Creative Scotland has published details of the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund, which forms part of the £31.5m emergency funding for culture announced by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on 28 August.
The £15 million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund aims to provide emergency support to organisations that provide opportunities for cultural engagement and have been unable to trade due to the impact of Covid-19. Its primary aim is to protect jobs and to support the sustainability of organisations threatened by insolvency in the short to medium term
Eligibility criteria and guidelines for applying to the Fund have now been published ahead opening for applications on Thursday 17 September.
Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s been an extremely difficult time for the culture sector this year. We’ve done everything we can to alleviate some of the immediate challenges but we know many businesses will continue to struggle until they can fully reopen.
“The Culture Organisations and Venue Recovery Fund will aid a range of cultural businesses and help them weather the most critical challenges they face. I’m grateful to Creative Scotland for the pace they’ve worked at to develop the funding and its distribution.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “The challenges presented to the culture and creative sector by the Covid-19 pandemic are only too real and are not going to go away quickly or easily. That’s why this additional emergency funding from the Scottish Government is so welcome.
“Our top priority is the delivery of these funds to the sector as quickly as possible and the launch today of the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund is an important step in providing much needed support. While we know that this funding won’t be able to meet every challenge, it will help to protect jobs and support the sustainability of organisations wherever possible.”
The Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund is the second of five new emergency funds from Scottish Government being delivered by Creative Scotland as follows:
The £3.5m Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund, announced on Thursday 3 September, is helping to secure the survival of Scotland’s independent cinemas, enabling them to re-establish and adjust their business models in response to Covid-19. The fund opens for applications on Monday 14 September.
The £5m Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund will address the current financial hardship being felt by creative freelancers who normally work in the culture sector but whose work has been impacted by Covid-19. We will be issuing an open call for partner organisations to help us distribute this fund on Friday 11 September
The £5m Sustaining Creative Practice Fund will support artists to continue developing new creative work that will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s recovery from COVID-19. This includes £1.5 million for the Culture Collective programme, mentioned in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, supporting organisations employing freelance artists to work in and with communities across Scotland. The remaining £3.5m has been added to Creative Scotland’s existing open fund which is open for applications from individuals now.
The £3m Youth Arts Fundwill ensure creative opportunities for children and young people continue to exist across Scotland despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Details of this fund are currently being finalised and will be announced week commencing 14 September.
The previously announced £2.2m Grassroots Music Venue Sustainability Fund closed for applications on 3 September. The fund has received 97 applications and awards will be announced on 22 September.
The £5m open call element of the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund closed for applications on 27 August. The fund received 42 applications and awards will be announced by 24 September.
Updates on all emergency funds will be published regularly on the Creative Scotland website and publicised through media and social media communications.
Connecting Scotland programme funding to expand to £43 million.
Organisations that work with digitally excluded families and young people in care are being encouraged to get involved with a programme aiming to get more people online.
Funding for Connecting Scotland, which aims to give low income families and individuals an internet device as well as twelve months unlimited data and technical support has now reached £43 million. This follows the announcement of an additional £23 million as part of Programme for Government earlier this month.
With around a hundred applications already received for the current phase of the programme, local authorities and third sector bodies have another three weeks to seek support for the families and care leavers they work with, with further details on how the additional funding will work expected next month.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The pandemic has emphasised the importance of digital connectivity – for education, for access to public services and online shopping, and for staying in touch with friends and family. However, it has also heightened the impact of digital exclusion.
“Over the next 15 months, the Connecting Scotland programme will make a significant contribution towards closing that digital divide by helping many more households to benefit from technology through issuing devices along with offers of support and data.
“By the end of next year it will have brought approximately 50,000 people online, underpinned by an additional £23 million Scottish Government funding. I will be able to announce details of the programme’s next phase, including the groups of people that I believe will be particularly able to benefit in the coming weeks.
“However, it is absolutely crucial that anyone who could benefit from the scheme has the chance to do so which is why I hope local authorities and our third sector partners will help identify even more people needing this kind of support.”
Organisations can apply for phase 2 up to 11am on 5 October here.
All of Scotland’s 32 local authorities and more than 25 individual community regeneration projects will receive a share of £30 million of new investment for regeneration and town centres.
The funding will be available immediately through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and the Town Centre Fund (TCF), both delivered in partnership between Scottish Government and COSLA.
Edinburgh’s share of the Town Centre Fund is £954,000.
The Govanhill Baths refurbishment in Glasgow, Midmills in Inverness, which will support creative industries and cultural social enterprises in the Highlands; and the Mossedge Centre, which will be a multi-purpose facility for use by the surrounding communities in Linwood Renfrewshire are among the community led regeneration projects that will benefit from this funding.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We want to go beyond rebuilding – to refresh and reform and help drive the social and economic renewal necessary to achieve the best future for Scotland.
“This further £30 million capital funding for regeneration and town centres will stimulate local construction across Scotland and support disadvantaged areas in the recovery.
“Communities are best placed to identify specific needs and aspirations and this regeneration funding enables the delivery of a wide range of locally-developed projects to be made into reality.
“Our places must work for our communities, and the Town Centre Funding will build on the success of last year’s fund. With it, local authorities will be able to drive forward projects that help people live better locally and reduce their carbon footprint while driving footfall to local businesses.”
COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson Cllr Steven Heddle said: “The additional challenges facing Scotland’s most vulnerable communities due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic means there has never been a more important time to strengthen the economic, social, and physical wellbeing of our places.
“This additional funding for the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Town Centre Fund will support the regeneration aspirations of our communities, and also accelerate the delivery of projects to support the recovery, tackle disadvantage and deprivation and support jobs.”
Linwood Community Development Trust will receive £400,000 from the RCGF this year to bring forward completion of the Mossedge Centre.
Trust Manager Kirsty Flannigan said: “Complemented by the existing 3G pitch, the Mossedge Centre will provide a resource for all within the local community, including a purpose-built home for our community run Roots Shop.
“Now we see the finishing line in sight, and can look forward to the post-pandemic future with confidence, knowing that this project will provide a legacy for present and future generations of the Linwood community.”
Scotland Secretary Alister Jack’s has written to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, about the UK Internal Market Bill:
11 September 2020
Dear Nicola,
I am writing to correct the false claims you have made about the UK Government’s Internal Market Bill, introduced to Parliament on Wednesday, 9 September.
