In a statement to Parliament today, the First Minister confirmed Glasgow will move to Protection Level 2 from 00:01 on Saturday 5 June 2021 following case numbers falling in recent days.
A number of council areas – including Highland, Argyll and Bute; Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Moray; Angus; Perth and Kinross; Falkirk; Fife; Inverclyde; East Lothian; West Lothian; West Dunbartonshire; Dumfries and Galloway; and the Borders – will move to Level 1. In addition, the Islands that are currently in Level 1 will move to Level 0 due to sustained low numbers of cases.
However, Edinburgh and Midlothian; Dundee; East Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire; East Renfrewshire; North Ayrshire; South Ayrshire; East Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; South Lanarkshire; Clackmannanshire; and Stirling will remain at Level 2 for a further period while the situation with the virus is monitored closely.
The First Minister confirmed support will be offered to soft play and other closed sectors in these areas that had expected to open, or operate in a different way from 7 June. Further details will be laid out tomorrow.
During her COVID-19 statement to Parliament, the First Minister covered the following:
- The FM confirmed that a further 478 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the previous 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 236.389. She also noted that 106 people were in hospital, with 10 individuals receiving intensive care. Further, she confirmed that no deaths had been recorded, bringing the total to 7,669. On vaccinations, the FM observed that 3,267,290 people had received the first dose of the vaccine and 2,075,231 had been given a second dose.
- The FM noted that the government believed that vaccinations were working but that a move towards looser restrictions was likely in the future. However, she noted that the Indian variant was having an impact and that the UK could be at the start of a third wave of the virus. Overall, the FM argued that the data showed that vaccination was working but there is still grounds for caution.
- The FM announced that:
- Based on an improving picture, Glasgow City will move to level 2 from midnight on Friday.
- A number of local authorities would remain in level 2 (Edinburgh and Midlothian, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, the three Ayrshires, North and South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire and Stirling).
- A number of local authorities would move into level 1 (Highland, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, East and West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders).
- A number of local authorities would move into level 0 (Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and some other small remote island communities).
- The FM closed her statement by encouraging viewers to test themselves, get vaccinated, and abide by the rules in place.
- In the following questions, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross called for a more localised approach rather than a council-wide one and criticised the FM for taking a blanket approach. The FM defended her approach, urging that the data supported a cautious approach. Scottish Labour leader urged the FM to focus on ‘hotspot’ areas and to do more to support the forward planning for them. The FM gave further detail on what was being done with these, paying particular attention to vaccines. Scottish Green co-convenor talked about evictions, which the FM reassured her was a priority for her government. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie urged the Scottish Government to restart services for adults with special needs. The FM noted the importance of this issue and stressed that she was balancing safety with opening. Tory MSP Miles Briggs asked for the FM’s position on homeless people being kicked out of short-term accommodation and serviced apartments. The FM said that she would reply in more detail later.
The Scottish Government’s timetable for easing restrictions has been published. The timetable sets out how and when we plan to lift the current coronavirus restrictions over the coming weeks and months.