Home   News   Article

Further action to be considered to halt spread of coronavirus


By Andrew Dixon

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

Scottish Parliament will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the possibility of imposing tougher measures to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Mainland Scotland moved into tier four of restrictions on Boxing Day in a bid to combat a new faster-spreading variant of Covid-19.

More details of any decisions are expected to be announced tomorrow afternoon.

As the number of cases continues to rise, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced on Twitter: "The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of very serious concern.

"The steep increases and severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead. So we must take all steps to slow spread while vaccination progresses.

"We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme. As we work to vaccinate as quickly as possible, we must also do more to slow down the virus – to save lives and help the NHS care for all those who need it.

"Following a meeting of Scottish Government's resilience committee yesterday to assess the latest situation, the cabinet will meet tomorrow morning to consider further action to limit spread and I’ve asked for Scottish Parliament to be recalled tomorrow afternoon so that I can set out our decisions in a statement.

"All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts. Vaccines give us a way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since start of pandemic. So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly and decisively in the national interest.

"For now, please continue to take Covid seriously – it is a real threat to life and health and, if it runs out of control, it damages the economy more too.

"Please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interactions with other households. Thank you."


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More