As we’ve been clear, the Bill will protect and strengthen our internal market which is so vital to Scotland’s economy with 60 per cent of our exports, worth over £50 billion per year, going to other parts of the United Kingdom.
It will also create new opportunities for the UK Government, working with the Scottish Government, local authorities and other partners, to invest in Scotland.
That’s why I have described the Bill as a win-win for Scotland.
It is good for business, jobs and consumers. It will boost our economy and help us rebuild from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bill has now begun its passage through Parliament and will be debated at length in the weeks ahead.
In accordance with the Sewel Convention, the UK Government will seek a Legislative Consent Motion so the Scottish Parliament, also, will have the opportunity to consider our proposals.
Before this takes place, I wish to correct a series of assertions you have made about the Bill.
1. You have said the Bill will lead to a ‘race to the bottom’ in terms of food standards and environmental protections. That is emphatically not the case.
The UK is a world leader in food and environmental standards and that will not change.
Also, as you know, the UK Government and all devolved administrations have agreed a common framework on food and feed safety and hygiene law which clearly sets out the ‘rules and regulations related to the production and distribution of food and feed’. Guaranteeing our shared commitment to high standards across the UK.
The UK Government is proud of our record and keenly aware of the premium our high standards place on UK goods in overseas markets.
2. Similarly, your speculation that Scotland could be ‘forced to accept chlorinated chicken’ is unfounded.
As we have previously reminded Scottish Government ministers during discussions about the Bill, chlorine washed chicken is illegal in the UK. The UK Government has been clear we will not sign a trade deal that would compromise our high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.
Of course, we recognise and welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to high standards in these areas. Our shared view should be the basis of an agreed UK approach to high standards.
3. You also claimed the new spending power contained in the Bill could divert funding from schools and hospitals in Scotland. This is not the case.
Education and health are – and will continue to be – devolved to the Scottish Parliament and decisions on funding in those areas are for your Government to take. Scotland’s block grant is at a record level and the Barnett Formula will continue to operate as set out in the Statement on Funding Policy.
The UK Government’s spending power set out in the Bill will complement existing Scottish Government spending powers. This can only be a benefit to the people and businesses of Scotland.
They will enable us to spend money previously controlled by the EU to make strategic investments of UK-wide importance.
This is good news for the communities we serve and I am confident these new opportunities will be warmly welcomed by the people of Scotland.
4. You claim the Bill, had it been in place at the time, would have prohibited the Scottish Parliament from legislating to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. Again – as we have already made clear to Scottish Government ministers – this is incorrect.
Under the terms of the Bill, the Scottish Parliament would be able to introduce a minimum alcohol price provided, of course, it was not applied only to alcoholic drinks produced in certain parts of the UK.
5. You claim the Bill is ‘a naked power grab’ and ‘an attack on the powers of devolution’. It is not.
The Scottish Parliament will lose none of its existing powers. Indeed, as powers return from Brussels when we leave the Transition Period at the end of the year, scores of new responsibilities will flow to Holyrood.
It should be noted that your Government’s ambition to take Scotland out of the UK and into the EU would remove these powers from the Scottish Parliament. That is the only threat to Holyrood’s powers.
6. Finally, you claim the Bill would ‘break’ or ‘cripple’ devolution.
I’m afraid your Government is never less convincing than when it purports to champion a system it unashamedly wishes to overthrow.
Independence would destroy devolution, ending our system of two governments which was backed overwhelmingly by the people of Scotland in the referendums of 1997 and 2014.
The UK Government emphatically supports devolution and our Bill will strengthen the Scottish Parliament and create new opportunities for Scotland.
Your colourful description of the Internal Market Bill as ‘an abomination’ is deeply regrettable.
In my view, it would be abominable for the people of Scotland to be misinformed about a Bill which has such potential to improve lives and strengthen our country.
THE RT HON. ALISTER JACK MP SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has since written to the UK Government voicing concern at its plans for a post-Brexit internal market, saying it represents a threat to the Scottish economy.
Ms Hyslop said the proposed Internal Markets Bill will jeopardise Scotland’s food and drink sector, which has a world-renowned reputation for high standards and high quality products.
She also highlighted how the Bill will undermine the good progress made on common frameworks, the preferred means of managing policy difference across the UK when EU rules no longer apply.
Last month the Scottish Parliament considered the original proposals set out in the UK Government White Paper and voted overwhelmingly – by 92 votes to 31 – to reject them.
In her letter to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ms Hyslop said:
“Coronavirus (COVID-19) is clearly currently the biggest challenge for business and the economy. Unnecessary legislation, which undermines devolution, on top of an entirely unnecessary end to the Brexit transition period will do nothing to protect or promote trade across the UK and beyond.
“If this legislation were already in place, Scotland would not have been able to lead the way on the ban on smoking in public, on introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol, having rules on the marketing of raw milk consistent with the nature of the dairy sector in Scotland, or taking forward bans on the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds and microbeads in cosmetics.
“A linked concern is the prospect of the UK entering into future international trade agreements which might result in lower standard products being accepted into UK markets. Scotland’s world-leading food and drink sector, for example, is built on a reputation for the highest quality produce and nothing should be done to put that at risk.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing at St Andrew’s House yesterday (Friday 11 September):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I am joined here today by the deputy chief medical officer Dr Nicola Steedman who will say a few words shortly.
I will start though with the usual run through of the daily statistics.
An additional 175 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
That represents 2.7% of the people who were newly tested yesterday and the total number of cases is now 22,214.
80 of today’s cases are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 39 in Lanarkshire, 24 in Lothian and 12 in Ayrshire & Arran. The remaining 20 are spread across another 6 health boards.
I should flag up that the situation in Lanarkshire is causing some particular concern today. There will be expert public health discussions over the course of today and, depending on the judgments and conclusions they arrive at, it may be that some additional restrictions will have to be applied there. We will keep people updated.
I can also confirm that 269 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID, which is three more than yesterday.
Eight people are in intensive care, which is one more than yesterday.
But I am pleased to say that in the last 24 hours, no deaths have been registered of patients who first tested positive.
The total number of deaths, under this measurement, therefore remains at 2,499.
