Nicola Sturgeon warns life may not be ‘back to normal’ by the SUMMER as she tells Scots to only visit the supermarket once a WEEK
- The First Minister said some coronavirus restrictions will have to remain in place
- She told supermarket customers limit visits to once a week and do it alone
- Reminded shoppers to wear a face mask over both their mouth and nose
Nicola Sturgeon warned Scotland that life may not be ‘back to normal’ by the summer today as she damped the hopes of music festival-goers that they might take place.
The First Minister said some coronavirus restrictions will have to remain in place even if the vaccination programme is able to suppress transmission rates.
She told her daily televised briefing that this currently makes it impossible to say when large events will be permitted.
It came as she told supermarket customers to wear a face mask over both their mouth and nose, shop alone and limit visits to once a week as she highlighted the Covid-19 risk in retail.
The First Minister stressed the importance of wearing a face covering properly, as she announced a further 71 deaths and 1,480 positive coronavirus tests had been recorded in the past day.
The Glastonbury Festival was cancelled yesterday for a second consecutive year due to the pandemic, but organisers of the TRNSMT festival – due to take place in Glasgow Green in July – still hope it can go ahead if restrictions are lifted in time.
However, asked at the briefing today whether summer music festivals should simply be cancelled now, Ms Sturgeon said ‘none of us’ can say with certainty what the situation will be in six months’ time, despite better weather and the vaccine rollout.
‘We are still very much in the grip of a global pandemic and none of these things, in and of themselves, are going to necessarily create a completely back to normal environment in any walk of life,’ she said.
‘So I think organisations have to be aware of that.’
The First Minister said some coronavirus restrictions will have to remain in place even if the vaccination programme is able to suppress transmission rates.
Organisers of the TRNSMT festival – due to take place in Glasgow Green in July – still hope it can go ahead if restrictions are lifted in time. Pictured is the 2019 festival
Despite the vaccination programme, she said, some ‘mitigations’ may be needed for some time to come.
Public Health Scotland said 358,454 people in the country had received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by 8.30am on Friday January 22, an increase of 23,583 from the previous day.
It added that 4,689 people have received the second dose, an increase of 223.
The number of people in hospital in Scotland with Covid has increased by 49 in 24 hours to 2,053, after a sharp drop in the daily figure on Thursday.
The Covid-19 death toll under the daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – now stands at 5,628.
Ms Sturgeon told the daily coronavirus briefing that shopping for food is now ‘one of the few reasons why we should be leaving our homes’ – as she stressed it is not risk-free.
‘The new variant is spreading faster and more easily so it is all the more important that when we do go to a shop… we take the necessary precautions,’ she said.
‘Remember, your face covering should be over your mouth and your nose.
‘That’s really vital to make sure it’s giving you the protection that it’s designed to do but also that it’s giving the people around you maximum protection as well.’
She asked people to order their groceries online for delivery if possible, to otherwise limit visits to shops to once a week, and not to go into a shop if it is busy.
‘Shop alone if you can, ‘ she said. ‘Don’t go with other people.’
The First Minister also announced extra funding to support health and social care workers.
She said £500,000 will be given to health boards and health and social care partnerships to implement requests from staff, such as for free hot drinks or snacks during breaks.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘I’m flagging this up today just as a way of underlining how much we owe our health and care workers, but also as an example of what we’re trying to do to support them in practical ways while they continue to perform such an incredible service for all of us.
‘I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repay those on the front line of health and social care for everything they have done and everything they have suffered over the duration of this pandemic.
‘But in every way we can, it’s important to support them and to show our gratitude.’
Source: Read Full Article