Nicola Sturgeon has said the increasing spread of coronavirus in Scotland is “extremely concerning” as she updated MSPs about the latest Covid-19 figures.
During an update to the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister outlined how a surge in the number positive cases of the virus was being spurred by the highly-infectious Delta variant, and said that the situation remains "fragile and serious".
She set out new measures to help curb the spread of Covid and set out the Scottish Government's position on other measures which could be brought in to manage the situation in the future.
Here's five of the key points from today's briefing:
1) Vaccine passports
The Scottish Government plans to bring in a 'vaccine passport' scheme where anyone aged over-18 will have to show evidence they have received both doses of a vaccine against the virus to access events.
These will include nightclubs, unseated live indoor events attended by up to 500 people, unseated outdoor events of up to 4,000 and any event with a crowd of 10,000 or more -which presumably includes live football.
Children and those with health conditions which prevents them from receiving a vaccine will be exempt.
The system will be subject to a vote in the Scottish Parliament next week.
2) How to download a vaccine passport
People who are fully vaccinated will be able to request a paper copy of their vaccination certificate or – from Friday – will be able to request a QR code to prove they have received both doses. Vaccine passports will not be needed to access essential services such as shops, schools and healthcare.
3) Cases continue to rise
Cases are surging and Ms Sturgeon said it was" not impossible" that Scotland could see 10,000 cases a day in the coming months.
She told MSPs the number of new cases is 80% higher than last week and five times higher than four weeks ago. Hospital admissions are also rising daily, with a total of 629 people were in hospital on Tuesday, up by 44 on the previous day, with 59 patients in intensive care, up five.
4) Fresh restrictions
Fresh restrictions or new lockdowns are not being ruled out. Ms Sturgeon said it would be “grossly irresponsible” to rule out the reintroduction of restrictions or another lockdown amid the rise in coronavirus cases. She told MSPs: “The situation we face just now is fragile and serious. We must stem the rise in cases.
“Obviously, it would not be responsible for any government in the face of this virus – and the harm it can still do – to rule out reintroducing any restrictions.
5) Vaccinations for teenagers
Nicola Sturgeon said she hopes scientists recommend vaccinating all 12 to 15-year-olds and said Scotland “stands ready” to expand the rollout to them if required.
Addressing the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon revealed “almost exactly half” of 16 and 17-year-olds have had a first dose of coronavirus vaccine, along with 74% of 18 to 29-year-olds.
She said: “We still await advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on vaccinating all 12 to 15-year-olds and I very much hope the evidence will allow the JCVI to give a positive recommendation very soon and we stand ready to implement that if it is the case.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel