Covid Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon says Freedom Day talk 'not sensible' as almost 1,800 new coronavirus cases recorded

Some 1,735 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours in Scotland, figures show.

Forty-six people were in intensive care and 511 in hospital on Saturday with recently confirmed Covid-19, Scottish Government figures published on Sunday afternoon show.

The figures show a decrease on numbers published on Saturday afternoon, which recorded 2,317 new cases, with 49 people in intensive care and 517 in hospital in the 24 hours preceding their publication.

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Nurse manager Jean Stevenson at the Gartnavel General Hospital testing centre in Glasgow. Picture: John DevlinNurse manager Jean Stevenson at the Gartnavel General Hospital testing centre in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin
Nurse manager Jean Stevenson at the Gartnavel General Hospital testing centre in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin
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There were no new reported deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus, according to Sunday’s figures, but the government noted register offices are generally closed at weekends.

The overall death toll, under the measure of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days, remains at 7,800.

In response to the statistics, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said talk of “Freedom Day”, as it has been dubbed in England, was “not sensible” given the high daily numbers.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “As this chart shows, cases in (Scotland) are falling, but still too high.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said talk of Freedom Day is 'not sensible'. Picture: Robert Perry-WPA pool/Getty ImagesFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said talk of Freedom Day is 'not sensible'. Picture: Robert Perry-WPA pool/Getty Images
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said talk of Freedom Day is 'not sensible'. Picture: Robert Perry-WPA pool/Getty Images

“To talk of tomorrow as ‘freedom day’ (England only remember) is not sensible IMO, given current situation.

“Vaccines going well and do offer route through – but as we vaccinate, we must ease up gradually.”

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She added: “If you live in or visiting (Scotland) please abide by remaining safety measures.

“Stick to group limits, keep 1m distance in public places, wear face masks, wash hands etc.

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“While we vaccinate, these measures help keep us safe. More info available at gov.scot.”

A total of 2,390,353 people in Scotland have now been tested for coronavirus since the start of the outbreak, with the number confirmed as positive at 329,387.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures suggest around one in 90 people in Scotland are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to July 10.

The figure is up from one in 100 in the previous week and the highest level since the ONS infection survey began in Scotland at the end of October.

Overall, 3,976,022 people have now received the first dose of the vaccination and 2,966,054 have had their second dose.

Scotland will move to level zero of its coronavirus restrictions on Monday.

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