Scotland Level 1 announcement RECAP: Nicola Sturgeon announces Glasgow lockdown rules change | Edinburgh remains in Level 2 | Full list of areas by level | What does Level 1 mean | Third wave concerns | FM statement in full
Scroll down to see how coverage of Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus levels update unfolded.
Coronavirus in Scotland RECAP: The latest updates on Tuesday, June 1
Key Events
- Glasgow will move down to Level 2
- Scotland records no covid deaths and 478 cases on Tuesday
- Majority of Central belt will remain in Level 2 restrictions
- Share Covid jabs with poorer nations, world leaders urged
The Scotsman’s top stories on Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement
Sturgeon to confirm if further easing of Covid restrictions can take place
Nicola Sturgeon will confirm “whether and to what extent” plans to further ease coronavirus restrictions can take place next week .
Under the Scottish Government’s Covid route map, Scotland was scheduled to move into Level 1 restrictions from June 7.
But a recent spike in infections has forced ministers to keep the entire Glasgow City Council area under Level 3 restrictions – meaning bars and restaurants can not serve alcohol indoors and get-togethers inside people’s homes are also barred.
Ms Sturgeon has already warned that Glasgow may “have to be in Level 2 for a couple of weeks before it moves to Level 1”.
She is due to reveal if the move to Level 1 can go ahead in a statement to MSPs at Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon.
Sturgeon: Vaccination success allows us to manage pandemic ‘less restrictively’
oronavirus vaccines should allow Scotland to manage the pandemic “less restrictively”, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister praised an article by public health professor Devi Sridhar, who argued that people in Britain could see the end of the pandemic “within months, if not weeks” because of the vaccine rollout progress.
Posting on Twitter, Ms Sturgeon said she hoped Scotland was in a “transition” out of lockdown, with the impact of the vaccination programme providing “an ability to manage Covid differently and less restrictively”.
Writing in the Guardian, Professor Sridhar argued that throughout history “pandemics have ended when the disease ceases to dominate daily life and retreats into the background” and citizens of richer countries such as the UK and the US could experience this soon.
But she stressed that poorer countries who may struggle to afford vaccines, technology or treatments for Covid-19 “will remain trapped by outbreaks that cause chaos in hospitals and kill health workers and vulnerable and elderly people”.
Professor Sridhar, who is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, added: “It’s now incumbent on richer countries that are emerging from the pandemic to turn their attention to poorer nations and ensure they have the resources they urgently require.
“It’s only when Covid-19 stops disrupting lives and livelihoods in all regions that we’ll truly be able to say the pandemic has ended.”
Share Covid jabs with poorer nations to end variants threat, world leaders urged
Covid vaccines must be shared with poorer nations to prevent richer countries being hit by newly-imported deadly variants, world leaders have been told.
Global bodies – along with MPs and peers – warned of fresh lockdowns if people in developing nations do not get a huge increase in jabs.
The warnings came as calls grew from experts to postpone England’s unlocking on June 21 due to fears the Indian variant is fuelling a third wave of potentially “explosive” Covid-19 infections.
In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will confirm “whether and to what extent” plans to further ease coronavirus restrictions can take place on June 7, amid extra controls in Glasgow to deal with rising cases.
With vaccines seen as the main escape route from repeated lockdowns to control the pandemic, governments around the world are being urged to do more to ensure those in developing nations can access jabs.
The heads of the World Health Organisation, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and World Trade Organisation warned of a “dangerous gap” in the availability of jabs, with low-income nations receiving “less than 1% of vaccines administered so far”.
Nicola Sturgeon is to announce on Tuesday whether Covid restrictions can be eased further – here's all we know
Nicola Sturgeon is to announce on Tuesday (June 1) whether Covid restrictions can be eased further in Scotland – with the First Minister previously indicating not all of the country may move to Level 1.
PM urged to adopt ‘one in, one out’ policy to boost jabs for developing world
More than 100 cross-party MPs and peers have urged Boris Johnson to show “global leadership” in the run-up to the G7 summit by pledging to do more to vaccinate developing nations.
With the Prime Minister chairing a gathering of the most economically powerful countries in the world in Cornwall from June 11, politicians are calling on him to commit to a one in, one out policy when it comes to vaccines.
For every dose bought for use in Britain, the signatories want the UK Government to donate a dose to the United Nations-backed Covax scheme, which is providing vaccines to low and middle-income countries.
