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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Covid in Scotland: No changes to local levels after review | Covid in Scotland: No changes to local levels after review |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The five-level system is reviewed every Tuesday | The five-level system is reviewed every Tuesday |
| Scotland's local Covid-19 alert levels are to remain unchanged, with Nicola Sturgeon saying the government must follow a "cautious approach". | Scotland's local Covid-19 alert levels are to remain unchanged, with Nicola Sturgeon saying the government must follow a "cautious approach". |
| Where each local authority area sits in the five-level system of measures is reviewed every Tuesday. | Where each local authority area sits in the five-level system of measures is reviewed every Tuesday. |
| The first minister said restrictions were "having an impact", but that no changes would be made this week. | The first minister said restrictions were "having an impact", but that no changes would be made this week. |
| She said case numbers may be declining across Scotland, but it was important to "keep the virus at bay". | She said case numbers may be declining across Scotland, but it was important to "keep the virus at bay". |
| A group of 11 council areas in the west of the central belt are to remain in level four - the top tier of curbs - until 11 December. | A group of 11 council areas in the west of the central belt are to remain in level four - the top tier of curbs - until 11 December. |
| East Lothian moved down to level two as of Tuesday morning, but plans for Midlothian to make the same move were scrapped amid concerns about a rise in infections. | East Lothian moved down to level two as of Tuesday morning, but plans for Midlothian to make the same move were scrapped amid concerns about a rise in infections. |
| Follow Nicola Sturgeon's update of Covid alert levels | |
| Is your area in the toughest level? | |
| Postcode check - what are the rules in your area? | |
| When will I be vaccinated against Covid? | |
| What are Scotland's new travel restrictions? | |
| Ms Sturgeon said she was "hopeful" that both Dumfries and Galloway and Argyll and Bute could drop to level one in the coming weeks. | |
| She said there had been rises in case numbers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, but that these had been linked to "specific outbreaks" meaning they would not trigger an increase in the local levels. | |
| And the first minister said officials were monitoring Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross, currently in level three, "particularly carefully" in light of a recent increase in cases. | |
| Scotland moved to a five-level system of localised restrictions earlier in November, with the aim of suppressing the virus in high-prevalence areas but allowing more freedom in places with fewer cases. | |
| Significant changes have been phased in over the past week, with 11 councils around Glasgow and west and central Scotland moving to level four, the top tier of measures. | |
| Ms Sturgeon said this was a bid to "make sure cases in these areas fall more markedly", saying people there should "stay at home as much as possible". | |
| She said: "The latest data shows that across the country as a whole and within most local authorities, the restrictions in place are having an impact. | |
| "The number of new cases across the country has stabilised in recent weeks, and we have grounds for cautious optimism that numbers may be declining. | |
| "There is also evidence that admissions to hospitals and intensive care units are declining too, although these do tend to fluctuate on a day to day basis. However the national picture - which is positive - masks some regional variations." | |
| 'Devastating' decision | |
| Midlothian was originally meant to move to level two on Tuesday morning, but this was put on hold after fears about rising cases in the area. | |
| Ms Sturgeon said the number of cases had risen from 61 per 100,000 people to 97, saying that while this was "well below the national average" the 50% increase was a concern. | |
| Local council leader Derek Milligan said the move would be "absolutely devastating" for local businesses, and Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard pressed the first minister about the "eleventh hour decision". | |
| He said: "Decisions like this one today need to be a genuine co-production involving the locally elected council and the local business community, workers and their trade unions." | |
| The first minister said she knew the decision would be "disappointing for individuals and businesses" in Midlothian, but said it was better than risking having to move the area back up a level in a week's time. | |
| LEVELS: What are the restrictions in your area? | |
| NUMBERS: Five key figures to watch out for | |
| LOCKDOWN: Six months that changed our lives | |
| CASES: Where are the latest cases in Scotland? | |
| WHO? The people who have died with Covid-19 |