Of course, that total, always reminds us that this virus has had a terrible impact and I want again to convey my condolences to everybody who has lost someone.
Today I want to focus on two key announcements that we made yesterday just to underline their importance of both.
Firstly, the Protect Scotland app, which you’ve probably heard, was launched yesterday. It is now available for download.
More than 600,000 people have already downloaded the app – so if you were one of those, thank you for doing so.
But for the app to be as effective as possible, to help us in the fight against COVID and to help us live a bit more normally, then we need as many people as possible across Scotland to download it and use it.
So if you haven’t yet done so, you can download it via the Protect.Scot website, you’ll see that on the front of the podium or you can go to the Apple or Google play app stores and search Protect Scotland and you’ll find the app there.
The process for downloading it is very quick and simple. You don’t need to provide any personal information.
The way in which the app works is also really simple.
If you test positive for COVID, you will be given a code by Test & Protect to enter into the app.
Once you do that, the app will automatically identifies any other app users you have been in close proximity with – that means anyone you have been within two metres of, for more than 15 minutes, within a particular time scale.
The app will then immediately alert those people that a contact of theirs has tested positive – though they won’t know who that is – and it will provide them with information and links to advice on self-isolating.
Similarly, you will receive an alert if a contact of yours has tested positive – but again you won’t know who they are. Everything about the app is anonymous and confidential.
It doesn’t replace the current Test & Protect system, but instead it’s an enhancement of that.
It will be particularly useful for settings – such as public transport – where we tend to spend time in close proximity to people we don’t know so we wouldn’t be able to give the details of these people to a contact tracer who telephones us.
We also think it will be very valuable as students start to arrive back at university or college. So if you’re a student about to go to college or Uni make sure you download the app because it will help with you having a bit of normality about how you go about your daily lives and if you have relatives that are about to start college or Uni, make sure you remind them to go on and download it.
Also, one of the crucially things about it is helps reduce the time it takes to notify contacts. If you think about it, a manual contact tracing system is excellent and it’s doing a great job but by definition the time taken to phone someone, taking the details from them and then contact those people, takes a bit of time.
By contrast, the app provides contacts with almost immediate notification which will then be supplemented by advice as necessary from the Test and Protect team.
So for all of these reasons that I really want to stress, this app is a really important way in which all of us can support Test and Protect in the efforts that they are making but also a really important way for all of us to keep our communities safe and I know Nicola will talk more about this shortly. But in the face of COVID, we can all feel a bit, you know, powerless right now but this is a way of us doing something positive that helps in that collective effort.
Let me just stress again, because I know there are some people that understandably have concerns about any technology. This app has been designed with privacy absolutely in mind. It is anonymous and confidential, as I said a moment ago, it does not track your movements, it doesn’t know where you are or track your location, apart from the most minimal of data it needs to work. It doesn’t collect or pass on data.
Your data won’t be past to the DWP or HMRC or anybody else and someone like me can’t go and look anything about you because it doesn’t identify you personally at all.
So it’s a really good innovation and a good enhancement of this vital Test and Protect system that as we go into winter becomes ever more important. And I’ll come back to the simple facts I started with.
The sign up rate we saw yesterday and overnight and into today is excellent, probably beyond our initial expectations but we’ve got to keep that going, we’ve got to keep the numbers growing because the more of us who download and use it, the more effective this app will be and a more effective Test & Protect will be overall in helping us to tackle COVID.
So I would encourage you to visit protect.scot and download the app today – and spread the word to all your friends and family as well.
It is a simple thing we can do but it’s a really important thing all of us can do as individual citizens to help protect Scotland as a whole.
The second issue I want to highlight are the new rules and guidelines that we announced yesterday. In particular, I want to emphasise the new rules on social gatherings.
You know since July, up to eight people from three households have been able to meet indoors. The limits are a bit higher for larger for outdoor gatherings.
These limits no longer apply. A maximum now of six people, from a maximum of two households, will be able to meet together.
Now, I know that that is a really tough restriction. That’s why I want to assure you that the decision we made on this wasn’t taken lightly. At the moment we believe this is necessary to try to limit and restrict as much as we can the transmission of the virus between different households.
To put it bluntly, this virus wants to find new households to infect – that’s pretty much all it cares about – and to survive it has to transmit from person to person and household to household. So in order to push it into retreat as we did over the summer, we have to limit the opportunities for it to spread between households.
Whether this virus thrives or dies, is down to the opportunities we give it or deny it.
So to reduce transmission, and also to simplify the rules, this new limit will apply indoors – in houses, in pubs and restaurants – and also outdoors, including in private gardens.
There will be some limited exceptions – for example for organised sports and places of worship.
I also outlined yesterday an exception to allow up to 20 people to attend funeral wakes or wedding and civil partnership receptions.
And any children under 12, who are part of two households meeting up, don’t count towards the limit of six people.
Now, our initial decision for the reasons I’ve talked about, trying to limit that spread between households, is that children under 12 do count towards the household number – so children from several different households can’t gather altogether in your home.
However, I have asked for some additional expert advice to see if in some circumstances we could exempt children from the two households rule as well.
For example, children’s birthday parties could go ahead, even on a limited basis, as long as adults complied with the limit. We will clarify this over the next few days. Hopefully in the early part of next week.
And that indicates that we don’t want these rules to be applied any more severely than they have to be but we have to make sure that they are applied stringently enough in order to have the desired effect. That’s why some decisions are quite difficult and we need to think quite carefully about them.
The basic rule though, to remind people, is that in any setting, indoors or outdoors for now, you should not meet in groups of more than six people from a maximum of two households.
The regulations that will give legal effect to the new measures will come into force on Monday, and more detail will be available on our website.
But I would encourage people to start sticking to them now, rather than waiting for them to take legal effect on Monday.
And of course, for now, for people living in Glasgow, East or West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, the advice is not to visit other people’s households at all.
Now, I know all this can be really hard to understand – as you might have heard me saying at one of the briefings earlier in the week, at the early stage of this pandemic, we were just saying to all of you, just stay at home, that’s quite easy for people to understand, very hard to abide by, but easy to understand. It’s a bit more difficult now and I really get that.
