Nicola Sturgeon called it ‘not the New Year statement I wanted to give’. The SNP leader addressed the Scottish parliament earlier this afternoon to confirm reports of a new, March-style lockdown across mainland Scotland. It came as 1,905 positive cases were recorded yesterday, though this is likely to be a significant under-calculation as most registry services are closed on Sunday. The positivity rate now stands at 15 per cent, up from 10.1 per cent on New Year’s Eve, and since Christmas there have been 289 deaths recorded in relation to Covid.
Against this backdrop, Sturgeon’s government is taking Scotland into the most severe lockdown since the outset of the pandemic. Mainland Scotland was already in level four — the top tier north of the border — and Sturgeon described the new restrictions as ‘an enhancement to level four’.
From tomorrow, Scots will, by law, be required to stay at home and may leave only for care or healthcare, essential shopping and exercise.
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