Latest figures released by the Scottish Government confirms only one new case of coronavirus has been detected in the north and north-east of Scotland in the past 24 hours.
The number of people diagnosed with the disease in Grampian has risen by one overnight, bringing the region’s total to 1,284.
There has been no change in confirmed cases in the north with totals reaching 338 in the Highland, 54 in Shetland, eight in Orkney and six on the Western Isles.
As of 2pm today 122,762 people in Scotland have been tested for #coronavirus
107,180 confirmed negative
15,582 positive2,409 patients who tested positive have sadly died.
Latest update ➡️ https://t.co/bZPbrCoQux
Health advice ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6Qu#COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/sDl4z8Okqc— Scottish Government (@scotgov) June 5, 2020
According to the new data, 122,762 people in Scotland have been tested for Covid-19 through NHS labs to date with 107,180 of results confirmed negative and 15,582 being positive.
Of the people who have tested positive, 676 are in hospital with 16 of those in intensive care. There are also seven people in intensive care units with suspected coronavirus.
Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread in these charts and maps
Protesting in a pandemic
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated calls she made earlier this week for people to find alternative ways to protest against racism as scheduled protests are to be held this weekend across including Aberdeen and Inverness.
North and north-east joins Black Lives Matter movement with weekend displays planned
Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone told the briefing that the relationship between police and the public had gone from “strength to strength” during the pandemic.
Mr Livingstone said he was “shocked” by the death of George Floyd in police custody in the US last month.
He added: “Racism in all of its forms is utterly disgraceful and unacceptable.
“As with the First Minister, I also fully understand the desire of people in Scotland to make their voices heard this weekend over racial injustice.”
Police Scotland had a duty to ensure that people’s voices could be heard safely, the Chief Constable said, adding: “Please do this in a way that does not risk spreading coronavirus.”
Preparation measures praised in Scotland
Downing Street has confirmed a group of scientists advising the UK Government saw the results of a test that showed a “clear gap” in Scotland’s preparedness for handling a virus similar to Covid-19.
The exercise held in March 2018 simulated an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (Mers-CoV) to assess NHS Scotland’s readiness to respond to a suspected outbreak.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It was specifically to test the preparedness of the Scottish Government, as I understand it, and that reflects the fact that public health is a devolved matter.
“The report produced by the Scottish Government was shared with the Nervtag group – New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, in long-hand – at a meeting on June 2019.”
