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A two-week national ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown for Scotland is being considered this Friday.
An NHS source has claimed that they were informed to start at 7pm that day in an effort to curb the coronavirus rampage.
But it would come when the Prime Minister was warned that a new national blockade would bring Scotland “back to square one”.
Business leaders have already pointed out to Nicola Sturgeon that “turning the lights on and off on the economy” could be disastrous for the nation.
A recent government report warned that there could be another 100,000 jobs lost by the end of the year.
Nicola Sturgeon has said imposing new blanket measures would be a ‘key consideration’
An NHS source revealed to The Sun last night that they had been told another lockdown was coming in Scotland.
They added: “We have been told to wait for him from 7pm on Friday.”
Figures released yesterday for the first time show that 43 percent of all cases in Scotland last week occurred in just two council areas: Glasgow and Edinburgh.
It sparked new calls for Sturgeon to avoid imposing draconian restrictions in parts of the country with low virus rates.
Tim Allan from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said: ‘Talking about a new blanket lockdown is unacceptable for Scottish businesses.
‘It would damage the confidence of consumers and businesses, which have already suffered an unprecedented economic blow during this crisis.
Testing centers, like this one in Glasgow, have seen a steady stream of traffic entering
Coronavirus Social Distancing Measures Observed at Edinburgh Restaurant
“Going back to the national lockdown measures will bring our economy back to square one, we simply cannot keep turning the lights on and off on the economy. It not only endangers jobs, but also the well-being of entire communities.
‘Instead, we should focus on using the evidence we have to target problem areas. The data that the Scottish government now has is sophisticated and detailed and will show in which environments and geographic areas the virus is spreading.
‘We know that the virus will be with us for a long time. We must learn to manage it so that we can get on with our lives and protect livelihoods while keeping the risk of transmission as low as possible. ‘
New data released by Public Health Scotland places five councils in the ‘red alert’ category, having had more than 100 cases per 100,000 people in the past week: Glasgow, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire .
Of Scotland’s 32 municipal areas, 43.4 percent of all cases occurred in just two, Glasgow and Edinburgh, between September 27 and October 3. In Glasgow, there were 1,224 cases, or 193 per 100,000 people, while in Edinburgh there were 750 cases. or 143 per 100,000.
There was not a single positive case in Orkney or Shetland. Moray had only five cases per 100,000, Aberdeenshire 14, Clackmannanshire 15, Perth and Kinross 20 and 26 in Angus.
Murdo Fraser, Tory MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: ‘I don’t think there is a need for blanket restrictions at the national level when you look at figures like this.
“We saw a local shutdown in Aberdeen when there was a recent spike in cases there. If, as has been suggested, we see more restrictions to be introduced in the coming days, then I think it is essential that they target specific problem areas, rather than the entire country. “
Infections in the UK have skyrocketed in recent days due to an embarrassing counting error
You can see that Scotland has had an increase in infections than in many parts of England
When asked yesterday if blanket measures will be introduced, Sturgeon said that would be one of the “key considerations.”
She added: ‘If we think more restrictions are needed, are they needed at the national level or are they needed at the local or regional level? We have not made a decision on this.
“Although we are seeing particularly high numbers of cases and infection levels in west central Scotland and Lothian, it would be incorrect to suggest that we are not seeing an increase in infection in almost every part of the country. We’re.’ Sturgeon said that most days over the past week there have been cases in all areas of the board of health on the mainland, as well as on some islands.
She added: ‘There is a rising tide of infection across the country, although it is higher in some parts than others.
“ Part of our consideration of restrictions also requires that we consider not only reacting to a problem that exists, but that it is also more prudent to take preventive action in areas where it might appear that there is not such a big problem now, but if it acts , you can stop a problem from developing. ‘ The 697 positive cases confirmed yesterday in Scotland accounted for 12.8 percent of newly screened patients. The number of people hospitalized with the virus increased by eight, to 218, while those in intensive care were unchanged at 22 and there were no new deaths.
Sturgeon said there were more young people who tested positive than at the beginning of the pandemic, but warned that more older people had contracted the virus in recent weeks.
She said: “This is a very important point and indeed one of the key points in our consideration of the next steps in the next few days.”
‘Risks the well-being of entire communities’
In the UK, it is claimed that several university towns could be blocked locally days after a test and trace counting error shook the infection registration system.
Cities like Sheffield, Leeds and Oxford are among a dozen areas that have seen their coronavirus infection numbers skyrocket after the ‘computer bug’, meaning 16,000 cases were lost from Public Health England’s reporting system.
Residents of Nottingham, which has two universities, have been told that
The Health Department insists the new numbers do not affect its watch list or alter the current restriction in the area.
It came as cases were revealed to be skyrocketing in some of the largest cities in the North.
Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle and Nottingham have all experienced huge leaps, in some cases at a rate of 500 cases per 100,000 people.
That set off a new round of frenzied speculation about tougher local closings yesterday, with further restrictions threatened later this week.
Manchester’s weekly rate more than doubled to 2,927 in the week ended October 2, which is equivalent to nearly 530 cases per 100,000 people.
