Experts give thumbs-up for Edinburgh being moved to level two of Covid restrictions

Health officials are recommending Edinburgh is moved to level two of the Scottish Government’s coronavirus restrictions this week.

Caution: Councillor Cammy Day

The directors of Public Health Scotland are believed to have advised the Scottish Government that the capital has met all of the criteria for being moved down to level two, from the current level three restrictions.

Ultimately though, the decision will be taken by Scottish Ministers, who are set to meet early this week to discuss which local authority areas should be moved up or down the ‘COVID protection levels’.

A formal announcement will then be made in the Scottish Parliament, as in previous weeks. It is not yet known if West Lothian and other areas of Scotland currently under level four under coronavirus measures will see any change in status .

If the Scottish government disagrees with Public Health Scotland’s recommendation for Edinburgh, then Deputy First Minister John Swinney will hold a phone call with Edinburgh City Council leader Adam McVey and chief executive Andrew Kerr, where they will be able to plead the city’s case.

Depute leader of the council Cammy Day, who represents the city’s Forth ward, said: “We have listened to and acted upon Public Health guidance for quite some time now, despite the immense pressure on families and businesses

“The city of Edinburgh has now seen consistent improvements in the criteria for level two and I would urge Scottish government to move the city of Edinburgh to level two with immediate effect to help people struggling at home and give businesses a Christmas lifeline to survive.

“Stalling any decision will have a hugely adverse effect on our communities and businesses across the capital city.

“Our citizens should continue to be cautious, abide by the regulations and keep safe.”

Public Health Scotland uses five criteria to determine its recommendation for each local authority area.

These include: the number of cases per 100,000 people; the test positivity rate; the future cases per 100,000 people; the number of people likely to need acute hospital care in future weeks; and the number of people likely to need intensive care in future weeks.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.