It comes as the World Health Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and the World Trade Organisation used a joint plea across a range of international newspapers to call for richer countries to give more Covid vaccines to poor nations or risk new variants bringing fresh lockdowns.
In a letter backed by senior Tory MPs Peter Bottomley and Dr Dan Poulter, a former health minister who has worked on the frontline during the pandemic, the signatories said there is “clear moral imperative to act to close the global vaccine divide”, as well as a “rational case…to stop the threat of variants emerging abroad and taking root in the UK”.
Others putting their name to the letter include former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, former archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, Margaret Thatcher’s former health minister Baroness Hooper and ex-leader of the Liberal Democrats Lord Campbell.
Ross says Scotland should move to Level 1 on June 7
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has insisted Scotland should be able to move to Level 1 on June 7, as he called on the Scottish Government not to leave whole areas behind if restrictions are relaxed.
Mr Ross said: “The success of Scotland and the UK’s vaccine scheme means we can now be far more positive about easing restrictions.”
The Tory added: “Everyone understands that there will be a need for local, targeted measures when an outbreak occurs.
“But leaving behind whole areas should be ruled out. Sweeping measures that unnecessarily hurt a whole city or council area are unfair on businesses and local people waiting to get on with their lives.”
Mr Ross argued: “Selectively imposing restrictions and targeting resources at smaller areas is entirely possible. The blanket council-wide approach is not the only plausible option.
“The one-size-fits-all approach should be replaced by targeted interventions to tackle local outbreaks.
“For the sake of jobs, businesses and people’s mental health, the country has to move forward together as much as possible.”
Army set to be deployed in Scotland to accelerate vaccinination rollout
The military is being called in to help accelerate the vaccine rollout in the Lothians amid claims staff shortages have left it in a “critical position”.
Ross Kemp launches campaign to thank volunteers for helping during the pandemic
Ross Kemp has launched the Cheers for Volunteers campaign to thank those who have worked for free to provide assistance during the pandemic.
The actor and television presenter has partnered with the Together Coalition and Royal Voluntary Service charities to honour volunteers.
As part of the campaign he has met volunteers at The Volunteer pub in central London to thank them for their efforts.
Kemp, 56, said: “What a fantastic bunch of people. It was a pleasure to take them out for a drink and I was honoured to kick off Cheers for Volunteers.
“Wherever you will be at 5pm on July 4 please join me in raising your drink of choice to all of the volunteers who have seen us through the pandemic.
“The last year has been hard for all of us, but we also saw it bringing our communities closer together.
“Whatever happens next in the pandemic we’re going to need to keep that community spirit going.”
The Cheers for Volunteers campaign is part of the National Thank You Day on July 4, which is designed to thank people for their work during the pandemic.
At 5pm on July 4 the public are being urged to join in raising a drink of their choice for volunteers.
'Disproportionate’ Glasgow Covid lockdown restrictions are ‘unfair and unlawful’, says law professor
‘Disproportionate’ lockdown restrictions in Glasgow are ‘unfair and unlawful’, a legal academic has warned.
A leading scientific adviser to the Government has repeated calls to delay the June 21 lifting of restrictions by “a few weeks”, warning the coronavirus’s ability to adapt in the face of vaccines has still left the UK in a vulnerable position.
Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the increased socialisation which has followed last month’s phase of restriction lifting could be expected to lead to “quite a lot” of hospital admissions.
He said while the nation had performed “amazingly well” in its vaccination programme, it was still too early “to put the vaccine straight up against the virus”.
Prof Gupta said a delay of a few weeks to the June 21 target could have a significant impact on Britain’s battle against the pandemic, and recommended it should be made clear to the public that it would be a temporary measure based on recent events, chiefly the emergence of the Indian or B.1.617.2 strain of the virus.
“Even a month delay could have a big impact on the eventual outcome of this,” Prof Gupta told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Covid-19 variants will be named after letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigma
Covid-19 variants will be named after letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid “stigmatising” the countries where they were first detected.
Scientist urges delay to June 21 target date for lifting Covid-19 restrictions
A scientific adviser to the Government has repeated calls to delay the June 21 lifting of pandemic restrictions by “a few weeks”, warning that the ability of coronavirus to adapt in the face of vaccines has still left the UK in a vulnerable position.
Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the UK’s pandemic picture had changed since its road map to recovery was drawn up, chiefly through the emergence of the Indian of B1617.2 strain of the virus.
