Fears Bonfire Night sparked rise in cases
The number of Covid cases in the Stirling community is higher than it has been throughout the whole pandemic.
Local health chiefs have warned residents are getting “too complacent” and not keeping a two-metre distance.
Halloween and Bonfire Night gatherings - against Covid guidance - may be to blame for an increasing number of cases.
At a media briefing on Monday, NHS Forth Valley’s director of public health stressed the importance of social distancing to minimise the risk of spreading the infection.
Dr Graham Foster said: “The single most important thing that everyone can do to make themselves safe is to stay two metres apart. If you stay two metres apart the chances of you getting infected are very small.
“Almost every time we have spoken to someone who has been infected it’s because they have not been able to stay two metres apart.”
Dr Foster said there were concerns about face coverings leading to composure in distancing.
He said: “We were worried that it might make people more complacent.
“They (face coverings) help a little but standing two metres apart is the main thing. You need to do that.”
Dr Foster told reporters he was “very worried” about the rate of infection across Forth Valley as a whole which was “unfortunately still far too high.”
He said: “What we had seen were some signs that the rate of increase was slowing and there was some cautious optimism that perhaps the enhanced restrictions were working .”
But the NHS Forth Valley public health chief ’s optimism has now gone.
He said: “Looking at the picture across the whole of Forth Valley while the rate of increase is slowing, we are not seeing any signs it is going down so I am very worried about that.”
Dr Foster added: “There are a really high number of cases in the community. People have got kind of used to it.
“Actually there are more cases out and about in the community just now than there have ever been throughout the whole pandemic. It’s worse than it has ever been. It just is. That’s the case.”
He said there were “lots and lots of outbreaks” with children being sent home from school as well as an increase in cases in factories and workplaces because there is “lots of Covid in the community.”
Dr Foster said it was “no coincidence” they were now seeing so many cases as a consequence of people gathering at Halloween and on Bonfire Night.
He stressed: “People really really need to be following the guidance.
“It’s now we’re really seeing the impact of what people were doing around Halloween and Bonfire Night. And unfortunately we did see quite a lot of parties and gatherings which shouldn’t have happened.
“We had a really busy weekend with lots of school children who were positive and went into isolation from school. I don’t think they got infected at school because we have had 16 weeks of them being relatively safe places. But all of a sudden families are phoning in saying ‘Wee Johnny’s got Covid’ and I do think it’s no coincidence that it’s after Halloween and Bonfire Night.”