REGION IN TOP 10 COVID HOTSPOTS OF EUROPE
Concern over soaring cases of the virus
Concern has been raised this week after Ayrshire has been named one of the Covid hotspots in Europe.
Over a period of 14 days, Ayrshire and Arran has shown a case rate of 602 per 100,000 .
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown said: “The numbers are a concern.”
Ayrshire is one of the Covid hot spots in Europe as one of five health boards in Scotland making a scathing list.
World health officials have collected data which has ranked the worst rates of coronavirus across the continent, with over half the list made up of Scottish towns and cities as cases continue to surge.
The list has put SNP officials on high alert - as doubts over the freedom Friday scheduled for August 9 have become apparent.
Over a period of 14 days Ayrshire and Arran has shown a case rate of 602 per 100,000 leaving it 10th on a list that includes, Tayside (1,146), Lothian (1,079) Greater Glasgow and Clyde (824), and Fife (646).
Case rates in Ayrshire are alarmingly only less than 100 than the Russian capital with Moscow appearing on the list at 667 according to the figures released by the World Health Organisation.
Nicola Sturgeon promised last month that Scotland’s exit out lockdown will be scheduled for Friday, August 9 where social distancing rules will be dropped. All council areas in Scotland are set to move to Level 1 on July 19.
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown says decisions will be based on the science and hopes that restrictions are lifted for the last remaining businesses to reopen such as soft plays who have yet been given permission to make their comeback.
The SNP politician said: “The numbers are a concern but there is a lot of testing going on so that really explains where the numbers are coming from.
“I can’t speak for Nicola Sturgeon and how she will see things, but she will be following the advice from the experts.
“Everyone is hoping that life can return to normal. The whole pandemic felt like one step forward and then two steps back.
“I really feel for so many of the businesses who haven’t been able to open yet and it is sad to see restaurants are still having to shut down.
“They have been really responsible in taking the outbreak seriously and taking the decision to shut down.”
A Covid survivor has warned that the rise in cases in Ayrshire proves that people are becoming complacent.
Gail Merry is still recovering from a brush with death after she suffered a severe blood clot and spent days in intensive care.
The vaccinated mum-of-three from Mossblown has warned people to continue to stick to rules and get back into good habits like using hand sanitiser after noticing “less and less” people using it.
Gail, 46, said: “The fact that Ayrshire has such a high number of new Covid cases just proves the point that people here are getting complacent.
“Hopefully the majority have been double vaccinated and will not suffer serious symptoms or complications like I did.
“But they can still pass it to those who unfortunately may not be so lucky. That’s why, no matter how mild your symptoms are, you must get tested and isolate.”
NHS Ayrshire and Arran were not available for comment.