We’re trying to simplify the rules as much as possible – but the point I want to just briefly touch on right now is that the fact that I know sometimes, these rules right now seem to be inconsistent.
One of the young people in my own life messaged me this morning to ask, pretty forcefully, why she can be with her friends at school all day today she can’t be with her friends after school later on.
And to be fair, that’s not an unreasonable question.
The basic answer is this – we are having to restrict interactions in the population generally to try to keep the virus at a low enough level to keep schools open, because we know being at school is so important for young people, educationally and socially.
So what can sometimes appear to be inconsistencies are actually the essential trade-offs that we need to make to avoid going back into lockdown more completely and to avoid, if at all possible, of having to close schools again.
So I know this can be difficult to understand but I would ask you, or seek to give you an assurance, that we do think carefully about all of this and while it can sometimes be difficult to fathom it, there is a rational behind the decisions that we are taking.
Now yesterday of course, we also decided to implement two additional measures to reduce the risk of transmission in the hospitality sector. Again, these will take effect legally from Monday but there’s no reason why people shouldn’t start to abide by these straight away.
Firstly, it will become mandatory for customers in hospitality premises to wear face coverings when they are not eating or drinking – for example when they enter the premises and go to their table, or when they leave the table to go to the bathroom.
And second it is already recommended in guidance that staff working in hospitality premises should wear face coverings. From Monday, that advice – subject to some exemptions, the same exemptions that apply to face coverings elsewhere – will become law.
The hospitality sector has put a lot of effort into making it safe for people to go out and meet up, and I am very grateful to them for that. These additional protections are all about helping to ensure the sector can remain open because that matters for the large numbers of people that of course who work within it as well as the people who enjoy the services that it provides.
The final point I want to make before handing over to Nicola, is that the changes that I announced yesterday I know are really unwelcome.
I did not want to announce them, and I’m sure that none of you wanted to hear them.
But in our judgement, imposing more restrictions now on how people can meet up, is necessary to avoid a stricter lockdown later.
Over the last month and a half, the average number of cases recorded in Scotland each day has been more than trebling every three weeks. That is not sustainable if we are to keep schools and businesses safely open.
So we have to act now in order to try to stem that increase and avoid more restrictive measures becoming necessary later. The other point that I made yesterday I want to stress today. This is all really frustrating and tiresome for everyone.
But on the upside we are in a stronger position now that we were back on March. Cases are not rising as quickly and that is partly because now, we have Test and Protect operating and people are much more used to having to do all the basic things to try to limit the spread of the virus.
So we’re in a stronger position but we must protect the progress we’ve made and try to stop the virus running out of control again particularly because we’ve always known going into winter with colder temperatures and damper conditions are likely to see this virus spread again more quickly so please stick to the new rules – of six people, and two households – and don’t wait until Monday, do that now.
And always remember the other measures that will minimise the risk of you passing the virus on to other people.
The simplest way of trying to remember all of that is FACTS.
These are the rules that all of us if we follow them will help keep transmission as low as possible, so
• Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces • Avoid crowded places. • Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly. • keep to Two metre distancing. • and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
I spoke earlier about downloading the Protect Scotland app, as a really simple but powerful thing we can help our communities. It is, and I would encourage you to do that.
But so is sticking to the five rules in FACTS.
The basic point that was true back in March that I think motivated all of us through really dark, difficult times, remains just as true today.
While our experiences are all different, I know that, but fundamentally we’re all in this together.
And fundamentally, it’s only together can we save lives and beat this virus.
So please, continue to play your part by doing all the things we ask.
Download the app and comply with the FACTS guidance.
Thank you to everybody for doing that and please continue to spread the word.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged smartphone users across Scotland to download NHS Scotland’s new contact tracing app to help suppress the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Protect Scotland app is now available to download for free via Apple and Google stores.
Supported by a dedicated Protect Scotland website, the app is an extra tool complementing existing person-to-person contact tracing which remains the main component of NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect system.
Individuals privacy will be protected as the app uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously alert users if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and advises them to self-isolate. Users of the app who test positive will still get a call from a contact tracer to confirm their details and who they have been in close contact with.
The app does not store details on an individual or their location but uses encrypted, anonymised codes exchanged between smartphones to determine all close contacts. Close contacts are defined as people who have been within two metres of someone who has tested positive for 15 minutes.
Built by software developers NearForm for NHS Scotland, the app uses the same technology as the Republic of Ireland and Northern Irish proximity tracing apps.
Sign up is entirely voluntary but strongly recommended for those with compatible smartphones.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The launch of the app is a welcome development which will offer an additional level of protection – supporting NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect system as it works to drive down the spread of COVID-19 across the country.
“I would encourage everyone to download the free app if they have a compatible smartphone, and help slow the spread of COVID-19. This will support the work of NHS Scotland and has the potential to help avoid local lockdowns.
“The more people who download and use the app, the more effective it can be in helping to make connections that may otherwise have been missed. This will allow people to self-isolate quickly if they are exposed to the virus, reducing the risk of them infecting others.
“We all have a part to play in suppressing the virus, and downloading the app – alongside other vital measures such as following hygiene and physical distancing guidance – will help protect you, your family and your community.
“We also know that not everyone uses a smartphone or will be able to or want to access the app, which is why this software is very much there to complement existing contact tracing methods.”
Cian Ó Maidín, CEO, NearForm said: “We’re delighted to partner with NHS Scotland on the Protect Scotland app which puts power in citizens’ pockets to join the fight against COVID-19.
“This open source technology was built with privacy and data protection at its core and, through anonymous keys, allows Scottish citizens to engage, protect each other and break transmission chains.
“The Scottish Government has taken a great approach, using open source software, that has been peer reviewed and rolled out successfully in Ireland and Northern Ireland.”
Since launching last night, the app has already been downloaded more than 600,000 times.
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said: “The Scottish Government has now launched the ‘Protect Scotland’ proximity tracing app, to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus and complement the person-to-person approach of Test and Protect.
“The app – which takes less than a minute to download – will allow us to alert people at risk far more quickly, so that we can all take steps to reduce the risk of infecting others.
“Scotland’s official contact tracing app will help us all to protect ourselves, our family, our friends and our community by enabling faster contact tracing.
“The more people who have the app, the more it can help to slow the spread of Coronavirus.
