Concerns over new variant of coronavirus in Brazil
Following identification of a new variant of coronavirus in Brazil, the Scottish Government has imposed additional restrictions on all arrivals from South America, as well as several countries with strong travel links to affected countries.
In addition to the South American nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, this will also apply to Portugal, including Azores and Madeira, Panama and Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) and British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands.
These travel restrictions will replicate the measures that were put in place for Denmark and South Africa and came into force at 04:00am this morning (Friday 15 January).
Travellers who have been in any of these countries or territories in the 10 days prior to their arrival in Scotland must isolate, along with all members of their household. No exemptions from isolation will apply.
Qatar and the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are also removed from the country exemption list at the same time.
The UK Government has confirmed that implementation of pre-departure testing for arrivals into England is delayed until Monday morning, to allow carriers and passengers additional time to prepare.
The Scottish Government intended to introduce this additional measure on Friday 15 January, but it is necessary to also delay implementation to allow for coordination between the UK Government’s regulations and the relevant Scottish regulations.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “It is important that everyone follows the regulations that mean any travel must be for an essential purpose. Very few people should be travelling internationally, and then only for a genuinely essential reason.
“The emergence of concerning variants identified in Brazil, as well as South Africa and Denmark in recent months, means we must think carefully about restrictions on international travel.
“At this early stage of vaccine rollout, and with case rates at high levels across the UK, it is important we take the right steps to prevent importing new strains that can increase transmission or undermine the vaccine in Scotland.
“We are in close discussion with other administrations about additional measures we can put in place, including the timing of the introduction of pre-departure testing.”
Eleven local authorities are to move into the highest protection level as efforts continue to suppress the incidence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the weeks up to Christmas.
Speaking in parliament this afternoon, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced that travel restrictions will be put into law to prevent people who live in a Level 3 or Level 4 local authority area from travelling outside their local authority except for an essential purpose – such as work or caring responsibilities.
The regulations also non-essential travel into a Level 3 or 4 local authority area, except for the same reasons.
The changes to protection levels will come into effect at 6pm on Friday (20 November) and will remain in place for three weeks until Friday 11 December.
The City of Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian will move from Level 3 – where they have been since the new levels system was announced – to Level 4.
The City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth & Kinross and Angus will all remain at Level 3.
Restrictions around outdoor socialising for those in Level 1 are to be extended to allow eight people from three households to meet outdoors. Previously only six people from two households were permitted to meet outdoors.
The First Minister said: “In the seven days up to Friday, Scotland as a whole had just over 140 new cases of COVID per 100,000 people. All of the areas moving to Level 4 were above that level – ranging from West Lothian, with a rate of 158 cases per 100,000, to Glasgow with 277.
“We simply do not have the assurance we need that hospital and ICU services will be able to cope as we go deeper into winter. Pressure on hospitals in these areas – and on those who work in them – is already severe and with the additional pressure that the coming weeks may bring, it could easily become intolerable.
“At these levels we would not have the flexibility we need to ease restrictions over Christmas – which, in common with the other UK nations, we so desperately want to do.
“The clear advice of our public health experts is that we must drive infection rates down further in these areas. They are not confident that Level 3 restrictions will do this to the extent necessary.
“That is why, albeit reluctantly, we have taken the decision to place these areas into Level 4 for three weeks. I know people are frustrated that other restrictions have remained in place longer than planned but Level 4 is intended to be short and sharp. And in this situation, it is specifically intended to have an impact in advance of Christmas and the most winter challenging period.
“Our objective in taking this action now is to protect the NHS, open the possibility of seeing some loved ones at Christmas and complete the journey to next spring with as few restrictions as possible and with the minimum impact on life and health.”
Following the announcement from the First Minister that the majority of Local Authority areas within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area have been placed in Level 4 and additional protective measures will come into effect from 20 November, NHSGGC Chief Executive, Jane Grant said: “We understand that for many the increased COVID measures that have been announced today will be disappointing.
“However, given the increased pressures on our essential services and the rising number of people in our hospitals with COVID, we are hopeful that these measures will help to drive the number of cases in our area down and help to protect our local communities.
“We currently have more than 700 people in our hospitals with COVID, this number has been increasing steadily for a number of weeks. Our staff and services are under the same levels of pressure as they were at the peak of the first COVID wave so we hope these new measures will help us to continue to provide vital services and support to our staff, patients and their loved ones.”
