MUTANT VIRUS
Alert for families as nine cases of new strain found
NINE cases of a new strain of coronavirus have been found in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday.
They have all been identified in the Greater Glasgow area, with families warned to expect tough weeks ahead in the battle against the pandemic.
The First Minister said that early indications suggested the new strain may spread faster – and confirmed she would consider whether ‘additional precautions’ were needed, includ - ing potential changes to the planned relaxa - tion of rules over Christmas.
It emerged last night that the new strain, which came ‘out of nowhere’ in September , is likely to have originated in Britain. It is growing faster than the most common strain in the UK, which spread from Spanish farm workers and has a ‘striking’ 17 mutations.
It comes amid alarm about another rise in cases in parts of the country.
A further three council areas had more Covid restrictions imposed yesterday, meaning that 21 of Scotland’s 32 councils will be in Level 3 from Friday – resulting in many firms being unable to trade before Christmas. Hospitality premises have to close by 6pm and must not sell alcohol, while leisure and entertainment premises must shut their doors.
Yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said the arrival of a vaccine had provided light at the end of the tunnel but warned that the coming weeks may feel like one of several ‘ dips in the road’ along the way.
In a statement to MSPs, she said: ‘It is important to stress there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that this new variant is likely to cause more serious illness in people.
‘And while the initial analysis of it suggests that it may be more transmissible, with a faster growth rate than existing variants, that is not yet certain. It may instead be the case that it has been identified in areas where the virus is already spreading more rapidly.
‘Further analysis will be neces - sary to understand it better , and that analysis is being conducted through Public Health England.’
The First Minister added: ‘In the meantime, we are considering whether any additional precau - tions are necessary in light of what we know so far, including whether there should be any change over the Christmas period because of this or the wider context.’
Following the weekly review yesterday, East Lothian, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire were all moved from Level 2 to Level 3, alongside 18 other councils.
Concerns were raised about a rise in cases in North A yrshire, East Ayrshire and Fife, but they all remain in Level 3.
No areas moved down a tier, and a further review will take place on Tuesday. Argyll and Bute may be lowered from Level 2 to Level 1 if there is no ‘adverse change’.
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘ As I said a few weeks ago, the road ahead of us may still have dips in it. And, at times, that means the light will be hard to see. The next few weeks may well be one of those dips.
‘But even if it is obscured at times, we must remember that the light is definitely still there, and that we will get through this.’
She said cases of Covid-19 in Aberdeen City and East Lothian had increased by more than 50 per cent in the past week , with a smaller rise in Aberdeenshire. The new strain of the virus was announced on Monday amid fears it was behind a surge in cases in London and South-East England.
The Scottish Government refused to say if any of the nine cases in the
Glasgow area had travelled to or from those areas.
Miss Sturgeon said people should not ‘prematurely overreact ’ to the new strain. The nine cases identified in Scotland date back to the latter part of November and into this month.
She said it may be that the new variant had been identified in hardhit areas, giving the impression that it was faster spreading.
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives group at Holyrood, said a new strain would be a ‘cause of great concern for many people just as we start to see a light at the end of the tunnel’.
Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: ‘F or hospitality businesses across Scotland, today’s decision will be devastat - ing at what would have been a time of hope and opportunity for vital trading in the lead-up to the festive period.’
Colin W i l kinson, managing director of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said: ‘W e are bitterly disappointed as we had remained hopeful that any relaxa - tion of Covid-19 restrictions in relation to the licensed hospitality trade at this time would have given businesses a fighting chance to trade more viably in the last week before Christmas.’
‘We are bitterly disappointed’