“That’s why I’m urging people in Edinburgh to download the app, and let’s all protect Scotland.”
For more information on the Protect Scotland app visit www.protect.scot
Maximum gathering set at six people from two households
Indoor and outdoor gatherings revised to keep virus under control
The number of people who can gather together, indoors or outdoors, will be set at maximum of six from two households.
Moves announced yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be enforced from Monday (14 September), but people are urged to ‘abide by these stricter new limits immediately.’
Children under 12 from within the two households will not be counted in the new limit of six people.
The restrictions do not apply where there is other sector specific guidance in force, for example for gyms, for childcare or for organised sports, and there will be some other limited exceptions for larger households, education, and places of worship. It does apply to hospitality.
Along with these new measures, the First Minister also confirmed that Scotland will not move out of Phase 3.
As a result of a rise in coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, route map changes that had been given a conditional, indicative start date of Monday (14 September) – conditional on progress against the epidemic – have now been given the new indicative date of Monday 5 October.
A final decision will be taken nearer the time on confirming this new indicative date.
The measures announced yesterday are:
group gatherings will only be allowed to a maximum of six people from two households in both indoor and outdoor settings, with limited exemptions (becoming law from Monday 14 September)
face coverings must be worn in hospitality settings, apart from during the service of food and drink, with hospitality staff following the similar rules as retail staff (from Monday 14 September)
up to 20 people will still be able to attend funerals, weddings and civil partnerships ceremonies, with the limit permitted for wakes and receptions rising to 20 in line with this, as long as they take place in regulated venues like hotels with strict guidance in place (from Monday 14 September)
route map moves expected from Monday (14 September) are given a new indicative date of Monday 5 October
The First Minister said: “I am asking people to abide by these stricter new limits on gatherings immediately.
“In recent weeks, we have reopened significant parts of our economy. People are meeting up more, going out more, and travelling more. All of that is positive.
“But as we released ourselves from lockdown, we also released the virus. Rather than the threat to public health receding, the pandemic is accelerating again – albeit, and thankfully, from a low base and not as rapidly.
“The hospitality industry has put a lot of effort into creating safe spaces for people to meet. We hope that reducing the risk of transmission in hospitality settings through the use of face coverings and reducing group numbers will help keep the sector open.
“Unfortunately, the route map changes that had been given an indicative date of Monday, conditional on the progress of the epidemic, must be paused for a further three weeks. I must stress this remains an indicative date and a final decision can only be taken nearer the time.
“It is important we don’t lose sight of the objective to keep infection levels as low as possible. It is not a virus anyone should be relaxed about getting.
“I know that after six long, hard months, we are still asking the public to make a lot of difficult sacrifices. That is unavoidable, given the nature of the challenge we face.
“However, I want to be clear that while we still face a battle to get and keep COVID under control, we are in a stronger position than earlier in the year.”
The new measures do not overrule measures implemented for localised restrictions.
Two test events to be played in front of home supporters
Two pilot Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) matches are to take place in front of 300 home supporters following extensive discussions involving Ministers and the football authorities.
The games – Aberdeen v Kilmarnock and Ross County v Celtic – on Saturday 12 September, have been approved after each of the home teams submitted detailed operational plans for the safe admission of fans.
Both home clubs have undertaken to ensure supporters attending will be local to their areas to keep travel to a minimum.
Proposed pilot events involving Rangers and St Mirren will not go ahead following the extension of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the west of Scotland.
Each of the home clubs will also provide a post-match report on operational delivery to inform guidance for future pilots. No date has been confirmed for the general resumption of stadia events outlined in the Scottish Government Route Map out of the COVID-19 crisis.
Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “No final decision has yet been taken regarding the general resumption of stadia events with restricted numbers of spectators and nothing should be taken for granted at this stage.
“However, the Scottish Government has agreed that the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) can hold two pilot events, each with 300 home supporters only, on 12 September.
“A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes in recent months to create the protocols and testing regimes to allow top-level professional sport in Scotland to resume, and this arrangement follows extensive discussions with the Scottish FA, SPFL and clubs about public safety – particularly in relation to physical distancing and hygiene measures.
“The football authorities and the clubs involved have also been able to review and learn from the pilot event staged by Scottish Rugby on 28 August and we are confident there will be strict protocols in place at these two initial pilot football events.
“We are keeping all pilot events under close review.”
SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster said: “The Joint Response Group (JRG) is pleased to have received confirmation of pilot events at two Scottish Premiership fixtures on 12 September and I would like to thank the respective home clubs – and indeed all 12 Premiership clubs – for the comprehensive Return to Supporting plans.
“We look forward to building on the successful supporter rugby pilot at BT Murrayfield and I know that clubs take the responsibility for the safe return of supporters seriously. This is another significant step forward for Scottish football and I reiterate the importance of fans to our national game.
“The JRG will continue to liaise with all clubs, especially the home clubs, in the coming week to ensure all protocols and guidance are adhered to and that fans can look forward to a phased return to supporting their respective teams.”
The First Minister will make a full statement on Thursday (10 September) with a further update on COVID-19, including stadia events, as set out in the revised Scottish Government COVID-19 route map published on 20 August 2020.
Bill introduced ‘to protect jobs and trade across the whole of the United Kingdom’
Bill introduced to protect trade and jobs across the UK by preventing new burdens on business when the Transition Period ends
transfer of powers from the EU to the UK government to invest in businesses and communities across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland as we recover from Covid-19
a new independent Office for the Internal Market (OIM) to be set up within the Competition and Markets Authority to monitor the smooth running of trade within the United Kingdom
the Bill will also set out limited and reasonable steps ensure that the government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland
A new Bill to protect jobs and trade across the whole of the United Kingdom after the Transition Period ends will be introduced to Parliament today.
The UK Internal Market Bill will ‘guarantee companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK as they have done for centuries, ensuring the continued prosperity of people and business across 4 parts of the UK, while maintaining our world-leading high standards for consumers, workers, food, animal welfare and the environment’ says the UK Government – but if enacted the Bill breaks international law.
From 1 January 2021, powers in a range of policy areas previously exercised at an EU level will flow directly to the devolved administrations in Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont for the first time. This will give the devolved legislatures power over more issues than they have ever had before, including over air quality, energy efficiency of buildings and elements of employment law, without removing any of their current powers.
