STURGEON WARNS ‘ HARD DECISIONS’ NEED TO BE MADE
Meetings over weekend in bid to help slow virus
NICOLA STURGEON has given a stark warning that tougher lockdown rules could be imposed in the next few days. She said top level meetings were taking place and “hard decisions” will need to be taken to prevent coronavirus levels leading to national lockdown again.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m giving people advance notice we are likely to see some difficult but necessary decisions.”
She said that meant “Greater restrictions than we are under right now but that allow us to keep schools open”.
The First Minister said she has asked Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting of the four UK nations and she is meeting with the Scientific Advisory Group SAGE.
Ms Sturgeon gave the sternest warning in months that further restrictions will be necessary and said the next few days are crucial.
She said: “We are facing an exponential growth. We need to avoid that. No- one wants to see another full- scale lockdown.
“That means right now, today, following all the rules and advice.”
She warned the country was on the same trajectory as mainland European countries where cases are rising similar to earlier in the year.
Ms Sturgeon said that cases in France were now at 10,000 a day.
She said: “They stood a few weeks ago where we are today.”
The First Minister told people: “We are at a critical point right now. Nothing is inevitable, we all have the power to stop this running out of control again.”
However, she said: “In the coming days hard and necessary decisions will be taken.”
She added: “Doing nothing is not an option.”
Ms Sturgeon said people should avoid all non- essential travel abroad.
She also said to avoid non- essential travel at home within the UK as well and particularly not to go to areas where there are higher levels of the virus.
The latest daily coronavirus statistics showed 203 new cases, which was 4.4% of all tests carried out.
The number is 87 fewer than the 290 reported the day before, a 30% drop. The pattern of cases however is analysed on a rolling seven- day period which has been rising in recent weeks.
Of the total, 69 were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which is a drop of almost 40% from the 112 reported the day before.
There were 30 in Lothian and 29 in Lanarkshire, which is also under stricter lockdown restrictions.
Council leaders from Glasgow City region, where seven of the eight areas are under enhanced measures, urged people to follow the rules.
The City Region Leaders said: “The virus hasn’t gone away and it can get a grip in only a few days. The very limited restrictions we have in place in some parts of the region are hard enough for people but if we don’t all stick to the rules the number of cases will keep rising and those restrictions will just get tougher.
“Having too many people in our homes is still the main source of infection and we must do everything we can to stop things getting worse.”
Across Scotland there were 61 people in hospital, an increase of nine and there were five in intensive care, the same number as the day before.
There was one new death from someone who tested positive for coronavirus.