The latest figures detailing the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours in Scotland have been announced.
Edinburgh remains in Level Three restrictions and there has been an update on guidance about what is permitted, but not necessarily recommended, over the Christmas break.
The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced the latest numbers in parliament just ahead of First Minister’s Questions and reinforced her recommendations about Christmas.
With regard to Christmas, Ms Sturgeon said at the Media Briefing on Wednesday: “We recognise that in some cases the isolation caused by being alone over Christmas will in of itself cause harm to people’s welfare.
“And we understand that some people will simply not be prepared to leave loved ones alone over the whole Christmas period and perhaps, especially, on Christmas day.
“I also recognise that some people will already have made plans for Christmas – and it’s for those reasons that we decided, across the four nations, to give people some clear boundaries around the Christmas period, rather than seek to prohibit any interaction all together or, on the other hand, risk everyone just trying to set their own boundaries.
“The five day relaxation is a window of opportunity during which you can meet. It is not a period that we think it is safe, or sensible to get together for.
“You should see it as a maximum, not a target.”
The full guidance is shown below.
The figures in Scotland as at 17 December 2020 are as follows:
- 858 new cases of Covid-19 reported which equates to 4.4% of those newly tested.
- The number of positive cases is now 109,296
- 30 newly reported deaths have been announced today of people who have tested positive within the last 28 days
- 50 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed Covid-19 which is 1 more than yesterday.
- 1,012 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed Covid-19 which is 19 fewer than yesterday
- The number of deaths under this daily measurement is now 4,203
As at 13 December 2020, a total of 6,092 deaths have been registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) on Wednesday This figure is calculated on a wider definition of deaths relating to Covid-19 than the daily figure reported by The Scottish Government.
You can also see the latest numbers laid out visually on the Travelling Tabby website here. It is updated at 3pm daily.
[su_spoiler class=”my-custom-spoiler” title=”Government guidance for Christmas 2020″] The safest way to celebrate Christmas this year is to celebrate with your own household in your own home – and as far as possible to keep any interaction with other households to a minimum. This is by far the safest way to spend this Christmas and keep your loved ones safe.Christmas bubbles can be formed between 23 and 27 December, to help reduce loneliness and isolation. You do not have to form a bubble if you do not want to – the safest way to spend Christmas is to stay in your own household, in your own home and your own local area
If you do decide to form a bubble this updated guidance asks you to:
minimise the number of people in a Christmas bubble. While 3 households is the legal maximum, our recommendation is that 2 would be better, and you should keep to a maximum of 8 people, age 12 and over – the smaller the bubble, the better and safer it will be
minimise the time spent with your bubble, especially indoors. The 5 day period is a window of opportunity, not a recommended time. We recommend you do not meet up with people in your bubble on any more than one day over the period and do not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. And you should minimise the distance you intend to travel
avoid all travel between high prevalence and low prevalence areas – in particular, that means avoiding travel to or from Scotland and Tier 3 areas in England, and to or from any Level 4 areas in Scotland (of which there are currently none)
you should not go to a pub or restaurant or entertainment venue, for example a cinema or theatre, with your bubble
if you don’t form a bubble you must follow the rules in the local authority area you live in
Hogmanay and New Year: Christmas bubbles will not apply at Hogmanay and New Year. Instead, you should follow the rules on meeting up and travelling for your level.
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Between 23 and 27 December if you wish to you can:
form a Christmas bubble with two households, (1 can be an extended household), up to a maximum of 8 people – children under 12 do not count towards this number, if from the 2 households. While 3 households is the legal maximum, our recommendation is that 2 is better
travel to meet people in your bubble. 1 of the bubble members must live in the local authority area you are gathering in and you should follow local travel rules once you arrive
meet people in your bubble in each other’s homes and gardens, in self-catering accommodation within a council area that a member of the bubble lives in, in outdoor public spaces and places of worship – you do not always have to meet as a group at the same time
You are recommended not to:
meet up with people in your bubble on any more than one day over the period and do not stay overnight, if possible
travel to or from a Tier 3 area in England or a level 4 area in Scotland
Households who have formed a Christmas bubble must not:
be in more than one bubble
change the members of the bubble once formed
Members of bubbles should:
try to limit contact with others before and after forming a bubble
stay 2 metres apart from people not in your own household – children under 12 do not need to do this (and can continue to meet other children under 12 outdoors who are not in their bubble)
try not to meet too often
not meet other people who are not in the bubble socially indoors or outside
follow the FACTS guidance, by regularly washing hands and keeping surfaces clean
not share crockery or cutlery
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Meeting others indoors
You should not meet anyone who is not in your household indoors in your home or in their home. This applies to all age groups 12 and over. You can meet another household indoors in a public place such as a café or restaurant. The maximum number of people who can meet indoors in a public (not a home) place are 6 which can be from up to 2 separate households.
Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people counted in a gathering.
Where an individual household includes more than 6 people, they can nevertheless meet as a single household even if the total number of people exceeds 6.
When you meet people from another household indoors you should:
minimise the number of meetings you have with people from other households each day
stay at least 2 metres apart from anyone who is not part of your household, unless in a public venue that is operating 1 metre distancing with additional measures being in place to avoid transmission.
maintain hand and cough hygiene
avoid touching hard surfaces with your hands
wash your hands when you arrive, when you leave, when you get home and especially before eating or after touching surfaces
not share food or utensils – if eating, each household should bring, prepare and eat its own food separately
if possible, keep rooms well ventilated – consider opening windows or a door
Those at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus (including those who had been shielding, people 70 and over, people who are pregnant and people with an underlying medical condition) should strictly follow the physical distancing guidance.
