital that to slow the spread of the virus, all of us as individuals stick to all of the essential rules and guidelines on hygiene, physical distancing and limiting contact with other households.
Let me just briefly remind everyone of what those current general rules and guidelines are.
As I said earlier, except for very specific purposes – such as childcare – none of us should be visiting each other’s homes right now.
When we do meet – outdoors, or indoor public places that are open like cafes – we shouldn’t meet in groups of any more than six people from a maximum of two households.
Only car-share if it is essential to do so
Work from home if you possibly can and again I would appeal to employers to facilitate that for your workers.
Download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t done so already.
And finally, remember FACTS.
Wear Face coverings, it is now the law, as of today, to wear them in communal areas in work places, like corridors
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces
keep two metres distance from people in other households.
and Self isolate, and get tested, if you have symptoms.
These are the basic things, no matter the other rules in place at any given time, these are the basic things that if all of us do all of them all of the time then we give ourselves the best chance of keeping the spread of the virus under control
It’s the best way to look after ourselves, to look after our loved ones and our communities.
And ultimately it is the best way to protect our National Health Service and save lives.
Thank you again for listening today and thank you particularly for bearing with me through quite a long, laborious and technical update on how we will calculate the percentage of people testing positive.
A new £1 million ‘Scotland Loves Local’ fund will provide grants of between £500 and £5,000 to hundreds of projects to promote town centre and online businesses.
The funding aims to support small scale improvements that will help motivate people to shop, eat and relax within their community whilst ensuring public health safety.
Grants can be put towards providing safe shopping information for residents and tourists, the installation of public health infrastructure such as protective screens, physical distancing markers, hand sanitising equipment and PPE.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We know money spent locally is more likely to stay in the local economy and support local jobs. The Scotland Loves Local campaign encourages people to think how they can safely support this.
“This fund will help initiatives supporting businesses, such as projects to encourage safe shopping, business and leisure opportunities, promoting and advertising local providers of online shopping or enhancing visitor appeal.
“We all have a part to play in Scotland’s economic recovery and can do so, whilst we look out for one another and follow the FACTS guidance.”
Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership Phil Prentice said: “This is an exceptional opportunity for local communities – a chance to get the funding that will unlock some brilliant creativity.
“We’ve seen throughout the Scotland Loves Local campaign that people all over the country want to back their local towns and places – we’re looking forward to seeing some brilliant ideas take shape. Our campaign is highlighting that money spent locally stays local for longer. This new fund will be a real boost for communities across the country.”
The funding is being provided by the Scottish Government, and administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership.
CRIMESTOPPERS have launched their annual campaign aiming to tackle firework misuse and deliberate fire-setting, and to encourage people to contact them 100% anonymously if they know or suspect someone is involved.
The campaign is supported by the Scottish Government’s Building Safer Communities team.
Firework misuse can have a massive impact on communities in Scotland, with some local areas experiencing ongoing and sustained anti-social behaviour and risk to life linked to fireworks.
In some communities people may be afraid to engage with those responsible for anti-social behaviour for fear of being targeted, which is why our anonymous service is so valuable.
The Crimestoppers campaign omplements two national Scottish Government campaigns, and provides extra support for areas in Edinburgh, Glasgow and West Lothian which have experienced higher levels of firework misuse. These communities have been involved in the preparation of the campaign.
National Manager for Crimestoppers in Scotland Angela Parker explained: “With no public displays this year, some communities could be at increased risk of serious firework misuse and deliberate fire-setting.
“Firework misuse puts people, property and pets at risk, so we have worked closely with a range of partners to devise a campaign that will enable local people to fully understand the law around misuse of fireworks, and the penalties.
“Last year, our charity in Scotland received 63 pieces of information that helped prevent attacks, fire-setting and serious misuse, so we know, together we can make Bonfire Night safer for everyone.”
Ash Denham MSP, Minister for Community Safety, said: “The Scottish Government’s ambition is for all of Scotland’s communities to be safe places for everyone to live, work and enjoy. We all have a part to play in making that vision a reality.
“Misuse of fireworks can be hugely damaging and distressing and will not be tolerated. I would encourage anyone who witnesses or has information about criminality relating to fireworks to report it so that action can be taken to prevent further harm to our communities.
“Crimestoppers’ unique reporting service allows people to provide information about crime entirely anonymously. By using this service people can help to prevent, detect and solve crime within their local community.”