Responding to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, the SLTA’s managing director, Colin Wilkinson, said: “This is the worst possible news for the licensed hospitality industry and there will be many operators who will now be seriously considering if their businesses have a future at all – that’s how serious the situation is.
“Many operators in levels two and three areas have already taken the reluctant decision to close down their businesses as it is simply unviable to operate with the current restrictions on the sale of alcohol and the operating times that are currently in place. Even hotels and restaurants serving food feel defeated by these unnecessarily complex and ever-changing guidelines.
“Moving into level four suggests that the closing of pubs and bars in October in five health board areas, prior to the introduction of the tier system, has done little to bring down the rate of Covid-19 infections,” said Mr Wilkinson. “And yet again, there has been no meaningful engagement with our industry and there has been no evidence to prove that the virus is being spread within the licensed hospitality sector.
“We reiterate that we support the goal of suppressing the virus – of course we do,” he continued. “But we also reiterate that we are a sector in crisis with hundreds of businesses facing permanent closure and thousands of jobs hanging in the balance. Sadly, for some, the damage is already irreparable.”
Meanwhile, an SLTA survey of 600 on-trade premises highlighted that within the pub and bar sector, 50,000 jobs could go. The trade body estimates that two-thirds of hospitality businesses could be mothballed or go under in the coming weeks.
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 45% of staff employed are under the age of 25.
Mr Wilkinson added:“Closing these businesses also brings additional immediate financial costs for operators with the cost of actually closing a small wet pub around £2,000, a medium food pub around £6,000 and a large pub between £8,000 and £10,000.
“There are also the ongoing costs while closed which fall far short of support grants currently in place.An SLTA survey revealed that the average fixed costs over a wide range of licensed hospitality business types came to over £11,000 per month.”
Responding to the announcement that 11 council areas will move into Tier 4 restrictions from Friday, CAMRA Scotland’s Director Joe Crawford said: “Pubs in all tiers across the country have been feeling the devastating effects of restrictions on their businesses. Being moved up to Tier 4 will be a devastating blow for pubs in these 11 council areas.
“Many publicans are understandably worried about how and when these restrictions will end and whether they will be able to survive the tough weeks and months ahead.
“We urgently need a long-term, sector- specific support package to help our locals – and the breweries that serve them – survive the winter.
“Lockdowns and restrictions across all tiers has decimated trade and knocked long-term consumer confidence in pubs as a safe, Covid-secure place to meet. Entering the highest tier is putting more local pubs in an untenable position to make it through this crisis.
“Simply put, without greater financial support, we risk seeing hindreds of Scottish pubs and breweries close their doors for good.”
POLICE SCOTLAND are asking the public to comply with the restrictions announced today by The Scottish Government to stop the spread of #Coronavirus.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “We are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to protect the NHS and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.
“As we have consistently said throughout the pandemic, the vast majority of the public have been complying with the regulations.
“People have been exceptionally quick to act when new restrictions are introduced. The mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops is evidence of this. Scotland is, generally, a law-abiding nation and I fully expect that public support to continue as these new measures are introduced.
“Therefore, the policing approach we adopted from the outset of the pandemic will not change. Our officers will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance, and encourage compliance.
“We will use enforcement as a last resort where there is a clear breach of the legislation.
“The Chief Constable has said publicly on numerous occasions that we will not be routinely stopping vehicles or setting up road blocks, and that will not change as a result of travel restrictions now being in law.
“However, officers may in the course of their duties come across people who are travelling from one local authority area to another. In areas where travel restrictions apply, officers will continue to use the common sense, discretion and excellent judgement that they have applied since the crisis began.”
Updated travel guidance will be published ahead of the travel regulations being introduced on Friday 20 November.
From 6pm Friday 20 November, the level allocations will be:
Level 1: Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Highland Moray Orkney Shetland
Level 2: Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Argyll and Bute Borders Dumfries and Galloway
Level 3: Angus Clackmannanshire Dundee City Edinburgh Falkirk Fife Inverclyde North Ayrshire Perth and Kinross
East Lothian and Midlothian will remain in Level 3 until Tuesday 24 November when they will move to Level 2.
