House parties are not just to blame after city locked down
NICOLA STURGEON said t h e o u t b r e a k o f coronavirus cases in Greater Glasgow is not just about house parties. The First Minister said the information points to smaller family gatherings are leading to the increase in positive cases rather than a few “big house parties”.
The recent restrictions, put in place earlier this week, prevent people from visiting other households in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Test and protect tells us where every case has been.
“What we know from analysis is there’s not an obvious connection between pubs and clubs. There is between households.
“Not just big house parties but smaller gatherings, maybe just extended family.
“I don’t want people to think it’s all about house parties.”
Ms Sturgeon said pubs with hygiene measures in place are more “regulated environments” just now.
She added: “In homes it’s harder to have that approach.
“There are risks of transmission that are greater. That’s what analysis tells us is driving transmission.”
She added: “We are concerned about house parties, not just in Greater Glasgow.”
The First Minister also revealed the number of positive coronavirus cases in Greater Glasgow has dropped by almost 40 per cent in the last 24 hours. Ms Sturgeon said there had been 53 positive cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
It is a fall from 86 the day before and the first significant drop since the local outbreak began.
She gave a more detailed explanation as to why different measures were applied to the three west of Scotland areas than was put in place in Aberdeen last month, which some have said had a tougher local lockdown imposed.
The First Minister said the Test and Protect programme is able to identify the source and cause of outbreaks.
She said in Aberdeen it was identified it started in pubs but there was also a risk of transmission in households.
Pubs were closed and restrictions on travel and household visits put in place.
She added: “In Greater Glasgow, in the last four weeks, test and protect tells us cases were not linked to any big identifiable outbreak. Information tells us transmission was household based.
“That led to the decision not to close pubs.
“The analysis enables us to be more targeted and proportionate rather than a blanket lockdown and everybody staying at home.”
She added: “I hope the targeted approach will work in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.”
Across Scotland there were 101 new cases.
There were 259 people in hospital and four people were in intensive care.
There was one more death added but from mid August.