The campaign is also complemented by a youth programme, Fearless.org, raising awareness among 11-18-year-olds about the risks, and encouraging anonymous reporting about planned attacks and deliberate fire-raising.
https://youtu.be/oK6J6-CpfhI
Underage sales of fireworks
We are also encouraging people to let us know about anyone who’s selling fireworks to underage people.
In Scotland, it is illegal to sell outdoor fireworks to anyone who is younger than 18 years old. And it is illegal to sell indoor fireworks (such as sparklers) to anyone who is younger than 16 years old.
Other contact numbers
In an emergency: contact Police or Fire on 999 Non-emergency: Police Scotland 101 Underage sales:Scotland Trading Standards Office (and for unsafe or unlicenced storage by shops and dangerous fireworks)
If you know or suspect who is misusing fireworks or causing deliberate fires in your area, or selling them illegally, you can contact Crimestoppers 100% anonymously.
Your computer’s IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted us. For telephone calls, we have have no caller line display, no 1471 facility and have never traced a call.
Fund Guidance to be published: Thursday 22 October
Applications invited from: 12 noon, Monday 26 October
Crafts Council& Craft Scotland, Help Musicians, Society of AuthorsandVisual Arts Scotlandhave been confirmed as partners to assist Creative Scotland in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s £5million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers.
Subject to confirmation, BECTU will also be partnering with Creative Scotland on the delivery of this funding.
The specific sector expertise of these partners will help ensure the hardship funds reach as many freelancers across different creative sectors as possible, working with Creative Scotland who will deliver the funds to creative freelancers who work in the sectors not covered by the partner organisations
Eligibility criteria for the fund will be published on Thursday 22 October followed by the fund opening for application at 12noon, Monday 26 October.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Culture is vitally important to all of our lives in Scotland. This is an extremely worrying time for many people involved in culture and creative industries, particularly creative freelancers and practitioners whose work is integral not only to the economy, but to the wellbeing of individuals and communities.
“Many continue to face uncertain futures while much of their sectors remain unable to operate, and it is important that we can offer financial support while we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.
“This fund will provide emergency support to creative freelancers in Scotland who are experiencing hardship as a result of the pandemic. Working closely with partners in industry to deliver this fund will help Creative Scotland ensure support reaches people as quickly as possible.”
Iain Munro, CEO at Creative Scotlandsaid: “There is no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant impact it is having on Scotland’s creative sector.
“With welcome financial support from the Scottish Government, this Hardship Fund offers much needed support for creative freelancers who have been particularly hard hit by the inability to work due to necessary restrictions. Creative Scotland is working hard with our partners to ensure this support reaches those in need as quickly as possible.”
CraftsCouncil’sExecutive Director, Rosy GreenleesOBE said: “We are delighted to partner with Craft Scotland to deliver much needed financial support to craft freelancers in Scotland.
“We know that craft professionals from curators, and educators to individual makers and businesses are struggling. Creative Scotland’s investment will offer a lifeline to ensure the Scottish craft sector remains a thriving and creative force.”
Help Musicians’ Chief Executive, James Ainscough said: “With no end in sight to the restrictions that prevent musicians earning a living from live performance, we are delighted to see Creative Scotland providing this much needed funding for the community of Scottish musicians.
“The team at Help Musicians are pleased to play a supporting role by administering this funding, ensuring that musicians experiencing financial hardship are given a real financial boost as quickly as possible.”
Society of AuthorsChief Executive, Nicola Solomonsaid: “This funding will be invaluable to the many Scottish writers, illustrators and translators who have fallen between the gaps in financial support during the health crisis.
The grants we will now be able to distribute through the Authors’ Contingency Fund will enable some authors to keep working in spite of financial losses, others to stay afloat while dealing with their own ill health, others to fulfil caring responsibilities – and others simply to keep a roof over their heads. We are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for Scottish authors.”
Sarah Calmus, President of Visual Arts Scotlandsaid: “Visual Arts Scotland are proud to be partnering with Creative Scotland to help deliver these new funds which follow on from our own Emergency Art Workers Support Fund.
“In this unprecedented period, Visual Arts Scotland are dedicated to helping the creative community and are committed to stand in solidarity through distributing funds to Visual Artists who are most in need of support at this time.”
The Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers is one of a series of Scottish Government emergency funds for creativity and culture being administered through Creative Scotland.
