NICOLA Sturgeon has told journalists she can't rule out the return of coronavirus curbs if there is a spike in cases after the climate change conference in Glasgow.
The First Minister said a rise in infections was not inevitable and urged people to comply with all the mitigations currently in place in order to minimise the risk of rising transmission.
"On the point about restrictions, because I recognise the reality of living through a pandemic of an infectious virus this is not specifically related to COP, we don't ever want to go back to the kind of restricions we had or even to reintroduce any restrictions but you can never rule anything out in the kind of situation we are in just now," she said.
"But what we know for certain if we all behave the ways that are proven to stop transmission we have a better chance of avoiding that."
National Clinical director Professor Jason Leitch, who also attended the briefing, said "there had to be a reverse gear" to address rising infections and said the current tranmission rate, or R number, was around 1.
He said: "There has to be a reverse gear...but there is also a way of getting to the next stage without the numbers going up. The reality is I would we had a 100 cases a day in Scotland than 2,500 cases a day COP or no COP.
"R appears to be about 1...so 2,500 people are giving it to another 2,500 people. To keep R at 1 or below it's vaccination, test twice a week...and follow the hygiene rules."
He added that any rise in infections would come after COP26 both in Scotland and potentially other countries as delegates returned home.
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The First Minister held the televised briefing to journalists at Atlantic Quay in Glasgow, along with the National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch and Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone this afternoon.
Activists from Ocean Rebellion wearing oil heads with 75-litres of fake oil, in front of the Hydro, Glasgow, today as the city prepares for the COP26 conference. Picture PA.
Earlier in the briefing, Sturgeon said: “This event which is bringing people from all around the world together to meet indoors in large numbers while the world is still in the midst of a pandemic inevitably poses a risk of increased Covid transmission. And I understand why that makes some people weary.
“However I want to give an assurance again today that we are doing everything possible to mitigate these risks as far as is possible.”
She said efforts have been made to ensure delegates are fully vaccinated.
Those entering the restricted blue zone will need to take a lateral flow test, she added, and mask wearing and one-metre social distancing will be in place.
Last week one of Sturgeon’s key health advisers predicted the arrival of thousands of delegates to the UN climate change conference in Glasgow, which starts this weekend, will fuel the spread of Covid-19 and prompt the return of pandemic restrictions.
Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University and a member of the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 advisory group, said COP26, which is to be attended by up to 25,000 delegates from 200 countries, risks reversing the downturn in virus case numbers. The event starts this Sunday and continues until November 12.
Any fresh curbs could include capping the number of people allowed to attend indoor gatherings or the possible reintroduction of social distancing rules.
Sridhar said she was “not underplaying at all the significance of climate change” but that she was worried about the impact of the in-person conference in Glasgow on the ability to control of the virus.
She said the summit is taking place at “probably [the] worst timing ever in a pandemic”, Sridhar said, as winter approaches and socialising increasingly takes place indoors with less ventilation as venues close windows to retain heat.
“A mass event (with major movement of people in & out) with an infectious virus will cause an increase in cases,” Sridhar tweeted.
“While in the case of Covid will put stress on limited health services. Which triggers [the] need for further restrictions.”
On Tuesday the First Minister told MSPs the situation was fragile as she announced that some NHS hospitals in Scotland are currently "at capacity".
She told Holyrood COP26 will "inevitably" pose a risk of transmission of Covid-19.
But the First Minister told MSPs work has been done by the Scottish Government and United Nations to mitigate the effects.
She said: "The hosting of COP26 would always have been a significant challenge for the UK and Scottish governments and Glasgow City Council.
"However, the fact it is happening amidst the global pandemic makes it even more so.
"It is inevitably the case that it poses a risk of increased Covid transmission.
"I want to assure Parliament and the public, however, that the Scottish Government has been working closely with the United Nations and the UK Government to mitigate these risks as far as possible."
Some 25,000 delegates will be attending COP26 and are not required to be vaccinated. In addition some 100,000 people are expected to descend on Glasgow for protests and demonstrations.
But those from outside the common travel area will have to show proof of a negative test and those on the red list will have to stay in managed quarantine.
Delegates in the COP26 "blue zone" will have to carry out daily lateral flow testing and follow hygiene mitigations.
Scotland has recorded 24 coronavirus deaths and 2,732 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data.
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It means the death toll under this daily measure - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - is 9,143.
There were 926 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, down six on the day before, with 60 in intensive care, up two.
The daily test positivity rate was 7.7%, up from 6.3% the previous day, figures published by the Scottish Government show.
So far 4,314,144 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination and 3,903,299 have received a second dose.
Friday's statistics may be affected by a data flow issue at the Glasgow Lighthouse laboratory, the Scottish Government said.
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