Once the Transition Period ends, rules that have regulated how each home nation trades with each other over the past 45 years will fall away. Without urgent legislation to preserve the status quo of seamless internal trade, rules and regulations set in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland could create new barriers to trade between different parts of the UK, unnecessary red tape for business and additional costs for consumers. Data shows that the combined total sales from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom were worth over £90 billion in 2018.
The Bill will ‘avoid this uncertainty for business by creating an open, fair, and competitive market across the United Kingdom, ensuring regulations from one part of the country will be recognised in another’. Each devolved administration will still be able to set their own standards as they do now, while also being able to benefit from the trade of businesses based anywhere in the UK. The rules in this bill will also bind the UK government when acting on behalf of England in areas of devolved competence.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “For centuries the UK’s internal market has been the cornerstone of our shared prosperity, delivering unparalleled stability and economic growth across the Union.
“This Bill will protect our highly integrated market by guaranteeing that companies can continue to trade unhindered in every part of the UK after the Transition Period ends and EU law falls away.
“By providing clarity over rules that will govern the UK economy after we take back control of our money and laws, we can increase investment and create new jobs across the United Kingdom, while our maintaining world-leading standards for consumers, workers, food and the environment.
“Without these necessary reforms, the way we trade goods and services between the home nations could be seriously impacted, harming the way we do business within our own borders. Now is not the time to create uncertainty for business with new barriers and additional costs that would trash our chances of an economic recovery.”
The Bill will also enable the UK government to provide financial assistance to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with new powers to spend taxpayers’ money previously administered by the EU. From January 2021, the UK will be able to invest in communities and businesses nationwide with powers covering infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, and support for educational, training and exchange opportunities both within the UK and internationally – much of which were previously done at an EU level.
The transfer of powers from the EU to the UK government will complement and strengthen existing support given to citizens in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland by the devolved administrations, without taking away their responsibilities. A strong UK Internal Market, with the ability of the UK government to invest to support all parts of our Union, will help the UK government to deliver prosperity for businesses and communities across all parts of the UK, levelling up the country and strengthening the Union.
The proposals will allow the UK government to meet its commitments to deliver replacements for EU programmes, such as a UK Shared Prosperity Fund, replacing bureaucratic EU structural funds and at a minimum match the size of those funds in each nation.
The Bill will also set out limited and reasonable steps to ensure that the government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland. The UK government remains fully committed to implementing the Withdrawal Agreement and Northern Ireland Protocol.
However, at all stages we must, as a responsible government, ensure that we have the ability to uphold our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland, preserve the huge gains of the peace process and protect Northern Ireland’s place in our United Kingdom – as set out in the Command Paper published in May.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said: The devolved administrations of the UK will enjoy a power surge when the Transition Period ends in December. Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay will soon have more powers than ever before and there will be no change to the powers the devolved administrations already have.
“This Bill will also give the UK government new spending powers to drive our economic recovery from COVID-19 and support businesses and communities right across the UK.
“No longer will unelected EU bodies be spending our money on our behalf. These new spending powers will mean that these decisions will now be made in the UK, focus on UK priorities and be accountable to the UK Parliament and people of the UK.”
The UK government has also laid out plans to establish an independent monitoring body, the Office for the Internal Market (OIM), to support the smooth running of trade within the United Kingdom.
The body will sit within the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and provide independent, technical advice to parliament and the devolved administrations on regulation that may damage the UK’s internal market.
The reporting and monitoring role undertaken by the OIM will be non-binding and carried independently from ministers and devolved administrations, ensuring impartiality and transparency when developing its evidence.
Where there is a matter of dispute, the OIM will ultimately provide such reports to the UK Parliament and each of the devolved legislatures and it will be for these bodies, supported by their respective administrations and intergovernmental processes, to determine how to take action in response, minimising the need to seek court action.
Andrea Coscelli, CEO of the Competition and Markets Authority, said: The new independent Office for the Internal Market will stand ready to provide technical advice to the UK government and parliament and the devolved administrations and legislatures on the smooth running of trade within the United Kingdom. The CMA will ensure that the OIM fulfils its role with professionalism, impartiality and analytical rigour.“
Without this action to preserve the status quo of seamless domestic trade, businesses across the UK could face serious problems: a Welsh lamb producer could end up unable to sell their lamb in Scotland, or Scotch whisky producers could lose access to supply from English barley farmers. These proposals create certainty for businesses that might otherwise face a complex and increasingly fragmented regulatory environment.
The UK’s existing high standards across areas including environmental standards, workers’ rights, animal welfare and food standards will underpin the functioning of the Internal Market to protect consumers and workers across the economy. The UK government is committed to maintaining high standards in these areas, including in all free trade agreement negotiations.
More than 270 businesses, charities, academics and industry groups responded to a public consultation on the proposals, launched in July. Responses showed overwhelming support from businesses for the measures to avoid additional costs to doing business between different parts of the UK and providing vital certainty for firms from January 2021.
Try as they may to sell the Bill, the Westminster government’s decision to renege on parts of the agreement previously negotiated with the EU will see the UK set on a collision course with Brussels, making a ‘No Deal’ Brexit increasingly likely.
The controversial decision has seen the UK Government’s most senior lawyer quit his post over the plans to modify the Brexit withdrawal agreement. It is understood Sir Jonathan Jones, permanent secretary to the UK Government Legal Department, is unhappy with the new bill to be unveiled today – a Bill which government minister Brandon Lewis admits will ‘break international law’.
The Scottish Government has said it is impossible to recommend the Scottish Parliament gives consent to the UK Government’s Internal Market bill.
The bill, which will be published by the UK Government tomorrow, engages the Sewel Convention, and therefore the UK’s constitutional rules require the consent of Holyrood.
Constitution Secretary Michael Russell said if the UK Government refuses to respect the will of the Scottish Parliament it will demonstrate once more that the UK’s constitution provides no protection to the devolution settlement and the UK Government can ignore the rules whenever it chooses.
Mr Russell said there is no mechanism to challenge such disregard for accepted practice, demonstrating the UK is “not a genuine partnership of equals”.