Level 4: East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Renfrewshire Glasgow North Lanarkshire Renfrewshire South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian
The assessment of what level of protection should be applied to each local authority is broadly based on an analysis of five key indicators:
number of positive COVID-19 cases per hundred thousand people over the last week
percentage of positive tests
forecast for new cases in the weeks ahead
capacity of local hospitals
capacity of local intensive care facilities
These factors are assessed alongside the advice and recommendations of local public health officials, National Incident Management Team, the Scottish Government’s chief clinical and policy advisors, and consideration of local circumstances, such as: specific COVID-19 outbreaks; travel and work patterns; and the extent to which health services are provided by neighbouring health boards. Final decisions are based on all of these factors.
Alongside a table setting out the levels, a detailed analysis paper has also been published setting out the Scottish Government’s assessment and overall decision for each local authority.
The five-level strategic framework aims to tackle COVID-19 with measures strong enough to reduce virus prevalence while proportionate to the scale of the problem in different parts of the country – and in a way that minimises, as far as possible, the other harms caused by the pandemic.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wednesday 14 October):
Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us . I will give the daily of statistics for COVID. I can report that the total number of new positive cases reported yesterday was 1,429.
That represents 16.4% of people newly tested, the total number of positive cases is now 42,685. 537 of the new cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 327 in Lanarkshire, 239 in Lothian and 92 in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining cases were spread across 8 other health board regions. Only Orkney and the Western Isles did not have new cases reported yesterday.
I can also confirm that 570 people are currently in hospital – that is an increase of 43 on the number I reported yesterday.
49 people are currently in intensive care, that’s 14 more than yesterday.
I’m also very sad to report that in the past 24 hours, 15 deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.
That means that the total number of deaths, under the measurement we use for the daily figures, is now 2,572.
Now confidentiality means that I can’t ever go in to detail about the people behind the statistics I report every day but I do want to point out this to you today, half of the 15 deaths that I’ve just reported are of people under the age of 80 – a small number of them are of people under the age of 60.
Please do not ever think that this virus only poses a risk to the lives of the very elderly – it poses a risk to all of us and I’m asking everybody again to take and treat that risk extremely seriously.
I can also report that National Records of Scotland has just published its weekly update, that as you will recall includes cases where COVID is a suspected or contributory cause of death.
Today’s update shows that by last Sunday, the total number of registered deaths linked to COVID, under that wider definition, was 4,301.
25 of those were registered last week, which is 5 more than in the week previously. 17 of the 25 deaths were in hospital, 7 in care homes, and 1 in a home or in an other non-institutional setting.
Once again, I want to send my deepest condolences to all those who have lost a loved one to this virus throughout the course of the pandemic and of course that is particularly the case to those who have recently lost someone and who are currently in that very acute stage of grieving.
Now tomorrow, Parliament has to review the restrictions we imposed on household visits three weeks ago. I will cover that issue and others in a video statement to a virtual meeting of the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.
As you might expect, we are unlikely, very unlikely to announce any changes or easing of the current rules on household gatherings.
I will however say a bit more to parliament tomorrow about new rules on face coverings, and about our options once the current two-week period of additional restrictions ends on 25 October.
For today though, the main issue I want to highlight relates to travel.
For many people, the October half term is approaching, and indeed in some parts of Scotland, it has already begun.
So I want to highlight some general guidance on travel, and I’m also going to provide one much more specific recommendation.
The first piece of general guidance relates to the five health board areas in Scotland that currently have additional restrictions on hospitality, because they have especially high rates of COVID just now.
And to remind you these areas are Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Ayrshire and Arran, and Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
If you live in one of these five health board areas, we have already asked you not to travel unless you very need to – and not to leave your health board area unless it is really necessary.
And we’ve also asked people from the rest of Scotland, not to travel to any of these five central belt areas unless they really need to.
As I said last week, this guidance does not stop you from taking an October half-term break if you have already booked it and you don’t want to cancel. If you are taking such a break or if you are already on such a break, please be very careful and please follow all of the rules whilst you are there.
But this guidance is intended, very firmly intended, which is why I’m putting so much stress on it today, to minimise travel as much as possible between the central belt, and other areas of Scotland. So please ask yourself how necessary your journey is, before deciding – for example – to go on a day trip to another part of the country.
In fact, my general advice for everyone at the moment across the country is to think very carefully about whether you need to travel at all. And if you must travel, if your trip is necessary then travel carefully and safely.
For example make sure you wear a face covering on public transport, that is the law at the moment and also remember to physically distance from other passengers as much as you can. And avoid car sharing if possible.
