Aberdeen is back under lockdown as cases surge
ABERDEEN had lockdown measures reimposed yesterday after 54 new cases in the area.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that bars, cafes and restaurants would close following the ‘significant outbreak’.
The measures, which apply to the Aberdeen City Council area and affect around 228,000 people, will be enforced by Police Scotland.
Only essential visits will be allowed to hospital and a five-mile travel rule has been imposed. Residents cannot visit each other at home.
The announcement came a day after the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrived at her Scottish residence of Balmoral for their holiday.
A number of the cases in Aberdeen were linked to the city’s Hawthorne Bar, which has since shut voluntarily for 14 days. Another 20 pubs and restaurants were involved in the cluster. Police Scotland said extra officers would patrol the streets to ensure lockdown measures were respected.
Miss Sturgeon said the measures were to ‘prevent further spread and to give the test and protect teams the best possible chance of successfully breaking these chains’.
Scottish schools are due to return from August 11. Miss Sturgeon has previously said she expects all pupils to be back by August 18 at latest.
Travel to Aberdeen has been discouraged but those who have already made the journey can remain there.
Preston could follow Aberdeen back into lockdown following a similar surge in the infection rate.
The spike emerged after locals expressed fury that a nightclub had used a legal loophole to re-open by claiming it had remodelled itself into a bar. Council leaders admitted they were powerless to stop it.
Preston recorded 49 new cases of in the week to July 31, more than double the previous week.
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health at Lancashire County Council, said the new measures could be introduced as soon as today. ‘The number of cases in Preston is higher than we would expect,’ he said. ‘If the rates don’t change, there is no doubt that restrictions will be implemented.’