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More than a million Scots today face a stricter blocking order to control stubbornly high levels of Covid-19.
Nicola Sturgeon has already signaled the likely decision to move to the highest alert level 4 ahead of an official statement in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.
Officials were checking the latest infection figures this morning at city councils in the Glasgow and Greater Clyde region, Lanarkshire and possibly West Lothian.
If confirmed as expected, the Level 4 decision will lead to new travel restrictions, non-essential store closures, hair salons, pubs and gyms starting Friday.
Schools are expected to remain open, but the teachers union, the EIS, is threatening a strike and demanding a move toward remote learning at Covid hotspots.
(Image: Getty Images)
Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that infection rates have not dropped enough with the deepening of winter and the NHS under pressure.
Sturgeon said: “One of the issues we are looking at very closely is whether current restrictions are lowering Covid rates fast enough in some areas, particularly parts of western Scotland.
“These areas have a stable but stubbornly high prevalence of the virus. It means that we are not as secure or as secure as we would like to be that our hospital and intensive care services can cope as we go deeper into winter.
“Moving to level four restrictions for a limited period in some areas, while not a decision we will make lightly due to the broader economic and social impacts, would help us address both concerns.”
The review will cover all 32 areas of Scotland’s local councils. None are likely to see a significant relaxation of the current rules in the five-tier system.
The changes announced today will go into effect Friday morning, unless urgent health measures are identified for your immediate attention.
Sturgeon is also likely to announce a legal travel ban to bolster the regional alert system.
The closure of retail and hospitality in Glasgow and west-central Scotland will have a ripple effect in neighboring areas without an enforceable driving ban.
At yesterday’s briefing, Sturgeon said: “Clearly, if you go to level 4, then the need for travel restrictions, which are necessary to support any regional tiered approach, becomes even more necessary.
“So yes, a part of our consideration today is whether we need to do it, to make it very clear to people how important it is that they comply with these travel restrictions, if any level 4 movement would be accompanied by a more legal regulation based approach in travel restrictions “.
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