Coronavirus in Scotland RECAP: First Minister gives lunchtime briefing | Glasgow to remain in higher level of restrictions for another week | Nicola Sturgeon warns case numbers rising in Scotland | Spike in Covid cases in Dundee | Boris Johnson says Olympics can ‘take place safely’ as Japan extends Covid crackdown
Hello, and welcome to our live blog for Friday, May 28.
Follow along for all the latest on the pandemic as well as live coverage of Nicola Sturgeon’s lunchtime Covid briefing, when the First Minister will announce whether Glasgow will move down to Level 2.
Coronavirus in Scotland LIVE: The latest updates on Covid-19 in Scotland and around the world
Key Events
- Glasgow could move to Level 2 next week
- Universities face ‘crunch time’ due to Brexit and pandemic
- 641 new Covid cases in Scotland reported on Friday
- One-jab Johnson & Johnson vaccine approved for use in the UK
‘Lockdown in Glasgow not been the right approach’ insists Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has criticised the Scottish Government’s decision to introduce a council-wide lockdown in Glasgow.
Hancock denies promising Prime Minister hospital to care home testing
Under fire Health Secretary Matt Hancock has insisted he told the Prime Minister people would be tested for coronavirus before being moved from hospitals to care homes “when we could do it”.
Mr Hancock told a Downing Street briefing on Thursday that it was not possible to test everyone being sent from hospitals into care homes at the start of the pandemic because the capacity was not available.
His comments came a day after the Prime Minister’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings told MPs that Government claims about putting a shield round care homes were “complete nonsense”.
Mr Cummings also claimed Boris Johnson was furious to discover that untested patients had been discharged to care homes, alleging that Mr Hancock had told them both that people being discharged would be tested.
But when asked if he had told the Prime Minister and Mr Cummings that everyone going from hospitals to care homes would be tested, Mr Hancock said: “My recollection of events is that I committed to delivering that testing for people going from hospital into care homes when we could do it.
“I then went away and built the testing capacity for all sorts of reasons and all sorts of uses, including this one, and then delivered on the commitment that I made.”
Jump in Covid-19 cases in Dundee
Health chiefs in Tayside have raised concerns over a “significant increase” in coronavirus cases in Dundee, as the Indian variant is spreading in the region.
They are urging residents to work together to drive cases back down by sticking to the coronavirus restrictions, getting tested even if they do not have symptoms and taking up the vaccination when offered.
The latest seven-day rate of case per 100,000 people in Dundee was 62.3, covering May 18-24.
Seven days earlier – a day after lockdown easing moved most of Scotland including Tayside to Level 2 – this rate was 16.1.
NHS Tayside director of public health Dr Emma Fletcher said: “I am very concerned about the significant rise in the number of cases of the virus in Dundee over the last week.
“We expected a small increase in case numbers due to the easing of restrictions, but we now have the more infectious variant of the virus which was first identified in India circulating in Tayside and this is contributing to increasing infection rates.
“It is very important for every single one of us that we quickly get on top of this developing situation and slow down the spread of the virus, and we need everyone’s help to do this.
“We have done so well in Tayside but it’s vital that we all act now and continue to work together to drive the number of new cases back down.
“My plea to the people of Tayside and particularly in Dundee is to isolate immediately if you have any symptoms and get tested even if you don’t have any symptoms.
“Also, please get both doses of the vaccine when you are offered it to ensure you gain maximum protection against the virus.”
Fund worth £3m to help promote Scottish tourist destinations
A fund worth £3 million has been announced to help tourism organisations promote visitor destinations as they recover from the pandemic.
The Scottish Government says the destination and sector marketing fund will help tourism groups promote Scotland as a year-round destination to UK and Irish markets.
The fund opens for applications on June 1 and will be split into three tiers, focusing on city, regional and national tourism groups.
Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult year for our tourism and hospitality sectors but, as we begin to reopen the economy and domestic travel resumes, this new fund will help to promote some of Scotland’s most scenic beauty spots to our closest markets.
“The fund stems from the work of the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce and demonstrates our commitment to getting the sector firmly back on its feet again – a commitment backed by £25 million investment.
“Scotland is one of the world’s most iconic destinations and we must work together to deliver a sustainable recovery.”
The fund will be administered by VisitScotland.
The tourism body’s director of destination development, Riddell Graham, said: “By using the latest insights, groups across Scotland will develop and promote visitor experiences both sustainably and responsibly to help stimulate demand in the domestic market all year-round.
“VisitScotland is focused on the recovery of the industry, building a destination and visitor experience which allows tourism and events to flourish now and in the future.
“We’ll continue to work with, and support, businesses to ensure we rebuild this vital part of Scotland’s economy.”
Universities face ‘crunch time’ due to Brexit and pandemic, MPs warn
Scottish universities face a “crunch time” as they deal with the impact of Brexit and coronavirus, a committee of MPs has said.
The Scottish Affairs Committee said some universities faced the “real prospect” of insolvency in mid-2020 before both the UK and Scottish governments stepped in to help.
The MPs said the Turing Scheme, which is replacing the Erasmus scheme for student exchanges, should be expanded to fund international students coming to the UK.
A report from the cross-party group also notes there has been a 40% drop in EU students in the 2021-22 academic year.
Following Brexit, EU students now pay international student fees and the report said the drop is not as large as some in the sector feared.
The report recommends greater collaboration and engagement to help higher education deal with the new challenges.
It also urged the Scottish Government to consider whether further funding is needed for student mental health services.
Committee chairman Pete Wishart said: “This is a crunch time for Scottish universities and improved collaboration and engagement on reserved issues is the key to ensuring the wellbeing of our university sector.
“The reputation of Scottish universities and the research they conduct is nothing short of world class.
“But they face challenges made more difficult by Brexit and coronavirus.
“Getting the policies impacting them right will help them through this rough patch and strengthen the foundations of higher education and research.”
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