WHAT LOCKDOWN MEANS FOR YOU

Scots told to stay at home in latest bid to suppress pandemic

SCOTS face being fined for leaving their homes as new lockdown rules came into force today.

Mainland Scotland was placed into a fresh lockdown at midnight – with strict measures introduced to halt the spread of Covid-19.

The First Minister warned health boards are facing serious pressure on services and could reach capacity within weeks.

The lockdown will be in place for at least three weeks, lasting the whole of January.

But Miss Sturgeon warned she could not guarantee it would be lifted at the end of the month.

Police Scotland also warned they would be stepping up patrols to make sure the new rules were being followed.

Speaking in the Scottish parliament yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘The Covid situation is extremely serious. From tomorrow, and for the duration of January, there will be a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes. This is similar to the lockdown of March last year.’

The latest intervention will see a legally enforceable ‘stay at home’ message in Scotland. Guidance published by the Scottish Government states people can only leave home to get shopping, carry out caring responsibilities, exercise or attend work.

However, working from home should remain the default position, with Miss Sturgeon ordering businesses to assess whether they could move more production away from offices and communal buildings.

Those previously on the shielding list have been told not to attend work.

Places of worship will be forced to close on Friday except for weddings with up to five guests, funerals with up to 20 mourners and online broadcasts.

Ski centres, large retail showrooms and cosmetic clinics will also shut.

In addition to this, schools will be closed to most pupils until February 1 at the earliest, meaning an additional two weeks of home learning for youngsters.

In a tightening of restrictions on gatherings, Miss Sturgeon said it was now only possible for two people from two different households to meet outdoors instead of the limit of six people from two households which had applied previously.

This, however, does not include children aged 11 and under, who can still ‘ play outdoors in larger groups, including in organised gatherings’.

Miss Sturgeon said Scotland was in a race to vaccinate as many people as possible before the new mutant coronavirus strain could continue to infect Scots.

On Sunday, a further 1,095 people tested positive for the virus north of the Border – meaning more than 15,000 new cases in the past week.

The rapidly rising rate of infection has sparked major concerns f or t he health system, with some NHS boards i ncluding Ayrshire and Arran running close to capacity.

Miss Sturgeon said NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Borders and NHS Lanarkshire were running at more than half-full.

She warned that the number of people in intensive care units is already above the normal winter levels. Miss Sturgeon said: ‘We can expect to see significantly increased pressure on the NHS over the course of this month.

‘Contingency plans remain in place to double and then treble ICU capacity if necessary and the NHS Louisa Jordan continues to be available to help meet demand.

‘If the rate of increase in case numbers that we have seen in the past two weeks was to continue unchecked, there would be a risk of our NHS being overwhelmed – even with contingency plans in place.’

Numbers for those currently in hospital with coronavirus and on intensive care wards have not been updated for several days over the new year period, but it is expected Miss Sturgeon will announce the latest figures tomorrow.

Scottish Conservative Holyrood

leader Ruth Davidson said the new restrictions were ‘hard news at a hard time, when the resilience of people has already been worn down over the past year’.

She added: ‘It’s vital that people know exactly what’s expected of them as new, tougher restrictions come into force. The Government has to quickly set out clear guidance about who is expected to work from home and which key workers should still continue to work as normally.’

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone confirmed Police Scotland would increase patrols ‘to explain the regulations and to encourage people to do the right thing’.

He said: ‘It is clear that the significant sacrifices being made by people across Scotland are vital to help suppress the spread of coronavirus. People should not l eave their homes unless for essential purposes. The best way to stay safe is to stay at home.

‘Officers and staff have worked exceptionally hard throughout the pandemic to keep people safe and our visible presence will be increased over the coming days and weeks.’