The advice to think carefully before travelling is especially important in relation to areas with high rates of infection.
And so of course that advice applies – not just to travel to and from the central belt of Scotland and the more general advice I’ve just given to everybody but it applies to travel to and from parts of England with high levels of infection.
We are currently advising against non-essential travel to the parts of England which are classed as very high or high alert areas under England’s new three tier system. And I’m asking people from these areas not to travel to Scotland either.
Several of these areas are seeing even higher levels of infection than we are currently seeing in central Scotland and we will make sure we keep the information on which areas are covered by this guidance updated on the Scottish Government website.
But in addition to that general advice, there is a specific issue I want to cover today and I take no pleasure in doing this but it’s important that I give this advice and make a very specific recommendation to you.
Blackpool, a place that many Scots love and like to visit, particularly at this time of year, many of us have happy childhood memories of going to see the Blackpool illuminations – this is one of the places currently classed by the UK Government as a high risk area.
And I need to advise you that trips to Blackpool are now associated with a large and growing number of COVID cases in Scotland.
We indeed now have an Incident Management Team in Scotland that has been set up to look specifically at cases associated with Blackpool.
And I can tell you that in total, in the last month, and these figures are rising right now so the figure I’m about to give you will undoubtedly already be out of date – the most up to date figure I can give you is that in the last month around 180 people in Scotland with COVID, reported that they had recently been in Blackpool.
Now let me be clear, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they got COVID during their trip, as you heard us talk about in relation to hospitality it’s not possible to be absolutely certain where someone actually picked up the virus but Blackpool is being mentioned in Test and Protect conversations, far more than any other location outside of Scotland.
And to take the past week in more detail, 344 people who have spoken to Test and Protect teams after contracting COVID, reported some sort of travel outside of Scotland. 252 of those had travelled somewhere else in the UK. Of those 252, now remember this is in the last week alone, well over a third – 94 in total – had been in Blackpool.
So my specific advice is this. If you were thinking about going to Blackpool and you haven’t booked yet, then please do not go this year.
Even more specifically – because we know this is an issue – and I want to be very clear about this – do not travel to Blackpool this weekend to watch the Old Firm match in a pub. If you do that you will be putting yourself and you will be putting other people at risk, please do not do that this weekend.
And if you otherwise, not related to the football have already booked a trip; and you cannot cancel it without cost; and are determined to go – then please, please think very carefully indeed about how you travel, and what you do when you get there.
For example quite a lot of people who have contracted COVID, and who have also been to Blackpool, have travelled by coach. We understand that is very common, particularly at this time of year. Now again, that does not mean that they absolutely necessarily got the virus on the coach because we can’t be certain about that.
But if you have to travel to Blackpool by coach – or if you travel by any form of public transport – then try to maintain physical distancing, and make sure that you wear your face covering throughout the journey.
And once you arrive and I know this is really difficult, don’t spend too much time indoors – and don’t, if you can avoid it, spend much time in pubs and bars and other hospitality venues. Because doing that significantly increases your chances of getting the virus.
I know that many people look forward to trips generally but to Blackpool in particular in the autumn, and that for some of you – and I know that many people fall in this category it’s almost an annual ritual. But I’m asking you, if you can avoid it, please do so this October and if you do go there, if you have to go there – please be very careful.
My last point on travel relates to a letter I received yesterday from the First Minister of Wales and is very relevant to what I’ve already been talking about.
The First Minister of Wales is seeking agreement between the four UK nations on travel restrictions where necessary from high prevalence areas in one UK nation to lower prevalence in others. I want to be clear today, that I back the calls from the First Minister of Wales and I’ll be writing to the Prime Minister today to seek urgent talks on that issue.
I also support the First Minister of Wales call for another COBRA meeting in early course to discuss collectively between the four nations what further steps we can all take at this stage to suppress the virus.
Now, I’ve spoken at some length today about our guidance and recommendations on travel and that is for reason because it is important and restricting travel right now as much as we possibly can is another I know unwelcome but very important way in which we can all try to reduce and minimise the spread of the virus.
But of course there are other important steps we must all take to reduce our own personal risk of getting the virus or of passing it on to others. Including if we are in the younger healthier age groups ourselves, potentially passing it on to others who are much more vulnerable.
