Covid: Scotland records the highest number of new virus cases

Scotland has recorded 486 new positive cases of coronavirus, the highest daily total since the outbreak began.

Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the figures were worrying, underscoring why new restrictions had been imposed.

But he said it was important to remember that far more people are now being tested than at the peak of the outbreak earlier this year.

Sturgeon said 224 of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with 107 in Lanarkshire and 57 in Lothian.

The number of positive tests was 103 higher than on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in Scotland to 25,495.

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Sturgeon said the number in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area included a “significant” outbreak at the University of Glasgow.

People in Scotland have been banned from visiting other people’s homes as of today, and Sturgeon warned that the virus is at risk of “spiraling out of control” unless urgent action is taken.

The measure, which had already been in place in Glasgow and other areas of western Scotland, means the country has stricter coronavirus restrictions than England, where people can still gather in groups of up to six in a home.

Scotland, like England, will also impose a 10 p.m. curfew in pubs and restaurants starting Friday, which the trade warned could cost jobs and force some venues to close entirely.

Scotland is currently conducting about 10 times more tests per day than at the peak of the outbreak in April.

Speaking at her daily briefing on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 486 – that’s the highest number of positive cases that we have ever recorded in a single day.”

“It should be remembered that many more people are being tested now than in the spring.

“However, today’s figure represents 7.8% of the people who were tested recently. That is obviously a real cause for concern, but it also underscores why we took very decisive and tough action yesterday.”

Sturgeon also hinted that he would have cracked down on pubs if he had “had the ability to bring more financial power to mitigate jobs and economic impact.”

The BBC understands that UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak is looking for options to replace the licensing plan when it expires at the end of October.

Sturgeon had said in late June that he believed Scotland was “not far off” from eliminating the virus.

On Wednesday, he said he could understand why many people felt the country was now “back to square one” after the new national restriction on visiting other homes was imposed.

But he said this is “emphatically not the case,” despite the recent resurgence of cases.

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The prime minister said: “To begin with, the action we took to suppress the virus over the summer meant that we have faced this resurgence from a lower base.

“That matters, and it’s entirely thanks to the lockdown restrictions and all the individual sacrifices that everyone has made.”

He said the increase in the number of cases was accelerating, but that it was still “not as fast” as at the beginning of the year.

And he insisted that the country’s test and protection contact tracing system was “working well” and was managing to break the chains of transmission.

However, Scottish Labor MSP Monica Lennon said the system had struggled to cope when schools returned in August, and said there were still not enough routine tests in hospitals, nursing homes and schools.

He also called for routine testing to be done at universities, adding: “I think we have to be much more ambitious in testing in Scotland and across the UK.”

Ms. Lennon said: “We are not testing enough yet. What we need to see in the coming days and weeks is the implementation of massive testing.

“We are in reaction mode and we did not have the foresight to implement measures.”

Several Scottish universities have been dealing with outbreaks of the virus in recent days, with 500 students at a Dundee residence being told to isolate themselves after a positive case and several suspected cases emerged.

In a direct appeal to students, Sturgeon said they must follow self-isolation rules if they are asked to do so.

And he said the government would not hesitate to toughen the rules for colleges and universities if necessary.

The prime minister added: “As we have seen in recent days, Covid can spread very quickly in shared living and residential settings.

“So please follow the self-isolation rules, follow any advice given to you and make sure you do it the way it is asked.”