The green blue line: Rookies drafted in to enforce lockdown
Police Scotland send new recruits on to the streets
Rookie police officers with only two weeks’ basic training will be enforcing Scotland’s Covid-19 lockdown from tomorrow.
The new recruits, who only began their probationary period at the Scottish Police College a fortnight ago, are being sent on to the streets as hundreds of Police Scotland officers remain in self-isolation.
The emergency deployment by the national force can be revealed as the number of people who have died from the virus in Scotland rose to 218 yesterday, an increase of 46 on Friday’s figure. Not included in the official death toll yet are the 13 residents of a Glasgow nursing home who died in just seven days after the virus struck.
Meanwhile, a five-year-old child has become the youngest person to die with coronavirus in the UK. Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove, speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing, said: “Our thoughts today are also with the family of the fiveyear-old child with underlying health conditions who has tragically died.” Five London bus workers have also died from the virus as official figures showed the number of victims around the world has doubled over the last week from 30,000 to more than 60,000.
Mr Gove also announced a major drive to manufacture more ventilators, including in the Scottish Borders. He said the production of ventilators by Plexus and Diamedica at a site in Kelso will start within days.
NHS Borders has the second highest rate of infection in mainland Scotland, after Tayside. Mr Gove said hundreds of ventilators were being manufactured every day and more had been sourced from abroad.
Among those announcing they had Covid-19 symptoms yesterday was Boris Johnson’s pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds, despite efforts by the couple to stay apart after the Prime Minister was hit by the virus and went into isolation.
Ms Symonds, who announced five weeks ago that the couple were engaged, posted on social that she had spent the last week in bed but was feeling better.
“I haven’t needed to be tested
and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I’m on the mend.”
The Prime Minister was due to exit quarantine in Downing Street on Friday, seven days after testing positive. But he is remaining after continuing to have a high temperature. He said in a video message: “Although I’m feeling better, and I’ve done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom – I still have a temperature.”
Mobile phone mast fires are being investigated amid conspiracy theories claiming a link between 5G and coronavirus. There have been fires at masts in Birmingham, Liverpool and Melling in Merseyside.
A video, allegedly of the blaze in Aigburth, was shared on YouTube and Facebook, claiming a link between the mobile technology and Covid-19. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said it was “dangerous nonsense”.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said on Twitter “there is absolutely no credible evidence” of a link, while trade body Mobile UK said such rumours and conspiracy theories were “concerning”.
In a sign that the panic buying of recent weeks is now easing, Aldi has said it will lift purchase restrictions on almost all of its products from Monday – with the exception of hand wash, shower gel and UHT milk
The deaths at Burlington Court prompted Dr Donald Macaskill, chief executive of Scottish Care, which represents more than 800 of Scotland’s 1,000 care homes, to warn that the virus is likely to exert a terrible toll on residents. The Sunday Post also reveals today details of a Scotland-wide exercise, which looked at how the country’s health and social care services would be able to cope during an influenza pandemic.
Exercise Silver Swan flagged up key areas for health authorities to address, including obtaining appropriate and adequate supplies of personal protection equipment and antiviral drugs, and coping with staff absences.
But health experts and politicians are now calling for the Scottish Government to publish the report in full, amid claims its lessons were not fully learned.
The charity Age Scotland also expressed concern about the plight of elderly people living in their own homes, as calls to its helpline rose tenfold from an average of 70 calls a day to 700.
It has now launched an emergency fundraising appeal to maintain and expand its helpline work.
Brian Sloan, Age Scotland’s chief executive, said: “These are very difficult times for everyone, but we are seeing first hand that older people are particularly badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“From a lack of access to food and medication, getting the social care that they need, understanding how the latest news impacts them, or to have a friendly chat, older people have been relying on us to help. This is not a crisis that will be over in days or weeks. We are going to be battling the effects of this pandemic for many months.
“The longer it goes on the harder life is going to be for older people, particularly those who are alone and in danger of becoming chronically lonely. We need to be here for them. We would urge anyone who can, to contribute towards helping older people in Scotland.”
The UK Government has urged all over-70s to stay at home, which the charity says has led to tens of thousands of older people in Scotland growing more isolated and struggling to carry out everyday tasks, such as shopping for food and picking up medication.