Mr Russell said: “It beggars belief that the UK Government is asking the Scottish Government to recommend consent to the Internal Market Bill. This is not a genuine partnership of equals and we couldn’t recommend consent to a Bill that undermines devolution and the Scottish Parliament, and which, by the UK Government’s own admission, is going to break international law.
“This is a shabby blueprint that will open the door to bad trade deals and unleashes an assault on devolution the like we have not experienced since the Scottish Parliament was established. We cannot, and will not, allow that to happen.
“It will open the door to a race to the bottom on food standards, environmental standards and will endanger key public health policies such as minimum unit pricing. It will also deliver a hammer blow to the Scottish economy by making it harder for the UK Government to conclude Free Trade agreements if other countries think the UK won’t meet its obligations.
“As each day passes, it becomes clearer that the people of Scotland deserve the right to choose a better direction, to determine their own future. That is why, before the end of this parliament, we will set out the terms of a future independence referendum clearly and unambiguously to the people of Scotland, in a draft referendum bill.”
Scotland’s leading pro-EU organisation, the European Movement in Scotland, today condemns the UK Government’s Internal Market Bill as both a breach of faith with the EU and an assault on Scotland’s democratic devolved settlement.
In a strongly worded letter sent to Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, and other leading EU figures, EMiS says it disassociates itself entirely from the UK’s “reckless behaviour” that “puts at risk the rule of law” and “threatens peace on the island of Ireland.”
At the same time, EMiS vice-chair David Clarke condemns the bill’s proposal to confer sweeping powers on UK ministers over the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland without any control by MPs, MSPs etc.
He says: “The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government are having their powers cut against the democratic will of the voters of Scotland. This Bill is an assault on democracy.”
The full letter , also sent to Michel Barnier, EU chief Brexit negotiator, Charles Michel, European Council president, and David Sassoli, European Parliament president, is attached in full:
Dear President Von der Leyen,
I am writing on behalf of the hundreds of members and supporters of the European Movement in Scotland to let you, and all our EU friends and partners, know that we dissociate ourselves entirely from the reckless behaviour of the United Kingdom Government.
We share the view of the European Union that the Internal Market Bill is a breach of the undertaking in the Withdrawal Agreement to negotiate in good faith. It puts at risk the rule of law, it jeopardises arrangements for the continuation of peace on the island of Ireland and makes more likely a no deal outcome to the EU/UK trade negotiations. We utterly condemn this disgraceful and underhand proposal and support the EU’s demand that international law is upheld. It is not in our name.
In addition, we want to express our concern that the democratic settlement in Scotland is being undermined by this same legislation. As analysis by the Centre on Constitutional Change makes clear, the Internal Market Bill gives UK ministers new powers to control a wide range of devolved matters.
The devolved nations are to have no role in defining the internal market. UK Ministers will gain sweeping powers and can get more, through statutory instrument rather than fully scrutinised primary legislation.
The mutual recognition principle in the Bill means that goods, services and professionals meeting the standards of any part of the UK can be traded or work in all the others, and as England is by far the largest part, and the UK Government sets the rules there, it will decide. This is not a partnership of equals.
Further powers are given to UK ministers to spend in devolved areas. UK ministers can also decide the conditions of such spending. So the UK will gain more powers and it will exercise them on its own. There is no equivalent in the UK to the binding subsidiarity and proportionality principles in the EU. The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government are having their powers cut against the democratic will of the voters of Scotland. This Bill is an assault on democracy.
We in the European Movement in Scotland campaign relentlessly for membership of Scotland, and the wider UK, in the EU and for EU values of democracy, the rule of law, international solidarity etc. You will know that the voters of Scotland chose by a significant majority in the 2016 referendum to Remain in the EU. We ask that our friends and partners in Europe leave a light on for Scotland’s European future.
I am writing in similar terms to M. Barnier, to the President of the European Council and to the President of the European Parliament.
Appeal to younger people: please think about your loved ones
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Tuesday 8th September):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us again today. As usual I will take us through the daily COVID statistics starting with today’s positive cases.
I can report that an additional 176 cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 2.3% of people newly tested yesterday and takes the total number of cases now to 21,719.
As usual the full health board breakdown will be published on the website later on, but I can give you the provisional information I have which is that 91 cases are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 32 in Lanarkshire, 16 in Lothian and 8 in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining 29 cases are spread across the other seven mainland health boards.
And it is worth me stressing today that we have positive cases reported today in every mainland health board area.
I can also confirm that 267 patients are currently in hospital with COVID, that is 11 more than yesterday and six people are in intensive care, which is one more than yesterday.
I am also very sad to report that in the past 24 hours, three deaths have been registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. The total number of deaths, under this measurement, is now 2,499.
Today is the first occasion on which three deaths have been reported in our daily figures since 30 June.
This reminds us of the impact that the virus has had, and continues to have. But most of all of course, that figure speaks of three individual tragedies.
I want to send my condolences to those who are grieving as a result of the deaths reported today, and to everyone who has lost a loved one during this pandemic.
My remarks today are going to focus very much on the announcement that the Scottish Government made last night about the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area and then say something about the more general situation.
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee met late yesterday afternoon to discuss the restrictions which were put in place a week ago today in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.
We considered a report from the Incident Management Team, and consulted the representatives of the local authorities affected.
Having assessed the latest information about new cases, and assessed advice from our senior clinical advisors, the Scottish Government decided yesterday that existing restrictions must remain in place for these three local authority areas.
We also concluded – on the evidence presented – that the restrictions should also be extended to cover two other local authority areas in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board region and those two additional council areas where Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire, both of these areas recorded a high number of new cases in the past week.
So that means that for anyone who lives in these five local authority areas, just as a reminder that is Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, that the following restrictions will apply for at least the next week.
Can I just recap, I think I may at one point have mixed up East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire, the restrictions were in place last week for West Dunbartonshire and they are now in addition in place for East Dunbartonshire. So, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Glasgow City, just in case I didn’t mention all of these areas correctly. So let me recap what the restrictions that are in place in these areas are.
First, if you live in these council areas, you should not host people from other households in your own home, and you should not visit someone else’s home – no matter where it is.
And to use my own example, I live in Glasgow City, I should not have people in my home and nor should I visit my parents who live in Ayrshire even though Ayrshire is not one of the affected council areas.