These funds have been put in place to help mitigate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on the creative and cultural sector. There are five new emergency funds which were announced by the First Minister on Friday 28 August and which are being delivered through Creative Scotland as follows:
£15million Culture Organisation and Venues Recovery Fund which opened for applications on Thursday 17 September with a deadline of Thursday 24 September. 348 applications have been received totalling over £22million. Application assessments are now taking place and decisions will be communicated early November.
£5million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers, for which an open call for partner organisations to help us distribute this fund was launched on Friday 11 September, with a deadline of Friday 25 September. 18 Expressions of Interest were received with five organisations now selected. The £700,000 Screen element of these Hardship Funds opened for applications on Tuesday 22 September and closed on Friday 2 October. Assessments are taking place and decisions being communicated to applicants.
£3.5million Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund, which opened for applications on Monday 14 September with a deadline of Monday 5 October. 27 applications have been received totalling £3.55million. Assessments are taking place and decisions will be announced w/c 26 October.
£3.5million additional funds for Creative Scotland’s Open Fund which is open for applications to individuals and organisations now. The application threshold has recently been increased from £50K to £100K.
£3million Youth Arts funding package comprises of at least £1.2million through the Access to Youth Arts Fund which will be open to applications until Thursday 12 November; the £700,000 Small Grants Scheme which launched onThursday 24 September and will be open to applications until Monday 2 November; £50,000 assigned to the Time to Shine Nurturing Talent Fund, and anadditional £1,050,000 allocated to support a number of targeted national and local area youth music and wider youth arts organisations. These organisations will be invited to apply for the Youth Arts Targeted Fund by Tuesday 13 October.
£1.5million for the Culture Collective programme (part of the £5million Sustaining Creative Practice Fund, referred to in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government), supporting organisations employing freelance artists to work in and with communities across Scotland. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Previously announced funds from the Scottish Government are:
Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on the Creative Scotland website and publicised through media and social media communications.
Projects which support people with neurological conditions are to benefit from the latest round of funding announced as part of a five-year action plan.
The investment of £492,535 is focussed on initiatives where partnership working is key. Many of the 17 funded activities see NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships and Third Sector organisations joining forces to achieve better outcomes for people living with neurological conditions.
Funding recipients include Pain Association Scotland who will develop online courses to support the wellbeing of unpaid carers and the MS Society who will deliver online and telephone sessions to support the physical and emotional wellbeing of people living with MS in response to the pandemic.
‘Neurological care and support: framework for action – 2020 to 2025’ aims to ensure people get access to personalised care and support regardless of their condition or where in Scotland they live.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “Around one million people in Scotland live with a neurological condition ranging from common conditions such as migraines to life-limiting illnesses such as Motor Neurone Disease.
“We recognise the scale, variety and context of neurological conditions and how distressing they can be for the person with the condition and their family and the framework for action aims to support those responsible for providing care and support to people affected.
“This latest round of funding will ensure this vital work not only continues but is strengthened despite the challenges faced during the pandemic.”
PSPA provides information and support to people affected by Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).
CEO Andrew Symons said: “Neurological Care and Support Framework Funding will allow us to map provision for PSP and CBD in Scotland, simultaneously highlighting the information and support that we can offer from PSPA.
“This will contribute to the aim of earlier diagnosis of these rare conditions and reduce the time spent by people in the wrong part of the system with the result they can benefit from the provisions of the Framework as soon as their disease is recognised.”
The Prime Minister yesterday set out how the UK government will further simplify and standardise local rules by introducing a three tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England.
Addressing MPs before hosting a Downing Street press conference, he confirmed the levels will be set at medium, high, and very high.
He set out how this new approach will be simpler and standardised, and thanked local leaders who have engaged with the government over the weekend.
The “medium” alert level – which will cover most of the country – will consist of the current national measures, which came into force on 25 September.
This includes the Rule of Six, and the closure of hospitality at 10pm.
The “high” alert level will reflect many current local interventions, but there will now be consistency across the country.
This primarily aims to reduce household to household transmission by preventing all mixing between households or support bubbles indoors. The Rule of Six will apply in outdoor spaces, including private gardens.
Most areas which are already subject to local restrictions will automatically move into the “high” alert level.
The “very high” alert level will apply where transmission rates are causing the greatest concern, based on an assessment of all the available data and the local situation.
