Coronavirus Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon says 'regrettably' Glasgow will remain in covid level three but East Renfrewshire will not face tougher rules and Moray restrictions will be eased

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that Moray will move down to Level 2 restrictions from tonight and Glasgow will remain in Level 3 for at least a further week.

Speaking at a lunchtime coronavirus briefing today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed Glasgow will remain in Level 3 for one more week as it has not yet “turned the corner”.

The First Minister said that over the last 10 days, extensive public health measures were implemented across Glasgow but despite efforts cases continue to rise.

The government believes that this increase is partly due to the new Indian variant in circulation.

She said that the Indian variant – which will be referred to as the April 02 variant going forward – is causing particular concern, and may actually be “even more transmissible” than the Kent variant.

Ms Sturgeon said that she understands the news will not be welcome in Glasgow but she “hopes this will not be for much longer”.

She has suggested that Glasgow will be reviewed weekly, but she doesn’t know yet when the level will be reduced.

Asked if there is any possibility that Glasgow will move to Level 4, she said that she could not rule it out but that everything they are doing now – based on the knowledge of the success of the vaccination process – is “intended to avoid that”.

Nicola Sturgeon held a coronavirus briefing at 12.15pm on Friday.

The announcement continued with Ms Sturgeon confirming that East Renfrewshire will remain in Level 2, despite the rise in cases there.

She said that the area had been subject to “particularly close examination” this week but that after careful discussions they felt it was not necessary to move it into stricter restrictions at the moment.

The situation in Moray has improved significantly said Ms Sturgeon, therefore the area will move from Level 3 to Level 2 from midnight.

Ms Sturgeon added that she appreciates there may be apparent inconsistencies in the decision, but that they are always seeking to be as “proportionate” as possible when deciding which restrictions to implement.

National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch said the advice provided to the First Minister is based on differences between the two outbreaks in Glasgow and East Renfrewshire, and while case numbers are rising in both areas, they are not identical situations, therefore they require different approaches.

Aside from these areas of concern, Ms Sturgeon said that the figures today across much of the country remain at relatively low levels which is positive, adding that while there are “no grounds for complacency”, we are “much closer to the end of these kinds of restrictions in Scotland”.

Ms Sturgeon added that she was really looking forward to the prospect of giving her parents a hug this weekend, but because she lives in Glasgow that is not possible now so she “understands how hard this is”.

Asked about international travel, the First Minister said that she recognises that travelling abroad isn’t just about holidays, for a lot of people it is to see their family, but her advice is that people should not be travelling unless they absolutely have to, she said “the safest thing to do if you possibly can manage it is to stay in Scotland”.

Despite the announcements today, Ms Sturgeon said that she is optimistic that we will see a summer of “greater normality”.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.