Secondly, if anyone in a household is identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID – then we are advising everyone in that household should self-isolate for 14 days.
That is different to the normal rules – where only the person who is a contact has to isolate – but our advice is that this extension is essential at this stage to help us break the chains of transmission.
And finally, visiting in care homes across Greater Glasgow and Clyde is restricted to outdoor visits only unfortunately, except for essential visits. Hospital visiting is for essential purposes only.
More details – including information about exceptions to the rules on household meetings, for carers and extended households – are available on the Scottish Government website.
I know that these rules are really unwelcome. As I already said, I live in Glasgow, and know how frustrating they are and I, just like all of you watching, do not want them to be in place for any longer than is necessary.
But overall I believe that they represent a proportionate – and hopefully effective – but also absolutely necessary response to a worrying increase in COVID across these areas.
The restrictions will be reviewed again next week. They will stay in place for as long as they are needed – but not for any longer than that.
Yesterday’s meeting also discussed the situation in other parts of Scotland – such as Inverclyde, and North and South Lanarkshire. At the moment, the number of new cases in these areas does not warrant additional restrictions – however this will be kept under close review.
We also discussed the hospitality sector.
The evidence we have at this stage suggests that house gatherings – which by their nature are hard to regulate for things like physical distancing – have made the biggest contribution to the spread of COVID across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
They are also a setting in which older and more vulnerable people are often most at risk of infection because older and more vulnerable people are perhaps more likely to socialise at home rather than visit pubs and restaurants.
As a result, our restrictions focus on meetings in people’s houses. However some transmission we know is taking place in pubs and restaurants, and so we will also keep that under close review.
We will discuss with the five local authorities concerned, what further steps we can take to ensure that pubs, bars and restaurants are operating in line with all the necessary rules.
In doing that, we will learn lessons from the work that environmental health officers did in Aberdeen before pubs and bars there were able to re-open.
One point I would stress here, though, is that there has always been – and there remains – a responsibility for customers.
The rules on indoor meetings still apply in pubs.
So when you go out there should be now more than eight people from a maximum of three households in a group in a pub or restaurant; and different households should physically distance.
If you arrive in a bar which is a bit too crowded, and where physical distancing is difficult, then my strong advice would be not to stay there. Try to find a venue that is less busy.
And when you do go out, it is far better to stay in one pub than to visit several.
If you spend time in three or four different bars, you are significantly increasing the number of people who could transmit COVID to you.
And if you have COVID, but don’t yet have symptoms, you are significantly increasing the number of people you could infect.
In addition, if you think about how Test and Protect system works, one person visiting several pubs in a night or a week, creates a far bigger challenge to them than someone who just stays in one venue.
So please, try to ensure that you stay in the same place if at all possible. It makes a difference to your safety and also to the safety of those around you.
This is an area which is hard to regulate, and we do not want if we can avoid it, have to create rules or laws.
But there is, very clearly, a responsibility for individuals here.
The hospitality sector has reopened, and we want people to support the sector and of course to be able to safely enjoy themselves.
But we are still living in a global pandemic and that pandemic is now accelerating again across the country and of course and it is still accelerating across the world. So you should not be socialising in the same way as you were last year or the earlier part of this year before the pandemic struck
I also want to take the opportunity to remind you again that the international situation remains very volatile too – we see the number of cases raising in many countries across Europe and further afield so my advice is that you should still be cautious at this time about non-essential foreign travel.
The final point I want to make is that the situation I have outlined today is a sharp reminder for all of us– not just people in Greater Glasgow and Clyde but for all of us – that COVID unfortunately is spreading again.
That was always likely to happen when we substantially lifted lockdown.
That means we have to think carefully about whether it is safe or possible to open up further at this stage.
It is only fair that I signal now that – while final decisions have not been taken – when we do our latest three weekly review on Thursday, we may well not be able to go ahead with any further easing of restrictions at this time.
Obviously we want to do everything possible to avoid the situation where more restrictions that have been lifted have to be re-imposed.
And the key to avoiding that rests with all of us. The decisions we all make as individuals, still affect the safety and well-being of our communities.
So please do everything you can to avoid creating a bridge for the virus to cross over from one person to another or one household to another, if you do that there is less chance of you getting the virus and less chance of you transmitting the virus and less chance of course of you being contacted by Test and Protect and asked to self-isolate as a contact of someone who has tested positive
And before I finish briefly let me again, like I did yesterday, take head on an argument that we hear more frequently just now – and that argument is that because the virus is, at the moment, infecting more young people than old people, and because we are not yet seeing a sharp rise in serious illness or deaths, then we don’t need to worry about this.
That is, in my view, potentially a really dangerous delusion.
Firstly, the risk of a young person getting seriously ill or dying is thankfully lower – but it is not zero. And I would ask people of all ages to remember that.
Second, we are seeing warning signs here already. I have reported three deaths today – that’s the first time I’ve had to do that in more than two months, so we should listen to the warning signals that already here.
And thirdly, we don’t live in entirely generationally segregated ways. If transmission becomes established in the younger population, it will eventually reach the older, more vulnerable population.
So to younger people, please think about your loved ones as well as yourselves, which I know everybody does.
And to older people, be even more vigilant about hygiene and distancing if you are spending time with young relatives who may have been in pubs or restaurants.
And to all of us, let’s treat the current situation with the seriousness it most certainly merits.
Abide by the rules and remember that the simplest way in which all of us can deny the virus the opportunity to spread, is by following the FACTS advice.
These are the five golden rules that all of us must follow to protect ourselves, our families, our communities, protect the NHS and ultimately let’s not lose sight of this, save lives. So let me just end with a reminder of these five rules.
• Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces • Avoid crowded places, whether they are indoor or outdoor. • Clean your hands and clean hard as well. • keep to Two metre distancing where ever you can. I know that that can be difficult, but it remains a really vital protection against this virus spreading. • and remember to Self-isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms of COVID.
It’s not easy for any of us to do all of this, but doing all of this helps us individually to contribute to a situation where collectively we have the best chance of keeping this virus under control, so my thanks to all of you for joining us again today.
Social gatherings above six banned in England from 14 September
Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday following a steep rise in coronavirus cases.
A law change will ban larger groups meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, but it will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will confirm details of the new restrictions later today.
