Nicola Sturgeon plans new stricter Christmas closing rules in Scotland than in England

Nicola Sturgeon is planning stricter Christmas lockdown rules in Scotland than in England as the ‘four nations’ fracture within 24 hours.

The UK government and decentralized administrations agreed on a joint plan to relax social distancing rules during the holiday period, allowing three households to mingle from December 23-27.

The Prime Minister said that staying home should be the ‘default’ position, but easing restrictions to allow households to come together during Christmas is an ‘acknowledgment of a reality that exists during the Christmas period, like it or not. ‘.

Scotland’s national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch, added that the prevalence of the coronavirus will increase ‘almost certainly’ as a result of allowing more households to mingle over Christmas.

The Prime Minister said that staying home should be the ‘default’ position, but easing restrictions to allow households to come together during Christmas is an ‘acknowledgment of a reality that exists during the Christmas period, like it or not. ‘

Scotland’s National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch added that the prevalence of the coronavirus will ‘almost certainly’ rise as a result of allowing more households to mingle over Christmas.

During a Covid-19 briefing on Wednesday, Sturgeon said that guidance on the holiday period to be issued on Thursday is still being finalized, but that the Scottish government will not “encourage” people to come together.

She said: ‘The expectation should be that the guide will probably seek to adjust around the edges rather than expand further, and that will also be true with the window of travel opportunity; we want to limit that window, not expand it. ‘

Sturgeon said that in England, due to the current form of bubbles there, “three homes there, potentially, depending on how they draw the guide, could effectively turn into six homes.”

The Prime Minister added: “I think that would be going too far and not something I would be comfortable with in Scotland.”

Scotland currently has a different bubble shape than England: north of the border, a person living alone or with children under 18 can join another household and become an extended household.

Sturgeon urged Scots not to visit relatives in other homes during Christmas if they can help it, despite the relaxation of the rules.

“If you can spend this Christmas staying in your own home, within your own home, please do so,” he said.

“I want to emphasize today that just because we allow people to bubble (that) doesn’t mean you have to,” Sturgeon said.

‘If you choose to do it, you don’t have to do it to the maximum extent allowed.

“We trust people to make informed decisions about whether or not to join during the holiday season.”

When asked about modeling the impact of holiday relaxation on meetings, Professor Leitch suggested that it is too complex to forecast at this stage.

But he added: ‘If the houses are mixed, the risk increases. If the houses are mixed, we will almost certainly see an increase in prevalence.

“We want it to be as low as possible and we want to protect especially those who are most at risk of contracting the virus.”

Scotland has recorded 44 coronavirus deaths and 880 positive tests in the past 24 hours, Sturgeon said, bringing the total number of deaths under daily measurements to 3,588.

But data released by Scotland’s National Registries shows that 5,380 people have died with confirmed or suspected coronavirus since the pandemic began.

Sturgeon said: ‘It’s hard to live with all these things. As we get closer to Christmas, this is all going to feel even more difficult, and that’s saying something, than in these past eight months.

“As we go through this harsh winter and a harsh holiday period for all of us, let’s keep our eyes on that light that grows brighter almost every day at this moment on the horizon.

“The end is in sight, let’s not forget it as we stay motivated through the rest of this pandemic.”