UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer at PMQ; Scotland braces for new restrictions | Politics

Good Morning. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s Prime Minister will make a statement to the Scottish Parliament later announcing a new set of coronavirus restrictions. Scotland’s laws are already stricter than England’s, but the number of cases in Scotland is increasing alarmingly, as it is across the UK, and Sturgeon said yesterday: ‘The government is getting very public health advice. forceful that action above current restrictions is necessary. “

We have a good idea what that advice sounds like this morning from Professor Stephen Reicher, a professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews and an advisor to the Scottish government on Covid, as well as a contributor to Sage, the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Reicher said that without action now, a March-style lockdown would be needed by the end of the month. He told the Today show:

I think it’s important to do something because if you look at the numbers right now, the level of infections is about 10% of what it was at the peak in March, but, at a doubling rate, it would probably be the same as the peak. in March to the end of October. So the good news is that we have a window of opportunity to do something.

If we miss that window of opportunity, then we are really in trouble, then we would really be talking about going back to March in terms of lockdown measures. But we are not talking about that now. We have time.

My colleague Libby brooks He sent me this before the announcement this afternoon.

The prime minister’s rather unusual advance announcement yesterday of “the things we won’t do” has done nothing to curb speculation or anxieties. Nicola Sturgeon assured the public in her daily briefing yesterday that the country will not return to full lockdown this month, but left the door open for localized restrictions, probably in the central belt where the virus is accelerating the fastest, which could well include a travel. prohibition and closure of pubs and restaurants.

Remember that restrictions in Scotland are already tougher than in other parts of the UK: Scots were banned from visiting other homes last month, with strict limits also in place for outdoor gatherings and a 10 a.m. curfew. pm for pubs and restaurants.

the Small Business Federation warned that more than a week of uncertainty over the details of the new restrictions – with ministers and public health officials floating the idea of ​​a “circuit breaker” lockout – had caused emotional strain on employers and staff, while the Scottish Licensed Trade Association predicted Scotland could lose about a third of its pubs and about 25% of staff if another closure was ordered.

Meanwhile, the virus is back in Scottish nursing homes, with two deaths and 80 employees and residents testing positive following a significant outbreak in two homes in Lothian.

And these are from the BBC Glenn Campbell,.

Here is the agenda for the day.

12:00 h: Boris Johnson faces off against Sir Keir Starmer at PMQ.

12:15 pm: The Welsh government conducts its information session on the coronavirus.

1.30 pm: Downing Street lobby briefing.

2.30 pm: Richard Hughes, the new chairman of the Office of Budget Responsibility, and other economists give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee on fiscal policy after the coronavirus.

After 2:30 pm Nicola Sturgeon gives a statement to the Scottish Parliament on the new coronavirus restrictions.

Late: Parliamentarians debate the regulations imposing the latest restrictions in the north of England.

17:00 h: Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, and David Frost, the EU’s chief negotiator in the UK, testify before the Commons Brexit committee.

Politics Live has doubled as the UK’s coronavirus live blog for some time and given the way the Covid crisis overshadows everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we will also cover political stories that do not belong to Covid, and where they seem most important and interesting, they will take precedence.

Here’s our global coronavirus live blog.

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