Lockdown restrictions extended to Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire

Nicola Sturgeon said the decision was “regrettable but necessary” following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

She warned pubs and restaurants in Glasgow and surrounding areas could soon follow tough measures.

The new lockdown means over a million Scots, across five council areas, are no longer allowed to have visitors in the house.

The restrictions mean that indoor visits to hospitals and care homes are only allowed if they are essential.

According to the latest statistics, 146 people had tested positive for the virus over the last 24 hours. While this is a lower number than the previous day, it represents 2.4% of people newly tested. Just two weeks ago, that figure was less than 1%.

Of the new cases, 78 are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

Taking to Twitter to explain the decision, the First Minister said the most significant driver of the transmission continues to be “household gatherings, large and small.”

She added: “And it is in these gatherings, rather than pubs, that older and more vulnerable people may be at greater risk of infection.

“However, close attention will be paid over next few weeks to hospitality and, in the meantime, the councils involved will step up engagement and, if necessary, enforcement to ensure rules are being complied with, “So, if you live in Glasgow City, East or West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire or Renfrewshire council areas, please don’t have others visit you at home and don’t visit other households in any part of Scotland. If we comply with this, hopefully further restrictions can be avoided.”

Earlier, at the Scottish Government’s Covid briefing, the First Minister had warned that the brakes may need to be put on Scotland’s re-emergence from the lockdown after a significant increase in the number of people testing positive.

The Scottish Government’s route map has September 14 as an indicative date for the re-opening of entertainment settings, like theatres, music venues and comedy clubs, as well as the re-introduction of crowds at football grounds.

Any decision will likely be announced on Thursday at the end of the current three-week lockdown.

The First Minister said there was a “definite trend at the moment”.

“In some ways it shouldn’t surprise us, in recent weeks we have opened up most of our economy.

“But as we have released ourselves from lockdown we have also released the virus from lockdown.”

Sturgeon added: “We must take this trend seriously and if we want to avoid having to close parts of our economy down again, and I think we all want to avoid that, we must step up our other ways of keeping Covid under control.”

The SNP leader said the country would only move from phase three to phase four of lockdown if the virus is no longer considered a significant threat.

“From all of the latest statistics it is clear that will not be the case,” she said.

While no final decision has been made, she warned it “may be that we have to put the brakes on some further changes, too”.

The First Minister said “we risk in the weeks ahead going back to a mounting toll of illness and death” if action to combat coronavirus is to stop.

Sturgeon said the last time more than 200 cases were reported in a single day was May 8 – but she said there were “important differences” between the situation now and then.

She said a lower proportion of those being tested were now confirmed as having coronavirus, adding that earlier in the year the daily case numbers were “probably more of an under-estimate” than they are now, with more people now being tested.

She added that on May 8 there were 75 people in intensive care with coronavirus and over 1000 people in hospital with the disease – significantly higher than the totals now.

Sturgeon said “generally” higher numbers of cases were not being reflected in a “significant increase” in hospital admissions.

The First Minister said this may “partly reflect the fact that right now younger people make up a higher percentage of positive cases”.

Green MSP Ross Greer said the measures were “deeply unfortunate but absolutely necessary”.