THE second wave of coronavirus infections in Scotland was caused largely by UK and international travel, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Revealing details of a report to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), the First Minister said these journeys “reignited” the virus after it had been supressed.
She said these risks are why the Scottish Government recommends against non-essential travel outside of the country and the reason for legal restrictions being in place to prevent people travelling between level 3 and 4 areas.
Sturgeon reiterated during the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing that travel restrictions are a “vital part of tackling the virus and trying to keep it contained rather than allowing it to spread across the country”.
READ MORE: Covid: Four key points from Nicola Sturgeon's coronavirus briefing
Giving more detail on the report, national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said the first lockdown successfully eliminated around the majority of 300 strains of the virus.
He said Covid-19 infections in the second wave were caused by new strains introduced to Scotland from other parts of the UK or aboard.
“Once as a society we are allowed to travel again, we brought fresh new strains into Scotland, which started our second wave,” he said.
Leitch said this is a “cautionary tale” to people considering travelling over the Christmas period.
“If you can stay local you will help Scotland to avoid another spike in January,” he added.
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