This includes incidence and test positivity, including amongst older and more at-risk age groups, as well as the growth rate, hospital admissions and other factors.
In these areas, the government will set a baseline of prohibiting social mixing indoors and in private gardens, with the Rule of Six allowed in open public spaces like parks and beaches.
Pubs and bars must close, and can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant – which means serving substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal. They may only serve alcohol as part of such a meal.
People will be advised not to travel in and out of these areas.
To create local consensus behind this more severe action, the government will work with local leaders on how individual areas should go beyond this baseline, which may include measures such as the closure of gyms, casinos, and leisure centres.
Non-essential retail, schools and universities will remain open in all levels.
Cases are rising rapidly across the country, particularly in the North East and North West, and this is resulting in increased hospitalisations and deaths.
The Prime Minster said that further action is required now to suppress the virus and make sure the NHS isn’t overwhelmed, and can continue providing essential services such as cancer care.
This follows significant local engagement throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister spoke to Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, following detailed discussions over the last few days between all the region’s leaders, Chief Executives and senior government figures.
They discussed the huge challenge from rising numbers of COVID cases in the region and pledged to work together on combatting the virus.
Senior No 10 advisers and the Housing Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick also held discussions with local authority leaders and mayors from the highest areas of concern.
As the Prime Minister said, in recent months, local outbreaks have been tackled with targeted restrictions – helping save lives and avoiding the need to apply those measures nationally.
However, over time this has led to different rules in different parts of the country, with some rules becoming increasingly complex and difficult to enforce.
A postcode checker on gov.uk will show which alert level applies in each area and the NHS COVID-19 app will also direct people to this information.
Regulations for all three local alert levels were laid yesterday (Monday) and they will be debated and voted on in the House of Commons today (Tuesday). Subject to that vote, they will come into force on Wednesday, subject to the approval of Parliament.
These measures will be kept under constant review, including a four-week sunset clause for interventions in “very high” areas.
The PM also confirmed that the government will also provide Local Authorities across England with around £1 billion of new financial support.
He also said that engagement with other leaders in the North West, the North East and Yorkshire & Humber is continuing.
The PM also called on local leaders in the areas rated very high to work with the government on these measures, in return for more support for local test and trace, more funding for local enforcement, the offer of help from the armed services, and the job support scheme as announced by the Chancellor.
PM Boris Johnson made a statement at the coronavirus press conference:
Good evening everyone.
We are entering a new and crucial phase of our fight against Coronavirus.
Because the number of cases has gone up four times in four weeks and it is once again spreading among the elderly and vulnerable.
There are already more Covid patients in UK hospitals today than there were on 23 March when the whole country went into lockdown and deaths, alas, are also rising once again.
These figures are flashing at us like dashboard warnings in a passenger jet. And we must act now.
So we are giving local authorities across England around a billion pounds so they can protect vital services as they fight the virus.
Nightingale Hospitals across the North of England are being prepared for service.
And so we can squash this virus wherever it appears we are today simplifying, standardising and in some places toughening local rules in England by introducing three levels of Covid Alert.
Medium, with existing national measures such as the Rule of Six and the closure of hospitality at 10pm.
High, with extra measures including a ban on indoor social mixing between households or support bubbles.
And Very High, for places where, without further action, the NHS will swiftly be under intolerable pressure.
Areas within the Very High Alert category will be reviewed every four weeks and nowhere will be shut down indefinitely. And the exact restrictions at this level, Very High, will be worked out with local leaders, along with tailored packages of support.
But at a minimum they will, sadly, include a ban on all social mixing between households in private places, including gardens
and pubs and bars must close unless they can operate solely as a restaurant, serving alcohol only as part of a main meal.
We will also ask people not to travel into and out of Very High alert level areas.
Nobody affected by this will be left to fend for themselves.
And we will expand our unprecedented economic support to assist those affected by these decisions, extending our Job Support Scheme to cover two-thirds of the wages of those in any business that is required to close, and providing those businesses with a cash grant of up to £3,000 a month, instead of £1500 every three weeks, and extra funding too for those in the Very High category for local test and trace and enforcement.
You will shortly be able to type in your postcode into Gov.UK and see exactly what restrictions apply where you live.
The majority of the country will, for now, be at medium.
Most areas currently under local intervention will be at High, and Nottinghamshire, including Nottingham itself, East and West Cheshire and a small area of High Peak will also move to this level.