He also warned the increased socialisation following last month’s easing of restrictions could lead to “quite a lot” of hospital admissions, and said while Britain had performed “amazingly well” in its vaccination programme, it was still too early “to put the vaccine straight up against the virus”.
Prof Gupta told ITV’s Good Morning Britain moving back the June 21 target date could have a significant impact on the fight against the pandemic, adding it should be made clear to the public this would be a temporary measure based on recent developments.
More than 39 million people have been given a first jab and a further 25.3 million have had both doses.
Asked whether a three-week delay to the June 21 target would be sufficient while Britons were being vaccinated at a rate of four million per week, Prof Gupta said: “Even a month delay could have a big impact on the eventual outcome of this.
“As long as it’s clear to people this is not an unlimited extension of the lockdown but actually just a reassessment, that would be realistic.
“Because we didn’t plan for the 617.2 variant when the initial road map was made, and actually things have gone really well except for the fact that we have this new variant to complicate things.
“We must remember this is a virus that does adapt, and faced with vaccines it will eventually start to make mutations to avoid them even further, and then we could be in an even more precarious situation after that.”
Prof Gupta said the UK was in “a really good position” in regard to its vaccination programme but caution remained crucial.
“The key thing here is that we’re almost there,” he said.
The EU’s ambassador to the UK has raised hopes that those wanting to holiday in Europe later this summer will find the process easier.
Joao Vale de Almeida told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I hope many, many British citizens will come to our countries and I hope many EU citizens will visit the UK.”
He said that the bloc was hoping a digital Covid certificate would pave the way for greater ability to travel.
“We’re hopeful that some time later in the summer, around July, we could be in a situation where travel and tourism will be made a lot easier,” he added.
Former chief scientific adviser to the Government, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said that more data was needed before the final decision could be made about the June 21 easing of restrictions.
“We need to substitute speculation for scientific data that’s the truth of the matter, as everyone has said in the last few days, the situation is very delicately balanced with some three sets of moving parts,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“Firstly we have got a new more transmissible variant, of that there is no doubt, though we don’t know exactly how much more transmissible.
“Secondly, there’s been a change in behaviour following the relaxation of measures on May 17, and the effects of that will just be starting to come through.
“And thirdly, we’ve got a vaccination programme that is very successful, but with a lot of people that still need both their second dose of vaccine and vaccination from scratch.
“I’m afraid that weeks before the Prime Minister has to make the difficult decision it is going to be necessary to bring in the data.”
The Public Health Scotland dashboard is updated each day with the latest available figures on Coronavirus - you can check it here
April saw highest number of operations since pre-pandemic
More operations were carried out in Scottish hospitals during April than in any other month since the coronavirus pandemic began, NHS Scotland figures show.
There were 18,630 scheduled operations throughout Scotland, of which 1,141 (6.1%) were cancelled. A total of 17,489 operations went ahead.
Scheduled surgeries were up 4.9% from March and 447% higher than April 2020 when the vast majority of planned operations were cancelled or postponed to provide the NHS with additional capacity for the pandemic.
But despite the total number of operations that took place in April 2021 reaching the highest figure since the coronavirus outbreak, it is still down by more than a quarter (26%) since February 2020.
Compared to pre-pandemic, April had 9,015 fewer scheduled operations (down 32.6% from February 2020) and 7,675 fewer were carried out once cancellations are taken into account.
The latest figures, published by Public Health Scotland, show 518 operations (2.8%) were cancelled by the hospital for clinical reasons, 252 (1.4%) were cancelled by the hospital due to a lack of capacity or other non-clinical reasons, 319 (1.7%) were cancelled by the patient and 52 (0.3%) were cancelled for other reasons such as fire alarms, patient transport being late or weather-related issues.
By health board, NHS Grampian recorded the highest proportion of cancelled operations, with 8.2% of their 2,115 scheduled surgeries, followed by NHS Lanarkshire (7.4% of 1,309) and NHS Shetland (7.3% of 151).
NHS Western Isles had just 2.7% of their 113 operations result in cancellation, followed by NHS Borders (3.5% of 143) and NHS Tayside (4.8% of 1,297).
Boost for Tartan Army as scientist says evidence of Covid transmission in fan zones ‘relatively modest’
Evidence of transmission of Covid-19 in outdoor settings such as fan zones is “relatively modest”, a leading scientist has said.