Sturgeon warns of harsher measures
● Restrictions in place for ‘foreseeable future’ as Wales goes into lockdown
Ni cola Sturgeon has warned further restrictions may be needed in Scotland as she prepares to publish the Scottish Government’s new tierbased system for lockdowns.
The First Minister said household restrictions currently in place which mean people are not allowed to gather with another household inside are here to stay for the “foreseeable future”.
The Scottish Government is set to announce its plans for any restrictions or measures when it unveils its long-awaited replacement for its route map out of lockdown, which was considered defunct in September.
Her warning came after Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announced Wales will go into a" short, sharp" national lockdown from Friday until 9 November. People will be told to stay at home and pubs, restaurants, hotels and non-essential shops must shut.
However Ms Sturgeon stressed Scotland is in a “different position” from Wales and that there have been significantly greater restrictions in place north of the Border, such as a more rigid definition of what constitutes an extended household.
She said she would release the details of the ‘strategic framework’ towards the end of this week and that the document would provide a level of clarity on what restrictions will be in place and which part of the country they apply to, and how the Scottish Government will react to future outbreaks.
The First Minister said the document would not be an exhaustive list of options, with a “degree of judgement” involved in future decisions linked to the framework’s tiers.
The new framework will be debated in Parliament next week after the temporary restrictions in place for hospitality expire on Monday.
The First Minister said schools remaining open would be viewed as a key aspect of the plan.
She said: “The framework will also summarise our work to improve the effectiveness of existing measures to curb Covid – for example, how we will work to improve compliance with FACTS advice and all of the other guidelines; the review of our testing strategy and how we will continue to support Test and Protect; and
also how we will provi de support for businesses and individuals so that they can comply with all that they are being asked to do, either now or in the future.
“Publication of the frame - work is an important step, as we look ahead to the winter and prepare to manage the virus over, what may well be and I would expect to be, a very challenging period.
Ms Sturgeon said she would not go into any detail about any planned restrictions. She said that any potential crossborder travel ban would be included in the information published at the end of the week.
The First Minister added: “We have to, over the course of this week, decide what the position will be across S cotland and whether it will be the same in all parts of Scotland or whether there will be variations in different parts of Scotland when the temporary restrictions on hospitality are due to expire on Monday 26 October.
"It is not realistic to expect that we will go back to normality at that point.
"For example, the household restrictions will continue to be in place I think for the foreseeable future and it may be that we need to have some further restrictions over and above that.
"These will be discussions that the Scottish Government is happening over the next couple of days with out clinical advisers.
"As we set out our new strategic framework towards the end of the week, we will also set out what measures and restrictions we would intend to be in place from Monday across Scotland.”
Mr Drakeford told a Welsh Government press conference in Cardiff yesterday that the two-week" fire break" lockdown will be introduced across Wales from 6pm on Friday.
He said the measure was necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus and prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed.
The "sharp and deep" lockdown will last until November 9, with everyone in Wales "required to stay at home".
"The only exceptions will be critical workers and jobs where working from home is not possible," Mr Drakeford said.
Mr Drakeford said the lockdown would be a "short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and give us more time".
There were 4,127 new confirmed cases of coronavirus recorded by Public Health Wales between October 9 and 15, though the real level of infections is believed to be much higher.
The R value - the numb er of people each corona virus case infect s-across Wales is currently b et ween 1.1 and 1.4, while the seven- day rolling incidence rate for Wales
is more than 130 cases per 100,000 people.
"There are no easy choices in front of us, as the virus spreads rapidly in every part of Wales," Mr Drakeford said.
"We know that if we do not act now, it will continue to accelerate and there is a very real risk that our NHS would be overwhelmed.
"The number of people being taken to hospital with coro - navirus symptoms is growing every day, our critical care units are already full.
"We are asking our healthcare and social care staff, who have already done so much, to work even harder.
"Unless we act, the NHS will not be able to look after the increasing number of people who are falling seriously ill."
Mr Drakeford said that "even more extreme measures ", such as an open-ended lockdown, would have to be implemented if action was not taken now.
Under the "firebreak" lockdown, all non-essential retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses will close "just as they had to during the March lockdown".
Community centres, libraries and recycling centres will also close, while places of worship will also be shut, other than for funerals or wedding ceremonies.
Childcare facilities will stay open, with primary and specialist schools reopening after the half-term break.
Secondary schools will also reopen after half-term for children in years seven and eight, as well as the most vulnerable students.
Pupils will be able to go in to take exams but others will learn from home for an additional week, Mr Drake ford said.
Universities will provide a blend of in-person and online learning but students will be required to stay at their accommodation.
People will not be able to meet indoors or outdoors with anyone they do not live with, with exceptions for those living alone. They must stay at home, except for limited purposes such as exercise, and must work from home wherever possible. Gatherings are banned, including Halloween and fireworks or Bonfire Night celebrations.
But Mr Drakeford said an exception would be made for Remembrance Sunday on November 8, with small organised events by local authorities and the British Legion allowed to go ahead. "This firebreak is the shortest we can make it but that means that it will have to be sharp and deep in order to have the impact we need it to have on the virus," Mr Drakeford said.
Planned holidays in Wales will also have to be cancelled, with Mr Drake ford saying: "Regrettable as it is, as much as we look forward to welcoming people from outside Wales back to Wales again, this is not the time to do it."