New Covid restrictions in place from midnight, Tuesday 5th January
Rhuaraidh Fleming, SNP candidate for North East Fife, has urged people living in North East Fife to follow Scottish Government guidance and “stay at home to save lives”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced new Covid restrictions on Monday 4th January after the number of positive Covid cases, and associated deaths, continued to rise over the Christmas and New Year period. New, preventative measures announced by the First Minister include a legal requirement to stay at home and only leave for essential purposes such as exercise, food shopping and visiting an extended household.
Commenting, Rhuaraidh Fleming said:
“The new restrictions announced by the First Minister are tougher than any of us would like but they are absolutely essential. More and more people are catching this highly contagious, deadly virus. In order to ensure that our precious NHS is not overwhelmed in the coming weeks all of us must do what we can to protect ourselves and that means staying at home.
“North East Fife has previously seen lower infection rates than other parts of Fife but infection rates are increasing everywhere. We must all stay at home to save lives. It is also very important that we all follow the Scottish Government’s “FACTS” advice to keep ourselves, and those around us, safe whenever we do need to go out.
“This will not be easy but better times are ahead of us. People across Scotland are being vaccinated and there is a clear route out of what are dark times for many people. It is important to look to the future and know that the sacrifices we make now will enable us to celebrate together later. To achieve that, we need to stay apart a little longer to ensure that we can all enjoy the better times when they come.”
As part of the restrictions announced on Monday, school pupils will participate in remote learning until at least February 1st however schools will remain open for vulnerable children and those of essential workers.
Adding to this, Rhuaraidh Fleming said:
“The First Minister has been clear that the decision to not reopen schools as planned was one of the most difficult choices as part of these restrictions. However the health and wellbeing of our children and school staff must be of utmost importance.
“The Scottish Government will seek to reopen schools as soon as it is safe to do so and that will be when infection rates fall substantially and when there is a significantly lower level of community transmission.
“Slowing down, and stopping, the spread of the virus must be our collective priority.”
The new restrictions announced on 4th January are in place until February but will be kept under review. Full details of the restrictions, and the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament, are available here.