Guidance Archives - Page 23 of 33

First Minister’s Statement 1st June 2021

Posted on June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by Fiona Campbell

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.

Read the full statement here.

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.

First Minister’s Update 28th May

Posted on May 28, 2021May 28, 2021 by Fiona Campbell

At today’s media briefing the First Minister said that there are signs that the situation in Glasgow is stabilising in the postcodes at the heart of the initial outbreak and across the city generally, and that, if that trend continues, the city can move to Level 2 from 00:01 on Saturday 5 June.

Further funding has been made available to Glasgow City Council to provide additional support for businesses in hospitality and leisure in Glasgow, with grants ranging from £250 to £750 per week.

Other areas of concern across Scotland continue to be monitored closely, including Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Clackmannanshire. These areas will remain in Level 2 for now, although public health efforts will be intensified to tackle the increased prevalence.

Read the full statement here.

The First Minister also covered the following (28.5.21):

Daily statistics: the First Minister confirmed that 641 new positive cases were identified in the past 24 hours, of which 234 were in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, 132 in Lothian, and 104 in the Lanarkshire health board. The number of people in hospital had increased to 90 (+7), while 6 (+2) are also in ICUs, and 2 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths under that measurement to 7,668.
Vaccination statistics: 3,196,051 people received a first dose of the Covid vaccine, which was an increase of 21,244 since yesterday. 28,721 got a second dose of the vaccine yesterday, bringing the total number of those fully vaccinated to 1,971,006.
The First Minister provided an overview of the situation in Scotland, highlighting that case numbers were rising and had increased by more than a quarter in the past week. The Indian variant was now thought to be responsible for 50% or more of new cases in Scotland and the R number could be as high as 1.3.
In terms of Glasgow, due to “uncomfortably high cases”, the First Minister announced that the city will remain under Level 3 for another week and that affected businesses would be provided with the necessary support. However, she also said that the situation was stabilising that that she was hopeful that Glasgow could move to Level 2 by 5 June. She will make the decision by 2 June.
With mainland Scotland expected to move from Level 2 to Level 1 on 7 June, the First Minister said that she was planning to confirm to the Scottish Parliament on 1 June “whether and to what extent that move will proceed.”

Covid Restrictions in Glasgow and Moray

Posted on May 18, 2021May 19, 2021 by Fiona Campbell

The First Minister confirmed to parliament on 14th May that both Moray and Glasgow will remain at Level 3 for a further week as a “short term pause” in order to gain control of, and suppress, the rising infection rates seen in both localities, although she did add that the situation in Glasgow was causing more concern than Moray.

She also appealed to the public to restrict non-essential travel in and out of both areas and said extra financial support would be provided to Moray Council and Glasgow City Council to support affected businesses.

The ASSC undertook a survey to establish the impact on businesses outwith the immediate areas.

Key Findings:

Respondents to the survey were largely from rural areas: Highland, Moray, Fife and Argyll & Bute and Perth & Kinross with the largest number of responses.
65% of businesses outwith Glasgow have been impacted by Glasgow being kept in Level 3, with 42% of businesses outwith Moray having been impacted by Moray being kept in Level 3.
The average value of cancelled bookings as a result of guests from Moray or Glasgow not being allowed to travel over the next 7 days was £1,545.75.
The average value of cancelled bookings if restrictions are extended to 14 days in Glasgow will be £2,855.15, and £2,073.43 in Moray.
This illustrates the significant impact of localised restrictions and the associated travel bans on self-catering businesses throughout Scotland.
Self-catering relies on advance bookings, with restrictions announced at short notice rendering it virtually impossible to re-fill the booking.