More than 700 people in the north-east have now been told to self-isolate as a result of the spike in Aberdeen coronavirus cases.
NHS Grampian yesterday confirmed a total of 134 positive cases are now linked to the initial “cluster” connected to The Hawthorn Bar – an increase of 24 on Saturday.
Across Scotland, 48 new infections were recorded, adding to a new total of 18,998.
Of these, 28 were in the Grampian region, but health chiefs say they cannot yet determine how many are linked to the cluster.
There have now been more new cases in the region in the first nine days of August than there were in June and July combined.
There were fears that the resurgence of the virus in the north-east may also have led to its reintroduction in Shetland, which has recorded its first positive case in more than three months.
However it is understood the person, who is from the islands, had tested positive for coronavirus while visiting the NHS Grampian area and has not left the region since receiving the results.
Before yesterday, the most recent Shetland coronavirus case was recorded on April 22.
Kathleen Carolan, director of nursing and acute services for NHS Shetland, said: “The number of people who are counted as positive cases for Shetland includes anyone who has an address registered in Shetland.
“This new case has been detected through a mainland health board testing facility.
“NHS Shetland’s contact tracing team has not needed to be activated and any people who are close contacts of the person involved will be traced via Test And Protect teams on the mainland.”
The total number of Shetland cases now stands at 55.
In the last week, 28,340 people in Scotland were tested for Covid-19, with 322 of those positive.
Overall a total of 394,455 have been tested with 18,998 positive, including 2,491 who have died.
There has been no change in the number of people in intensive care, of which there are three, or the 261 who are in hospital.
As part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, tracing teams working on the Aberdeen cluster have now identified 728 close contacts of people who have had a positive Covid-19 test.
Everyone contacted is required to self-isolate in their home for a minimum of 10 days – longer if they are still unwell at this point.
Anyone who lives in the same household is required to self-isolate for at least 14 days.
Susan Webb, director of public health for NHS Grampian, said: “The health protection and Test And Protect teams have worked throughout the weekend to interview the detected cases and establish who their close contacts are.
“This is happening rapidly and I want to thank them for their incredibly hard work.
“I also want to acknowledge again our gratitude for the support and co-operation of the cases themselves.
“The information they are providing is critical to our investigation.”
Meanwhile the eight Aberdeen players who broke the lockdown rules to visit a city bar have made a public apology.
Jonny Hayes, Michael Devlin, Scott McKenna, Matty Kennedy, Sam Cosgrove, Dylan McGeouch, Craig Bryson and Bruce Anderson issued a statement saying they made a “huge error of judgement”.
Two of the players tested positive for Covid-19, while the remaining six began self-isolating, following their outing last Saturday after the team’s 1-0 home defeat to Rangers.
Their actions caused the Dons’ premiership match against St Johnstone, which was due to be played on Saturday, to be re-arranged for August 20.
The situation also prompted First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to say she was “furious” at their “blatant” rule-breaking.
In a statement issued via social media on Saturday, the players said they had made a “genuine error” and were unaware their group of eight exceeded the limit for mixing households.
They said: “As players we appreciate our club has gone above and beyond to put protocols in place to protect us and it was never our intention to put that those jeopardy, or to put our teammates or football staff at risk.
“As a player group, we once again apologise unreservedly to the fans, the manager, the board and all the staff at the club.”
Remember FACTS
F: Face coverings
A: Avoid crowded places
C: Clean your hands and surfaces regularly
T: Two metre distance
S: Self-isolate and book a test if you have COVID-19 symptomsFind out more at https://t.co/Jac7WTu5nx pic.twitter.com/pLtMhwfVrW
— NHS Grampian (@NHSGrampian) August 9, 2020
Work is continuing to monitor the Aberdeen cluster and trace any close contacts of those who have tested positive.
Dr Webb has urged people to take “personal responsibility” for their behaviour by following guidelines to keep others safe.
“Thorough and regular hand washing with water and soap, observing physical distancing, using face coverings where these are required, and avoiding crowded places are all vital,” she said.
“People in Aberdeen should observe the enhanced restrictions covering the city.
“Finally, anyone who develops the recognised symptoms of Covid-19 – however mild they might be – should self-isolate immediately and arrange a test.”