So please do not visit each other’s homes at the moment – except for the very specific exemptions for childcare or looking after a vulnerable person, stay out of the homes of other families right now, this is our single most important way of stopping the virus jumping from one household to another. I know it is incredibly hard but it is incredibly important.
When you do meet – outdoors, or in a café for example, which are allowed to stay open during the day to allow people somewhere that they can have contact with other – remember that the maximum group size is 6 and that should be from no more than two households. And that’s the rule that applies outdoors or in any indoor public place.
Only car-share if it is essential as I said earlier on. And if you must car-share, wear a face covering and try and keep the windows open.
Work from home if you can. That advice has never changed in Scotland – this is an important moment to underline it. If it is at all possible to, work from home. And employers across the country, please allow your workers to do that.
Download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t already done so.
And finally, remember the rules are encapsulated in FACTS – the difficult but fundamentally quite simple things we can all do to minimise the risk of transmission.
Wear face coverings whenever you’re out and about but particularly in any enclosed spaces.
Avoid places where crowds of places come together.
Clean your hands obsessively if necessary and clean hard surfaces after you touch them.
Keep a two metre distance from people in other households when you are coming in to contact with them.
And self-isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID and remember yesterday all of the information we gave yesterday about support for self-isolation – you can find that on the NHS inform and Scottish Government websites.
It is by following all of this advice and following of these rules however hard that it is and I know that it is hard, that we will collectively help to suppress the virus again.
We are, as I said yesterday, at a really critical moment again – many countries across the world are; we see more and more countries now dealing with a second wave and having to impose new restrictions – we will not shy away as the Scottish Government from doing what we think is necessary to keep the people of Scotland as safe as possible … but every single one of us can play a part in this, please follow all of these rules; don’t think it’s okay just to breach them on the odd occasion because the time you breach them may be the time the virus is close to you and may spread from you to somebody else or from somebody else to you.
And the chain of transmission that could set off could result in you becoming like the too many families across Scotland right now that are grieving the loss of a loved one.
So I’m sorry to be so blunt with you but I think it is important at this juncture not to shy away from these messages and to ask everybody right now to rededicate themselves to this collective effort to keep COVID under control and to stop it taking lives unnecessarily or making people ill unnecessarily.
So thank you once again to everyone who is doing that.
Commenting on the First Minister’s statement, Kirsty Licence, Chair of the Incident Management Team looking into cases associated with Blackpool, and led by Public Health Scotland said:“We are seeing a high number of cases of COVID-19 amongst residents of Scotland who have recently travelled between Scotland and Blackpool.
“We know Blackpool is a popular destination, especially for holidaymakers from the west of Scotland. Many of these cases have travelled using group transport, especially coach, but also private transport, and many are of middle and older ages with increased risk of suffering from very severe COVID-19 illness.
“Our data shows the numbers of Scottish cases who visited Blackpool shortly before their illnesses substantially exceeds those having visited any other place in the UK. Over the past month, since 14th September, when Blackpool was first noted on a case there have been 286 cases in Scotland whose records note recent travel to Blackpool.
“These cases highlight the risk associated with travelling to areas with high rates of infection. People in Scotland should not be travelling to or from the health board areas under local restrictions except for essential reasons.
“If you have to travel, follow all local guidance and restrictions, both where you live and where you are travelling to. You should avoid close contact with others, keep away from crowded places and observe FACTS.
“Those falling into a group that is at an increased risk of more severe illness, should in particular consider carefully where and how they travel.
“Anyone who has one or more symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately self-isolate and book a test. Those who are required to be in self-isolation either as a case or as a close contact of a known case must not travel – which may mean those visiting other areas of the UK are unable to travel out or return home for a significant period of time.”
A significant rise in the number of cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Austria, Croatia, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago means travellers from these countries will have to self-isolate at home or another specified address for 14 days on arrival in Scotland from 4am this Saturday.
At the same time Portugal will be added to the list of destinations where travellers will be exempt from the requirement to quarantine.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We cannot emphasise enough that if people choose to travel abroad, they must be aware that quarantine requirements may change while they are away.
“The same can be said for the rules within the country or territory people are travelling to. If people do travel from any country that is not exempt from the requirements, they will be required to quarantine for 14 days on return, please check the Scottish Government website for more information on what this means.
