West-Central Scotland level 4 lockdown will end on Friday
By Isla Whateley
The case for the City of Edinburgh to move from level 3 of coronavirus restrictions to level 2 has been made strongly by politicians, residents and business owners today.
However, the Scottish Government has taken cautious approach in the lead up to Christmas and have decided to keep the capital city in level 3.
In today’s weekly lockdown review to MSPs in Holyrood, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “A move to level 2 in Edinburgh would mean opening up significantly more services in Scotland’s second biggest city in the two weeks before Christmas. That move would carry significant risk of increased transmission.”
At the beginning of her statement, Ms Sturgeon outlined the latest data on case numbers and deaths.
In the last 24 hours, there have been 692 positive Covid tests. 983 people are currently in hospital, with 57 in intensive care due to the virus. 33 people have died.
A major point today was that the 11 local authorities in West and Central Scotland that had been under level 4 restrictions since the 20th November will all be moving down into level 3 from Friday 11th December at 6pm.
These authorities are Glasgow City, East and West Dunbartonshire, North and South Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Stirling, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, and South and East Ayrshire.
This will allow retail and hospitality premises to open in these areas, but no alcohol can be served for sit-in customers.
Retail stores will be opening at 6am on Friday in order to manage an expected rush of customers prior to Christmas.
The travel restrictions forbidding people from travelling between council areas in level 3 and 4 will stay in place.
A number of authorities will be moving down a level. Inverclyde, Angus and Falkirk will be moving from level 3 to level 2.
Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders will be moving from level 2 to level 1.
The First Minister also outlined the continued mass-testing across eight locations in West and Central Scotland, as well as mass testing of university students before the Christmas break.
Concluding her conference, Ms Sturgeon expressed her cautious optimism on the day that the first Covid-19 vaccines were administered in Scotland.
She said: “This is a milestone we have all longed for. It offers hope, at long last, that we may now be at the beginning of the end of this pandemic.”
“For now, the virus and the risks it poses to health and life, remain with us. So we have no grounds at all for complacency about the months ahead.”
