First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that no immediate changes will be made to the Covid restrictions in Scotland.
But, while Ms Sturgeon said she hopes we can get through winter without further restrictions, she warned a final decision on the future of the Covid vaccine scheme has not yet been reached – with a further update to be shared next week.
She shared the update with MSPs at Holyrood following a government meeting this morning.
Discussions on the need to implement further restrictions on the lead up to Christmas have been ongoing.
Ms Sturgeon said threats posed by Covid are imminent, but revealed there had been no “significant spike” in cases connected to the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow.
She said at this stage, that suggests the mitigations put in place for COP26 were a success.
She added: “Information published earlier today by Public Health Scotland suggests that of the people officially affiliated with COP26, approximately four in every 1,000 tested positive for Covid through routine lateral flow testing.”
Increase in cases and vaccinations
There has been a gradual increase in cases over the past few weeks with a distinct variation among different age groups.
Much of the increase was in people under the age of 20, which can be connected to the success of the booster vaccine programme being rolled out to older age groups.
More than one million booster jabs have now been distributed across the country and an online booking portal was launched yesterday for over 50s.
More than 54,000 people have made online bookings since yesterday morning.
The JCVI updated their guidance yesterday by recommending the booster jab programme be extended to over 40s.
Ms Sturgeon said that getting vaccinated remains the single most important thing we can do, describing it as our civil duty.
She said: “You could be saving your own life or those of others.
“It’s never too late to get vaccinated.”
The first minister also encouraged all people in Scotland to take two lateral flow tests a week to prevent the spread of the virus.
Further, she reminded the public of the importance of wearing masks in indoor public places, working form home when possible and ventilation – which will also prevent the spread of other viruses.
Covid vaccine certification scheme
The first minister said the government is considering if an extension of the Covid passport scheme would be “justified and prudent given the current state of the pandemic”.
She highlighted that the vaccine certification scheme is used in other countries for a larger number of events and venues, including Wales who changed its rules yesterday.
This was discussed by the Scottish Government this morning, who will provide its final decision next Tuesday in light of the latest available data.
In response, Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said the government has to provide businesses with certainty over potential closures and vaccine passport expansions.
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon is once again leaving workers and businesses in the dark.
“They might have less than two weeks to adapt to changes to the vaccine passport scheme at one of the busiest times of the year for the hospitality industry.
“This delay shows a total lack of respect for Scottish businesses who the SNP government expect to shoulder the costs of their scheme.
“The first minister is hinting at the possibility of business closures but refusing point blank to outline what’s on the table.”
Provisionally, any changes to the scheme would come into effect from December 6.
Ms Sturgeon added that the government is now in a position to consider adding proof of a negative test as an alternative to vaccine certification,
Current exceptions would also be retained.
Businesses opposed to further restrictions
Ms Sturgeon said it would be “irresponsible” to not consider an extension, although she is “acutely aware” that many businesses are opposed.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said that today’s announcement felt like “nothing more than a temporary reprieve”.
He said: “The proposed extension of the vaccine passport scheme to more hospitality venues, just as the Christmas boom period begins, is both unfathomable and a devastating blow to the sector.
“We welcome the fact that the first minister has paused to consider the most up-to-date health data, especially given the depth of business opposition demonstrated by the poll we published today.
“However, the data the government has shared, which shows a drop in the number of people in hospital, does not justify further restrictions.”
The chief executive added that a strengthening of restrictions would be a “painful economic deterrent” for Scottish businesses.
Build-up to decision
Last week, Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney said the government was considering an extension of the vaccine passport scheme to prevent another winter lockdown.
This was backed by Professor Devi Sridhar, chairwoman of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University, who said yesterday that she would “give the advice to do that”.
She added that there could be “more tightening of indoor settings where it’s riskier”.
Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, she said: “The virus is still here, it is putting a lot of pressure on hospitals in Scotland, so it is better that we take a look at the problem as it really is and try to get ahead of it, to avoid harsher measures down the line.”
Several countries in Europe, including Austria, have already reintroduced partial lockdowns.
Latest figures
There have been 2,771 cases reported by health boards across the country, up from yesterday’s 2,288.
There have been 17 new deaths recorded as a result of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
With new case figures showcasing an increase, the number of people being treated in hospital for the virus has also increased by eight, meaning today’s total is 779.
Of those in hospital, 57 require intensive care treatment – the same as yesterday.
Over the past 24 hours, 22,733 people have taken and registered Covid tests. The percentage of those tests which came back positive was 12.8%.