A community is being asked to help drive down coronavirus infections following a worrying spike in an area which was formerly at the lowest level of restrictions.
The number of new Covid infections in rural Moray is now higher than the nearby city of Aberdeen, and greater than the period before Scotland entered its latest period of lockdown.
READ MORE: Covid levels system could be rolled out on regional basis
According to the latest figures, the seven-day count of new cases in Moray on 23 February was 68, while the incidence rate is currently 71 per 100,000 people - "significantly" higher than the figures recorded in September 2020, when Moray was in Level 1 restrictions.
By contrast, Aberdeen saw 61 new cases in the same time period.
The City of Aberdeen
The relatively high rate of infection in Moray is being blamed on the new, highly-infectious 'Kent' strain of the virus, which now accounts for the majority of cases across Scotland.
Dr Derek Cox, consultant in public health said: "Community transmission and the new, more rapidly spreading variant are the main reason for these figures.
"I would urge the people of Moray to adhere to the Scottish Government 'FACTS' guidance to help stop community transmission and bring the local covid rate down in line with other Grampian areas."
Earlier this week, it was suggested in the Scottish Government's roadmap to the easing of covid restrictions that all going well the Levels system would return from the end of April.
Dr Cox said this would "not be possible" to go back to the lowest level of restrictions in Moray unless the rate of community transmission was brought down.
He said: "In the autumn 2020, Moray was one of the few areas in Scotland in Level 1 with the relative freedoms that afforded.
"That will not be possible again until the current rate of community transmission is brought down significantly.
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"In practice this would mean continued tighter restrictions to meeting with family and friends, leisure and hospitality compared with Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.
"We know this is hard, but let's stick with it by doing the best we can."
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