Meeting others outdoors
You can meet people from other households outdoors in a private garden or in a public place such as a park or an outdoor area of a pub. The maximum number of people who can meet outdoors is 6 which can be from up to 2 separate households.
Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people counted in a gathering. Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others. This is to allow children under 12 to play with their friends outside.
Young people aged between 12 and 17 can meet up in groups of up to 6 at a time outdoors and are not subject to the 2 household limit. Physical distancing is required.
Where an individual household includes more than 6 people, they can continue to meet outside as a household even if the total number of people exceeds 6.
You should:
minimise the number of meetings you have with people from other households each day
stay at least 2 metres away from anyone who is not part of your household
maintain hand and cough hygiene
avoid touching hard surfaces with your hands
wash your hands when you arrive, when you leave, when you get home and especially before eating or after touching surfaces
not share food or utensils – if eating, each household should bring, prepare and eat its own food separately
if possible, keep rooms well ventilated – consider opening windows or a door
Those at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus (including those who had been shielding, people 70 and over, people who are pregnant and people with an underlying medical condition) should strictly follow the physical distancing guidance.
Going into someone else’s home
If you are meeting people from another household in their garden and the gathering exceeds 6 people, you should only go into their house to:
access the garden – do so quickly and without touching anything
use the toilet – avoid touching surfaces with your hands as much as possible, wipe any surfaces that you do touch with antibacterial wipes, wash your hands thoroughly, dry your hands with a freshly laundered towel or a paper towel, which you should dispose of in a closed bin.
If members of another household are going to visit you and might need to use your toilet, you should ensure appropriate cleaning materials are available. You should also provide either a hand towel for each visiting household or paper towels and a safe disposal option.
Extended households
People who live in different places can form an “extended household” in the following circumstances:
People who live alone
If you are an adult and you live alone, or if all others in your household are under 18, you, any children who live with you, and the members of one other household (of any size) can agree to form an ‘extended household’. This will allow people who live alone (or those living only with children under the age of 18) to be considered part of another household in order to reduce loneliness, isolation and to provide mutual social support.
Couples who do not live together
Two adults are in a relationship and they do not live together they, and any children they each live with, can agree to form an ‘extended household’.
However, if one member of a household gets coronavirus, there is a strong likelihood that other members of that household will also catch it. For this reason, there are some important rules that extended households should follow to remain as safe as possible:
a household must not form an extended household with more than one other household
households can end the arrangement at any time, but should not then form an extended household with a new household for at least a 14-day period.
All the adults living in both households should agree to form the extended household. We also encourage parents or guardians to involve their children in discussions. Forming an extended household is an important decision that should be properly discussed and agreed beforehand. Physical distancing between members of an extended household is not required
Once two households have agreed to form an extended household they may meet outdoors or indoors, visit and stay at each other’s homes, and do everything that people in other households can do, such as watch TV, share a meal and look after each other’s children.
Members of an extended household are considered to be one household for the legal requirements on meeting other households and going outside, and for the guidance in this document about seeing friends and family and about exercise and leisure activity.
You can continue to interact with members of your extended household even if they live in a different area with a different Level of protective measures.
If someone in the extended household develops COVID-19 symptoms, to avoid spreading the virus all members of the extended household must isolate immediately if they met the symptomatic person at any time between 2 days before and up to 10 days after their symptoms started.
If the symptomatic person tests positive, all members of their direct household must isolate for 14 days from the start of symptoms. Similarly, other members of the extended household must isolate for 14 days from when the most recent contact took place. Isolate means staying in your own home for the full 14 days.
Those at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus (including people over 70, people who are pregnant and people with an underlying medical condition) may take part in an extended household arrangement, but should strictly follow the handwashing, surface cleaning and respiratory hygiene guidance on the NHS Inform website.
Shared parenting
Where parents do not live in the same household, children can move between their parents’ homes in all levels, this includes both supervised and unsupervised visitation.
The maximum number of people you can meet indoors and outdoors in a restaurant, café, pub or bar is 6 which can be from up to 2 separate households.
Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people meeting outdoors only.
Where an individual household includes more than 6 people they can continue to meet as a household in hospitality premises, although the venue may impose a smaller group limit.
Table service and the wearing of face-coverings (unless exempt) when not seated by all customers is mandatory in all hospitality venues. When meeting people from more than one other household, you should think beforehand about what size of table you will need to keep physically distanced between members of your group. The venue you are visiting should be able to advise you of booking options.
You will be asked by to provide your contact details for Test and Protect purposes This information is retained for 21 days with a view to sharing with Test and Protect Teams, if required.
Hospitality venues are required to put in place additional measures to minimise transmission of COVID-19. For example hand sanitiser stations and adequate ventilation. There will also be signs to inform customers whether the venue is in a 2 metres or 1 metre social distancing area.
You should stay at least 2 metres apart from people from other households at all times, unless the venue is operating 1 metre distancing due to additional measures being in place to avoid transmission. Physical distancing and good hand hygiene remain the most effective measures in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. Therefore, distancing requirements need to be maintained, where reasonably practicable, at all times, including when waiting to enter premises and when seated.
You should avoid visiting multiple hospitality premises on the same day. In particular, do not visit more than one pub or bar on the same day, as this increases the risk of transmission.
Takeaways can still operate as normal, provided food and drink is sold for consumption off the premises. Face coverings and physical distancing rules must be followed.
Hotels and other accommodation providers can still serve food to guests staying in their premises up to 22:00. Room service, including alcohol, is allowed as normal.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
