SCOTLAND could head back into lockdown after Christmas, John Swinney has warned. The Deputy First Minister said the country was battling a “rising tide of Covid”.
Earlier this week, the Welsh Government announced it would head back into tougher restrictions immediately after the Christmas easing period ends on December 27.
In Scotland, new cases have hiked from 99 on December 6, to 115 a week later. Yesterday, the Government reported another 858 positive cases, 4.4% of all tests reported.
There were also another 30 deaths. The total under that daily measurement – patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days – is now 4203.
Swinney told the BBC: “Unfortunately, in Scotland today, we are in a rising tide of coronavirus cases.
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“The less we do to have social interaction in the period going forward, the better, in terms of stemming the rise in coronavirus cases within our community.”
Asked if the Scottish Government is considering similar measures to Wales, he said it could not be ruled out.
“We’ll have to look at what the forward prospects look like, we’ll have to take decisions that will be sustainable for a period into January and February to protect the public interest and protect the National Health Service,” he said.
Asked specifically if there could be greater restrictions or a possible lockdown, the Deputy First Minister said: “That could be a possibility, I can’t rule it out. We are on a rising tide of coronavirus cases.
“We will be looking, as we always do, at what the outlook is based on the data in front of us, and we have to take decisions, difficult decisions to make sure we protect the public from a highly dangerous virus.”
Swinney also said it is too early to say if areas of Scotland will be moved into higher levels of protection when the Cabinet meets on Tuesday.
Speaking during First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament, Nicola Sturgeon urged people to stay at home during the Christmas period.
“The fact there is a window of opportunity over Christmas is a pragmatic recognition that some people may not be willing to leave loved ones alone and therefore it is an attempt to put some risk-reducing boundaries around that,” she said.
“Let me reiterate that our clear advice is the safest way to spend Christmas this year is to stay within our own homes and households, and to keep any interaction with other households outdoors.
“We now have a real prospect of vaccination within weeks for many and within months for most. All of us should therefore do all we can to keep each other safe until then.”
Earlier in the day, at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Covid-19 Committee, Constitution Secretary Michael Russell said Scots should not “do Hogmanay”.
He said: “If somebody can meet out of doors, they are permitted to meet out of doors and maybe would wish to meet out of doors at midnight, but don’t in any sense do it if you don’t feel you should do it.
“The rules that apply within the area that you live have to be applied, absolutely and to the letter. There is no relaxation at Hogmanay.
“No ifs, no buts, there is no relaxation on the requirements of the area in which you live.”
He said people attending or hosting parties when restrictions are in place will be “putting themselves and others at serious risk of death”.
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Meanwhile, national clinical director professor Jason Leitch told the committee that there are some people in the country that the Government will be unable to convince over the safety of the coronavirus vaccine.
He said that from data he has seen, 27 million people will “run towards” the vaccine when it is made available to them, while another 27m will be “hesitant” but will simply want more information about the jab and its approval process.
Of the hesitant cohort, Leitch said: “They’re not anti-vax, they’re not suggesting that vaccines are a bad thing, they just want more information, they want to know that it’s safe, they want to know that the regulator has done all the right things.
“They want to know from clinical advisers, forgive me folks, not always from politicians, it is safe to have this vaccine.”
But he said there is one group even the best experts will struggle to get through to.
“To be completely honest, I’m not sure there’s much I can do for the extreme edge who think we’re microchipping the vaccine to follow people around the country, I’m not sure there’s much I can do to communicate with that group.”
Yesterday, the UK Government announced that large swathes of southern England will be placed under Tier 3 restrictions from Saturday.
Matt Hancock said case rates in the south east of England are up 46% in the last week.
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