MEASURES HELPING TO KEEP VIRUS ‘ STABLE’

Expert says restrictions are working

NICOLA Sturgeon will announce the latest coronavirus restrictions for Scotland tomorrow, setting out any changes under the Scottish Government’s new framework of levels.

There was speculation last week that the First Minister might have little choice but to place the whole country into a Level Four restriction so as to be able to drive numbers down and make use of the UK Government’s furlough scheme.

However, following the Chancellor’s U- turn, and his decision to extend the scheme until March, the Scottish Government now has a little more breathing space.

There were three confirmed Covid deaths registered on Saturday, down from 39 recorded on Friday – though the number of deaths is usually significantly lower at weekend as register offices are generally closed.

Of 17,229 new tests that were carried out, 7.3% were positive.

There were 1245 Covid patients in hospital – the same number as the day before – and the number of people in intensive care rose from 106 to 111.

In Greater Glasgow, there were another 416 people who positive for coronavirus.

Professor Linda Bauld, below, chair of public health in The Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh, told BBC Scotland that the pandemic seemed to be stabilising in Scotland.

“We are not seeing huge rises in the number of cases,” she said.

“We are definitely not seeing the pandemic growing in the way it might have been doing if we weren’t living under the current restrictions,” she added.

P r o f e s s o r Bauld said people’s contacts had reduced by 14% in the last two weeks and by 30% since August. She believes it’s unlikely that the restrictions will change much tomorrow.

“My own personal view is that we need a little bit longer to see the full effects of the current system and so I’d be very surprised if we saw much movement at the moment,” she said.

Meanwhile, the

Welsh tested leader has said the UK must plan a path to Christmas amid the coronavirus pandemic, as he called on the UK Government to make good on its promise for the four nations to meet and discuss a single approach.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove had promised a four- nation meeting this coming week so that country leaders can “pool ideas, plan together and have a common approach to the Chr i stmas period”. His comments come as Wales prepares to come out of a 17- day firebreak lockdown on Monday, while England continues in its month- long lockdown which ends at the start of December.

“I really hope that meeting materialises,” Drakeford told Sky News’s Sophie Ridge On Sunday. On whether he wanted to see families reunite over Christmas, he said: “The restrictions people have had to live with are incredibly difficult and demanding, and everybody is tired and fatigued of coronavirus. If we can offer respite over Christmas that is what we would want to do.”

He added: “The only way to do that is for us to have that opportunity to meet and talk together.

“I really hope the UK Government is serious about this and make certain that those opportunities exist for us all.”