“Indeed, wherever people have travelled from – an exempt country or not – they must complete a Passenger Locator Form and provide it to Border Force officials. Failure to do so can also result in a fine since this, along with any failure to self-isolate where required, poses a significant risk to wider public health across Scotland.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and assess the scientific evidence. We remain in regular discussions with the other three governments in the UK and base decisions on a shared understanding of the available data.
“However, we will not hesitate to take the action we consider necessary to safeguard public health in Scotland recognising, that the level of risk across the four nations may lead to different decisions.
“As I have said previously, we do not make these decisions lightly, but suppressing the virus and protecting public health is vital.”
All international travellers arriving into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of individual exemptions, must complete a passenger locator form and provide evidence that they have done so on arrival in the UK if requested to do so by a Border Force official.
This includes people arriving from countries where quarantine is subsequently not required. Individuals who do not complete the form and present it when asked on arrival may be fined £60. The fine can be doubled for each subsequent offence up to a maximum of £480.
Failure to comply with the requirement to quarantine may result in a fine of £480.
Those travelling abroad should check in advance for any local requirements to quarantine on arrival at their destination. The existing list of overseas destinations where those arriving in Scotland are exempt from self-isolation can be found on the Scottish Government website
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Friday 7 August):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I’ll start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 43 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.9% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 18,890
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but the provisional information I have is that 27 of the 43 cases are in the Grampian health board area.
It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a little bit more about the situation there shortly.
A further 5 cases appear to be in the Greater Glasgow & Clyde area, which is a reduction in the numbers we have seen there in recent days.
A total of 262 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid-19, which is 8 fewer than yesterday.
A total of 4 people are in intensive care with confirmed Covid-19. That is the same as yesterday.
I’m also pleased to say that, in the past 24 hours, yet again no deaths were registered of patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 over the previous 28 days and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491.
Obviously the total number of deaths is still a sharp reminder of the dreadful impact of this virus and my condolences once again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
As always, I also want to thank everyone working hard to help our country through this pandemic.
The main points I want to cover today are the outbreak in Aberdeen, but I also want to say something about further measures that we’re going to take to reduce the risk of transmission.
The Economy Secretary will then say a few words about business support. And the Chief Medical Officer will give an update on this year’s seasonal flu vaccination programme.
Before all that, though, I want to draw your attention to an important announcement made last night.
The Scottish Government has taken the decision to add three additional countries to the list of those that are subject to quarantine restrictions. Those countries are Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas.
Each of these countries has seen a significant rise in Covid cases, over recent days.
So from tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from those countries must self-isolate for 14 days.
This is another reminder of how quickly the international situation can change. And it’s why I would once again remind everyone to think very carefully about booking non-essential foreign travel.
Let me return now to the situation we’re dealing with in Aberdeen. I can confirm that – as of now – a total of 101 cases have been confirmed as part of that cluster. That is an increase of 22 on the position reported yesterday.
And a total of 313 close contacts have now been identified and are being followed up – although we expect that number to rise further.
It was also confirmed yesterday that two players from Aberdeen Football Club are among those who have tested positive. In addition, a further six players have been identified as having been in close proximity with one of those individuals and they are all therefore self isolating.
It is now clear that all eight players visited a bar in Aberdeen on Saturday night. In doing so, they blatantly broke the rules that had been agreed, between the SFA, the SPFL and the Scottish Government which, to put it mildly, is completely unacceptable.
This morning, the Scottish Government convened a meeting with the SFA and the SPFL. And following those discussions, the football authorities have confirmed that the game against St Johnston – scheduled for tomorrow in Perth – will not now go ahead.
I think that is the right decision. We are expecting members of the public to behave in a highly precautionary manner right now.
When a football club ends up with players infected – and not through bad luck, but through clear breaches of the rules – we cannot take even a small risk that they then spread the infection to other parts of the country.
The Scottish Government will also be contacting all club captains and managers to emphasise the importance of complying with the guidance.
Let me emphasise that directly now. Football has been given the go ahead on the strict condition that clubs and players abide by the guidance that has been agreed. If they don’t do that, they put at risk the return of the professional game.
So I welcome Aberdeen’s statement that they have reminded players of their obligations. That’s important – footballers are role models and they should behave accordingly.
But it’s also important to remind the club – and indeed all clubs – of the obligation they have to ensure that their players are behaving responsibly and in line with the guidance.
Now, to say that this incident is deeply regrettable is an understatement.
But it underlines an extremely important point.
