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Month: December 2020

Joint approach to Christmas

Posted on by Melanie Allen

Clear messaging on celebrating safely.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has joined with the leaders of the UK Government and the Welsh Government in issuing guidance on how the public should approach Christmas celebrations this year.

The First Minister has stressed that the strong recommendation of the Scottish Government to people across Scotland is to celebrate Christmas this year within  your own household and in your own home – and as far as possible to keep any interaction with other households to a minimum. This is by far the safest way to spend this Christmas and keep your loved ones safe.

However, certain flexibilities were agreed in recognition of the impact of loneliness over Christmas on wellbeing and the fact that some people will not be willing to leave loved ones alone. These provide a window of opportunity and should be seen as legal maximum to work well within. The guidance being issued seeks to reduce risks as far as possible for anyone choosing to use these flexibilities.

The First Minister stressed that the following key points should be taken into consideration by anyone choosing to spend time with other households indoors: keep the duration of any interaction as short as possible: keep any bubble as small as possible; avoid travel and overnight stays unless unavoidable; and comply with all distancing and hygiene advice.

She said:

“Our strong advice this Christmas is to stay at home with your own household. Any interaction with other households should, as far as possible, be outdoors. That is the best way of keeping yourself and your loved ones safe this Christmas.

However, we recognize that in some cases, the isolation caused by being alone over Christmas will in itself cause harm to people’s welfare and that is why we have created a window of flexibility with accompanying guidance, to ensure that any household mixing is done as safely as possible,

“If you choose to form a bubble over the Christmas period, then you should take into consideration these key points:

“First, minimise the number of people in the bubble – while three households is the legal maximum, our recommendation is that two households would be better, and you should keep as far within the maximum of eight people over the age of 12 as you can. In short, the smaller the bubble is, the better and safer it will be.

“Second, you should minimise the time spent with your bubble, especially indoors. The five days is a window of opportunity, not a recommended time that it is safe for you to spend together – indeed, the Scottish Government recommends that you do not meet up with people in your bubble on any more than one day over the period and do not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. And you should minimise the distance you intend to travel.

“You should also avoid all travel between high prevalence areas and low prevalence areas – in particular, that means avoiding travel to or from Scotland and Tier 3 areas in England, and to or from any Level 4 areas in Scotland (of which there are currently none).

The First Minister concluded:

“Being asked not to see loved ones at Christmas unless absolutely essential is one of the toughest things imaginable. But, this year, it is essential to help keep people safe. With a vaccination programme now underway, a return to more normal life is on the horizon – and I hope that the prospect of brighter days ahead will help all of us get through this difficult Christmas as safely as possible.”

Note: The Scottish Government guidance on Christmas and the festive period has been updated.

Guide from the BBC.

Covid-19 Level Restrictions Review

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

The First Minister has announced the results of the latest review of COVID-19 protection levels in Scotland.

East Lothian, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire will all move up to Level 3 of the COVID-19 protection scale this Friday 18 December at 6pm  following rises in the prevalence of the virus in the past week.

All other areas remain unchanged in their levels. However, Cabinet agreed today that there will be a review of the protection levels next week (Tuesday, 22 December) in order to allow for any action to be taken in light of further changes in infection data.

The First Minister also said in view of the specific circumstances of island communities with very low incidence of the virus and limited connections with the mainland, restrictions on in-home socialising will be relaxed from Friday at 6pm for a number of inhabited islands in the local authority area of Argyll and Bute.

These are Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Oronsay, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Erraid and Gometra.  These islands must follow the 6/2 rules for in-home socialising that currently apply to islands in Level 1 areas.

With the relaxation of the protection levels for Christmas only one week away, the First Minister also asked people to avoid mixing with other households over Christmas unless absolutely necessary. She also encouraged those who feel they do need to see others to reduce unnecessary contacts as much as possible between now and then to prevent the spread of the virus during the Christmas period.

You can check which level applies to you by using the Scottish Government postcode checker.

Find out more about the COVID protection levels and what you can and cannot do at each level at https://www.gov.scot/coronaviruslevels

 

Business Support

Grants are available for businesses that are required by law to close or to significantly change operations as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Find out who is eligible and how to apply here.

 

Further Information

Link to today’s news release https://www.gov.scot/news/changes-to-coronavirus-levels/

Link to First Minister’s statement https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-update-first-ministers-statement-15-december-2020/

Protection levels that will apply in each local authority area with evidence and analysis informing these decisions https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-allocation-of-levels-to-local-authorities-15-december-2020/

First Minister’s Briefing 16th December

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

During her media briefing, the First Minister covered the following (16/12/20):

  • The FM confirmed that additional 689 new cases of COVID-19 had been identified, bringing the total to 108438. She also confirmed that 1031 people were in hospital, with 49 in ICUs. She further confirmed that there had been 38 additional deaths reported in the previous 24 hours bringing the total to 4973.
  • The FM acknowledged the recent update from National Records of Scotland which confirmed that there had been 6092 deaths linked to COVID-19 registered in Scotland.
  • The FM noted a recent period 32hours during which more notifications were issued than would normally be expected, due to an upgrade, and that the issue had been resolved. She advised those who had received alerts during this time (from 00:01 on Monday) to contact the advice line to check if they do, in fact, need to self-isolate.
  • The FM drew attention to Public Health Scotland’s weekly reports. She focused particularly on those findings relating to schools, noting that 2/3rds of schools had not had any pupil cases. She also noted that teachers appeared to be at no greater risk from COVID-19 and that some figures showed them to be of lesser risk. Overall, she claimed that these figures showed that the decision to keep schools open had been vindicated.
  • The FM also said the figures showed that the asymptomatic testing pilots had worked and were being expanded.
  • The FM noted the results of the recent talks with the other UK governments on preparations for Christmas. She said that updated guidance, on a four nations basis, would be issued later today once discussions had concluded. She also stressed the need for flexibility and caution and said that the Scottish Government would be tightening the rules previously announced. In summary, she said:
    • If at all possible, people should stay home or meet outdoors and that the duration in which they are in other people’s homes should be limited. She stressed that no more than eight people from a maximum of three households should meet. 
    • She urged Scots to make only the most essential travel and to take the strictest possible hygiene measures.
  • The FM closed her briefing as normal by summarising the rules in place and reiterating the FACTS guidance.
  • The Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nicola Steedman, joined the FM to provide an update on vaccinations. She noted that 18644 people had received their first dose of the vaccine. She called the vaccine a “game-changer” and urged those who are called to receive it to take it up. 
  • During the following questions, the BBC asked if the FM would consider further restrictions during Christmas or if today was her “last word” on the issue. The FM said that it would not be advisable to make this her definitive statement but that flexibility may be required. SKY News also asked if the FM agreed with the PM who announced, while she was speaking, that the four nations had “agreed in principle” to the relaxing of restrictions. The FM noted that she hadn’t heard what the PM had said and that she was sticking by her previous statements throughout today’s statement. ITV Border raised the issue of people from other parts of the UK coming home to Scotland over Christmas and if they should cancel. The Daily Express asked for the Scottish Government’s advice on public transport and enforcement. The FM noted that further advice would be published later but that she encouraged Scots to “stay local”.