Over the weekend we have been working with local leaders in areas where the data are most worrying.
And from Wednesday, local authorities in the Liverpool City Region will move to the Very High alert level.
In addition to pubs and bars we have agreed with Liverpool City mayor Steve Rotheram that gyms, leisure centres, betting shops, adult gaming centres and casinos will close.
We are still working with other local leaders to determine how best to tackle the resurgence of the virus in their areas. But tackle it we will.
No one, least of all me, wants to impose these kinds of erosions of our personal liberty, but I am as convinced as I have ever been that the British people have the resolve to beat this virus and that, together, we will do just that.
With that I’ll hand over to the Chancellor, who has some more details on how we’ll be supporting these businesses, employees and areas affected by today’s changes …
Full details on what the COVID Alert Levels contain are set out below:
Local COVID Alert Level – Medium
This is for areas where national restrictions continue to be in place. This means:
All businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law, such as nightclubs.
Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to close between 10pm and 5am.
Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-thru.
Schools, universities and places of worship remain open
Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees
Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take place, provided the Rule of Six is followed
People must not meet in groups larger than 6, indoors or outdoors
Local COVID Alert Level – High
This is for areas with a higher level of infections. This means the following additional measures are in place:
People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
People must not meet in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other space.
People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.
Local COVID Alert Level – Very High
This is for areas with a very high level of infections. The Government will set a baseline of measures for any area in this local alert level. Consultation with local authorities will determine additional measures.
The baseline means the below additional measures are in place:
Pubs and bars must close, and can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant – which means serving substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal. They may only serve alcohol as part of such a meal.
Wedding receptions are not allowed
People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor or outdoor setting, whether at home or in a public space. The Rule of Six applies in open public spaces like parks and beaches.
People should try to avoid travelling outside the ‘Very High’ area they are in, or entering a ‘Very High’ area, other than for things like work, education, accessing youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if they are in transit.
People should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if they are resident in a ‘Very High’ area, or avoid staying overnight in a ‘Very High’ area if they are resident elsewhere.
Local COVID Alert Level – Very High:
Liverpool City Region
Liverpool
Knowsley
Wirral
St Helens
Sefton
Halton
Scotland is likely to adopt it’s own version of the ‘three tier’ strategy when the current ‘circuit breaker’ ends later this month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.
She told yesterday’s press briefing: “We intend to develop our own tiering framework and take that to Parliament after the October recess and of course, that will coincide with the ending of the temporary reset restrictions announced last week.
“At a strategic level, we will be looking to align as closely as possible with the other UK nations. I think it is important and it makes sense to try to do that, though, I would stress, that operational decisions about which tiers might apply in which parts of our nations will be for each of us to take at a devolved level.
“The publication of a new framework will be a key step to guide us through the next phase of the pandemic. But it’s by no means the only step we will be taking over the next couple of weeks.
“What we want to do is ensure that these temporary restrictions don’t simply slow or reverse the increase in cases for a while, although that is clearly important, before things return to normal or as they were before these restrictions afterwards.
“What we want to do is use the two weeks to secure a longer term benefit and greater resilience as we know we will be living with this virus for some time yet to come.
“So, for example, as I indicated last week, later this week we will introduce regulations to extend the mandatory use of face coverings in indoor communal settings, for example, staff canteens and corridors in workplaces.
“We are also going to be taking action to strengthen compliance with the different strands of the FACTS advice. That will focus particularly on self-isolation because that is so essential to reducing and preventing transmission, but it also an area where we know, for understandable reasons, that compliance is not yet as high as we need it to be.
“We are also talking to different sectors of the economy, including hospitality and retail, to help them ensure that they can operate even more safely in future. For example, we have already asked shops to return to two metre physical distancing, and to reintroduce other measures, such as one way systems, that they had place earlier on in the pandemic.
“And finally, as I said last week in parliament, we are reviewing, again, our testing strategy. As we continue to expand our testing capacity, we are looking at the basis on which we would test more people including groups of people who do not have symptoms but who may, if the virus is not detected help to generate, or risk, community transmission, or transmission where people are vulnerable.
“So we will be working hard over the next two weeks, to further improve how we control the pandemic, while living as freely as possible for individuals and businesses, and we will be seeking to ensure that as we exit the reset restrictions two weeks from now, we do that on a more resilient footing.”
