Tackle coronavirus now to enjoy Euros in summer, says deputy First Minister John Swinney

Deputy First Minister John Swinney congratulated Scotland men’s football team for their ‘magnificent achievement’ in qualifying for the Euro 2020 finals, however, reminded the public to stick to the rules in suppressing the virus.

Andy Robertson of Scotland celebrates after his team's victory in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA EURO 2020 Play-Off semi-finals match between Scotland and Israel at Hampden Park on October 08, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

After Scotland’s win against Serbia last night through a nail-biting finality of penalties, Mr Swinney joined Nicola Sturgeon in congratulating the Scottish football team for their ‘magnificent achievement.’

The win against Serbia means that Scotland will play in the Euro 2020, the team’s first time in the finals since 1996.

Last night, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Massive congratulations to Steve Clarke and the team. After 22 years, @ScotlandNT men are off to a major tournament. What a lift for the country. Well done!”

And at today’s Coronavirus briefing, Mr Swinney also congratulated the Scotland side for qualifying for Euro 2020.

He admitted he was ‘in a high state of nerves last night watching the Scotland men’s football team take on Serbia.’

Mr Swinney said that the win was ‘a magnificent achievement’ and ‘a real piece of bright good news for us all’ as the country remains in lockdown.

He added: “After a very tough year, the team have given the whole nation a lift at a time when we really needed it and we can all now look forward to Scotland taking part in the tournament next year after such a long break from these competitions.”

However, Mr Swinney reminded people to ‘stick with it’ and follow the government’s Coronavirus restrictions. He noted that to “to put us in the best place to enjoy” the football win “we have to suppress the virus.”Speaking as three council areas were moved into a tougher tier of coronavirus restrictions on Friday, he said the country has recorded 56 deaths of coronavirus patients and 1,357 positive cases in the past 24 hours.He stressed complying with the different regional measures is “essential” to stop the virus spreading from higher to lower prevalence areas.Angus, Fife and Perth and Kinross moved from Level 2 to Level 3 restrictions at 6am on Friday.Meanwhile, restrictions eased slightly for those in the island council areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, who can now meet with one other household inside their homes to a maximum of six people.

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.