Scotland braced for full lockdown

COVID: Sturgeon to outline strict rules to curb new strain

Scotland is braced for a second full lockdown amid a dramatic surge in cases of the new virus variant.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has recalled parliament and is expected to outline tough new measures to MSPS today.

These are likely to be measures similar to those introduced last spring, such as extended school closures and tighter travel restrictions.

It comes as the country recorded another 2,464 cases in the last 24 hours, with Tayside professor and leading lung expert James Chalmers saying he fears a “storm is coming”.

Ms Sturgeon said while vaccines offer a “way out”, the new strain makes the period between now and then the “most dangerous since the start of the pandemic”.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the education recovery group will meet today to consider the current advice in relation to schools and early learning.

The first minister will meet with her cabinet today to consider fur ther action to limit the spread of Covid-19, with an update on the reopening of schools expected.

Nicola Sturgeon said the “rapid increase” in coronavirus cases driven by the new variant is of “very serious concern” ahead of a special meeting of ministers today.

The Scottish Parliament is set to be recalled from recess today to allow the first minister to make an “urgent statement” at 2pm on further measures to suppress the virus.

Ms Sturgeon said while vaccines offer a “way out”, the new strain of the virus makes the period between now and then the “most dangerous since the start of the pandemic”.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the education recovery group will meet this morning in advance of cabine t to consider the current advice in relation to schools and early learning.

Schools were due to return to face-to-face learning on January 18 but Ms Sturgeon said last week that this was under review.

In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he has “no doubt” schools are safe and pupils should return from today.

Primary schools in London and some surrounding areas are not due to reopen until January 18 but Mr Johnson said the risk to young people was “very, very small” amid calls from teaching unions to close all schools for the next two weeks.

The first minister said: “The steep increases and severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead.

“So we must take all steps to slow spread while vaccination progresses.

“We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster-spreading strain of Covid-19 and the vaccination programme.

“As we work to vaccinate as quickly as possible, we must also do more to slow down the virus – to save lives and help the NHS care for all those who need it.”

Following a meeting of the Scottish Government resilience committee on Saturday, the first minister will meet with her cabinet today and set out her decisions in a statement to parliament this afternoon.

She added: “All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts.

“Vaccines give us a way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since the start of the pandemic.

“So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly and decisively in the national interest.

“For now, please continue to take Covid-19 seriously – it is a real threat to life and health and, if it runs out of control, it damages the economy more too.

“Please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interactions with other households.”

The daily coronavirus figures released yesterday show there were 2,464 new cases across Scotland in the past 24 hours, which represents 15.2% of the 17,328 tests that reported results.

This is higher than Saturday’ s confirmed increase of 2,137 new cases, when 10.8% of cases came back positive.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said it is “right” to consider putting further restrictions in place as a “matter of urgency” but urged the Scottish Government to publish the evidence behind all its decisions.

He added: “What is clear is that we need to see an acceleration of the vaccine rollout and a step change in testing.

“It is also clear that financial support from government has simply not been nearly sufficient to make up for the damage that lockdown measures have done to jobs, livelihoods and businesses.

“The SNP Government must distribute additional funds to the front line now.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the safety of pupils, teachers and school staff must be the determining factor in deciding whether to delay the return to schools on January 18.

He said: “Ever yone accepts that schools should be kept open in an ideal world, but the current situation is far from ideal.

“When parliament returns on Monday I expect the first minister to explain exactly what support will be provided to ensure that periods of online learning, for however long they need to last, are as successful as possible.

“The Scott ish Government must also reconsider its decision not to prioritise teachers and school staff as vaccines are rolled out.”

We must take all steps to slow spread

It’s not the new year news we had hoped to bring you, but it looks like Scotland could be heading for an even stricter lockdown. Nicola Sturgeon’s emergency statement to Holyrood today will almost certainly contain further measures designed to stop the spread of Covid-19.

It’s not difficult to understand why the first minister feels forced to act – the statistics in recent days have made for grim reading.

Scotland is now registering more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases every day despite the Tier 4 measures implemented more than a week ago.

In the days ahead that surge in sick people will mean many more deaths and increasing strain on hospitals up and down the country.

The seriousness of the situation is underlined by the decision to recall the Scottish Parliament for only the second time in 11 years.

It is also notable that the cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been brought forward. Ms Sturgeon has decided she cannot afford to delay by even 24 hours.

The main cause of this rapidly deteriorating situation is the new mutation of the disease which research has shown is “hugely” more transmissible than the previous version of the virus.

Experts at Imperial College in London have concluded this variant increases the crucial Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.

It should be remembered the original lockdown only reduced the R number in Scotland to around 0.6 and it needs to be below 1 to stop the virus running out of control. The mathematics of that equation give Ms Sturgeon no room for manoeuvre.

Parents will be understandably aghast at the prospect of schools remaining closed for longer than planned. There may also be unwelcome news on household mixing and other restrictions.

But there is one big difference compared to the first lockdown – an end to this nightmare is in sight.

There is now an effective vaccine that can return a semblance of normality to all of our lives. It is the job of politicians to deliver a speedy and efficient vaccination program.

The public must do all it can to limit the spread and buy more time.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is concerned about the new variant of the virus.