Spike in infection numbers
the West of Scotland for a number of weeks yet again we rank amongst the hardest hit places in the country. Clearly the Scottish Government’s plan is not working.
“At the start of the pandemic the World Health Organisation said ‘ test, test, test’. Seven months on it is time for the Scottish Government to get a grip of testing and tracing and give extra resources to the places like Renfrewshire that need it most.”
The increased figures come just one day after Police Scotland said officers had busted 100 people at house parties across Renfrewshire.
It’s understood police in the area have been forced to break up a number of rule-flouting parties, giving warnings to more than 100 people between September 26 and October 8.
Police say some of t h e b re a c h e s w e re misunderstandings, however the majority were people deliberately breaking the rules.
And Dr Emilia Crichton, deputy director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said rule breakers were contributing to the spread of the deadly disease.
“The number of positive cases in Renfrewshire give evidence of spread within social gatherings,” she said.
“We are keeping the numbers under careful review and asking everyone to follow the guidance including the FACTS advice.
“If people follow these rules we hope that we will start to see a decrease in the number of positive cases across Renfrewshire and Scotland as a whole.”
Dr Crichton’s warning comes as the Scottish Government has confirmed it is to implement a threetier framework of Covid restrictions later this month.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the temporary restrictions currently in place in Renfrewshire and wider central belt region will be replaced with a multi- tier approach when they expire on October 25.
It will see different levels of measures introduced either across the county or in specific areas depending on where outbreaks of the virus are detected.
Speaking just after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnstone unveiled his plans for a similar approach yesterday, Ms Sturgeon said: “We intend to develop our own tiering framework and bring that to parliament after the October recess, and that will coincide with the ending of the temporary restrictions.
“At a strategic level we will be looking to align as closely as possible with other UK nations – although I would stress that decisions will be taken at a devolved level.”