Coronavirus: Aberdeen local lockdown to be reviewed
Coronavirus: Aberdeen local lockdown to remain in place
(about 13 hours later)
The local lockdown imposed in Aberdeen a week ago after a spike in coronavirus cases is due for review later.
The local lockdown imposed in Aberdeen a week ago after a spike in coronavirus cases is to remain in place.
Since last Wednesday pubs and restaurants have been closed and restrictions on travel and visiting other households have been in place.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the number of new cases in the city had fallen in recent days - but was still "much higher" than in other areas.
So far 165 cases have been linked to the cluster and 875 contacts of infected people have been traced.
She said it was therefore too early to lift any of the restrictions.
The first minister has said it will not last longer than necessary but she has not ruled out an extension.
It means pubs and restaurants will remain closed, with restrictions on travel and visiting other households still in place.
At Tuesday's coronavirus briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said: "Having come this far, it would be a mistake to lift them just too soon, so we need to be sure it is really under control."
The first minister said the restrictions would be reviewed again next Wednesday, and pledged: "As soon as we can relax any of them, we will do so".
National clinical director Jason Leitch also sounded a cautious note, saying the decision would be based on "how well we have caught the chains of transmission".
Ms Sturgeon said a total of 177 cases had now been linked to the outbreak - 12 more than yesterday - with 900 contacts having been identified.
"You can see over the last few days a kind of slowing of the number, but they are not coming down yet, we are not back to normal," he said.
She added: "In the last few days we have seen a slight fall in the number of new cases in Grampian and in those directly associated with the cluster.
"This virus is still spreading within a community that relates back to those initial examples nearly two weeks ago now.
"But despite this slight reduction, cases are still far higher than in any other part of the country - and considerably higher than they were in Grampian before the outbreak started".
"I am encouraged by what is happening, it is working how we predicted it would work - the Aberdeen semi-lockdown is doing what we expected - but remember the virus doesn't work in 24 chunks.
The first minister said the Scottish government's conclusion, based on the advice it had received, was that "it is not yet possible to lift any of the restrictions that were put in place last week for Aberdeen."
"It works in seven and 14-day chunks more likely so we're not yet over that hump completely. I cannot say with any real authority that we have reached the end of every chain of this transmission."
Ms Sturgeon said she knew people in Aberdeen would be disappointed by the decision, and thanked them for "complying so well with the rules".
On Tuesday it emerged that one person who is among a cluster of five cases in north east Angus had been linked to the Aberdeen outbreak.
She added: "We continue to watch closely for any signs that the outbreak has spread to Aberdeenshire in any significant way, but at present we are not placing any additional restrictions on people living in the shire".
All are showing mild symptoms and have not required hospital treatment
She said the city council had been fully involved in the discussions, with the police reporting "good compliance" with the restrictions in the city since they were imposed last Wednesday.
Health officials in Aberdeenshire are also investigating a potential cluster in the Stonehaven/Portlethen area, but no connection to Aberdeen has yet been established.
The restrictions in Aberdeen mean:
The local lockdown in Aberdeen was announced after a number of cases were initially linked to the Hawthorn Bar early in August.
It emerged last week that eight Aberdeen FC players had visited the city's Soul Bar the previous Saturday, with two later testing positive for Covid-19.
By last Wednesday, the total number of cases had risen to 54, prompting the reintroduction of restrictions for 228,000 people in the area.
The revelation angered the first minister, and has led to the cancellation of the club's next two matches.
These included:
One person who was among a cluster of five cases in north east Angus had been linked to the Aberdeen outbreak.
A day later it emerged that eight Aberdeen FC players had visited the city's Soul bar the previous Saturday and two later tested positive for Covid-19.
Health officials in Aberdeenshire have also been investigating a potential cluster in the Stonehaven/Portlethen area, but no connection to Aberdeen had yet been established.
The revelation angered the first minister, and has led to the cancellation of planned matches.
By Tuesday 165 cases had been linked to the outbreak but none has required hospital treatment. While 875 contacts have been identified, the number of individuals could be fewer as there may be some overlap between cases.
Lack of physical distancing
NHS Grampian last week issued a list of 28 bars and cafes, and four sporting clubs linked to the outbreak, but now says all bars in the city are affected because of a widespread lack of physical distancing.
Dr Emmanuel Okpo, consultant in public health medicine, said: "It is clear from our investigations to date that a lack of physical distancing has been the significant factor in the spread of these cases.
"While pubs and restaurants have guidelines to work to, to support physical distancing, it is also the responsibility of each one of us to keep our distance.
"Last week we circulated a list of pubs and restaurants which we had compiled during the course of our interviews with all detected cases at that point. This list was not shared to assign blame to any individual premises.
"We now consider that all licensed premises in Aberdeen are likely affected in some way. This is because physical distancing - or the lack of it - has come up repeatedly in our investigation. I would stress again that we must all take personal responsibility for physical distancing."
