2,500 Scots forced to isolate after call from tracing teams
MORE than 2,500 people in Scotland have been called and ordered to go into quarantine for a fortnight.
An average of 340 people a week are being asked to self-isolate because they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, figures show.
It comes as a further 22 new cases of the virus were recorded yesterday, although there were no more deaths for the eighth day in a row.
Fears of a major outbreak at a football club also proved unfounded due to ‘false positive’ tests.
Seven non-playing staff at St Mirren had tested positive through the club’s own private monitoring.
However, when the results of followup testing by NHS laboratories were confirmed yesterday, six were negative and only one positive. The Scottish Government and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board yesterday refused to confirm local rumours that a senior staff member at St Mirren had close family links to an outbreak at the Sitel call centre near Bellshill, Lanarkshire. The centre carries out contact tracing for the NHS in England.
Every time anyone tests positive for Covid-19, an extensive contact tracing programme is launched in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
New figures published by Public Health Scotland showed that, since the scheme was launched on May 28, 953 people have tested positive and had contacts traced.
This has resulted in 2,573 people being called by contact tracers and asked to go into self-isolation for 14 days.
In the most recent week – from July 12 to July 18 – 211 contacts were traced from 83 people. They are not told who has the virus or where they may have been put at risk. Scottish
Government figures released yesterday showed a further 22 positive tests, up from 20 on Thursday.
The percentage of daily tests returning positive results remains at 0.4 per cent, the figures indicate, which is no change from Thursday.
On social media, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Another day with no deaths of confirmed cases, and tests coming back positive still under 1 per cent. But we must not drop our guard.’
She urged people to stick to the Scottish Government’s guidance on suppressing the virus, including on face coverings and social distancing.
A total of 18,520 people have now tested positive for the virus north of the Border, after two cases previously classified as positive were reclassified as negative.
Explaining the latest figures, the Scottish Government reported 22 new cases yesterday but said that because two previous positive cases are now classified as negative, ‘as such there is a net increase of 20 positive cases’. A total of 278 people were in hospital on Thursday with confirmed Covid-19. Of these, two were in intensive care.
The positive tests at St Mirren plunged into chaos the plans for the return of Scottish football. St Mirren’s planned friendly at home to St Johnstone today was cancelled.
Club chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: ‘Six of the subsequent coaching staff tests have now come back negative.
‘The remaining member of the coaching staff has confirmed as a positive test result and continues to be in strict isolation.’
The Scottish Football Association said it was notified of the initial positive test results on Thursday. It said: ‘We immediately contacted the Scottish Government and the office of the clinical director for Scotland to relay this information.
‘The joint response group notified Scottish Premiership clubs that with immediate effect they must revert to twiceweekly testing protocols.’
‘Must not drop our guard’