Any time one of us fails to abide by the rules, we put others at risk. And we give this virus the chance to come roaring back.
That’s something we can’t afford to do. We’ve seen – every day of this outbreak – how easily Covid can spread. So we do need to do everything we can to stop it in its tracks.
That’s why we have taken such decisive action in Aberdeen. The new restrictions are designed to minimize the risk of transmission – as we get the bottom of this incident.
These measures are tough – but they are necessary – especially at a time when schools are about to return.
So I want to thank the people of Aberdeen for your understanding – and for doing the right thing. It is hugely appreciated.
The situation in Aberdeen is extremely challenging. And our focus is on getting it under control.
At the same time, we want to learn the lessons of this outbreak. We have seen similar outbreaks in countries around the world. And it’s clear that a common factor in many of them is a link to hospitality.
We’ve always known that settings such as pubs and bars are particularly susceptible to the spread of this virus. That’s why we held back the reopening of hospitality until a later phase. It’s also why we staggered the reopening of hospitality – with outdoor venues opening first.
We’ve also got clear guidance for the hospitality sector, on how it could operate safely. Among other things, the guidance set out important advice on things like physical distancing, cleaning and hygiene arrangements, and the collection of customer details.
Now, it’s very clear many businesses have complied very strictly with those kinds of measures, and I’ve very grateful to them for that. However, we also know there are some where that has not been the case.
The Scottish Government is determined to do everything we can to prevent further outbreaks. And we want to ensure that our hospitality sector can continue to remain open. That’s why today I’m announcing two further measures.
The first is that we now intend to make it mandatory for a range of settings, including hospitality businesses, to collect customer details.
That requirement already exists in guidance, but we are now placing it on a statutory footing. And it should help to ensure that our Test and Protect system can function as effectively as possible.
Second, we intend to issue new statutory guidance relating to indoor hospitality.
We’ll set out more detail on this next week, but the aim is to ensure greater compliance with some of the key public health measures – such as physical distancing. And we will work closely with Police Scotland and local environmental health teams to explain these measures – and if necessary, enforce compliance.
Both these changes will take affect from next Friday. And they will help to clarify exactly what is required of the hospitality industry. However, I want to be emphasise that businesses should already be doing these things. So if you’re not – don’t wait till next week, start complying now:
Premises should be collecting and keeping contact details.
Wherever possible, people should pre-book tables in advance. And there should be no queueing.
People should be seated, with table service.
Customers should not be standing together to watch football, dancing, or queuing at the bar.
There should be no queueing outside either. If it is unavoidable for any reason, those in queues should be physically distanced.
And there should be no background music – or volume from the TV. We don’t want people having to shout or lean in to each other in order to be heard.
Our hospitality businesses obviously have a vital role to play in making premises safe. But as I said yesterday, we are all the first line of defence against this virus. So please think about your own actions.
No more than three households should be meeting together in places like bars and restaurants at any one time. People from different households should be staying physically distant from each other at all times.
The final update I want to cover today concerns the use of face coverings.
At the moment, the use of face coverings is mandatory in shops and on public transport. And we are very satisfied that the vast majority of people are complying with those requirements, and I want to thank the public for that.
When it comes to other enclosed spaces, we currently advise people to wear face coverings. But we have not made it mandatory.
However, as come further out of lockdown, the risks are. More people are out and about. More places have reopened. And more people are gathering together.
So as a precautionary measure, I am announcing today that we are expanding the range of indoor premises where people must wear a face covering.
From tomorrow, that list will include venues like libraries, museums, and places of worship. You’ll be able to find more detail on exactly which kinds of premises are covered, on the Scottish Government website.
I can also confirm today that we are updating our guidance on face visors. Based on the latest scientific evidence, we are not convinced that a face visor on its own provides sufficient protection – to the wearer or to others.
So again from tomorrow, if a visor is worn it must be accompanied by another type of face covering.
These changes will help to reduce some of the risks that people face, and they are not any of them being made lightly. However, it’s important to remember that face coverings are just one additional form of protection. We still must observe all of the other public health guidelines.
So to close today, as usual I want to remind you – once again – of the FACTS, the five rules that we all must follow to stay safe:
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule.
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all comply with these five golden rules then we reduce the risk of this virus spreading and taking hold of us again, so my thanks to everyone who is complying and, as always, my encouragement to those who may need to take greater care in doing so.
