Nicola Sturgeon update: all the changes to Scotland Covid tiers as Aberdeen moves to Level 3 amid rise in cases

Three council areas will move into harsher restrictions

The First Minister has confirmed the latest changes to Scotland’s local protection levels, including the status of Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 15 December that three local council areas - East Lothian, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire - will move from Level 2 to Level 3.

No local authority will be moving to Level 4.

The First Minister is set to announce the outcome of the latest government review on restrictions (PA Media)

She also confirmed that the capital will once again not be moved from Level 3, despite health chiefs recommending that the capital be placed in Level 2, according to a leaked document seen by The Telegraph.

It comes as Ms Sturgeon reported a further 845 positive cases in Scotland in the last 24 hours and 24 deaths from Covid-19.

Here is everything you need to know from Nicola Sturgeon’s latest announcement.

What did the First Minister announce?

As well as setting out the latest restrictions for each council area, Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the new strain of coronavirus that had been identified in south-east England.

She said nine cases of the new variant had been detected in the Glasgow area, but stressed that there is currently no evidence to suggest it is likely to cause a more serious illness.

Ms Sturgeon added that Public Health England would be conducting further analysis to understand the new strain.

In light of this news, the issue of relaxing Christmas restrictions was also touched on during the announcement, after it was reported that Michael Gove would speak urgently with the devolved nations on the subject later today (15 December).

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was “considering whether any additional precautions” were necessary, and Parliament would be informed of any changes.

Why isn’t Edinburgh moving to Level 2?

The First Minister confirmed that ministers had made the decision not to move the City of Edinburgh into Level 2 restrictions.

She stood by her decision, saying moving the capital into a lower local protection level would be “deeply irresponsible” given the recent rising case levels across the Lothian area.

Ms Sturgeon reported more than a 40% increase in cases in the city since the last review, from 70 to 100 per 100,000 people.

Cases in Midlothian have risen even more sharply, she said, from 88 to 147 per 100,000.

She said: “Our judgment remains, therefore, that it would be deeply irresponsible to ease restrictions in either the City of Edinburgh or Midlothian, at a time when cases are rising sharply.

“Instead, our focus - and that of local partners - must be on encouraging maximum compliance with these restrictions to assure ourselves in the period ahead that Level 3 is capable of containing and reversing the increase.”

This decision could be met with complaints from businesses, just as when the capital was kept under Level 3 restrictions after the last review on 8 December.

Which areas are moving up a level?

Some areas in Scotland will move into a harsher local lockdown level, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed during the announcement.

East Lothian will move back to Level 3 as cases there have increased by more than 50 percent in the last week, from 69 to 116 per 100,000 people, she said.

And Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire will move from Level 2 to Level 3.

Cases in Aberdeen City have risen by more than 50 percent, from 76 to 122 per 100,000.

The increase in Aberdeenshire hasn’t been as sharp, Ms Sturgeon said, but cases in the area were on the rise.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I know that the move to level 3 for East Lothian, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire - and the continuation of it in many other areas - involves real and continued

difficulties for many businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector.

“However these measures are in our view essential to get and keep the virus under control.”

The changes will come into force on Friday 18 December.

Ms Sturgeon said the cabinet decided this morning (15 December) that all levels will be reviewed again next week, instead of being in place until January as originally planned.

Full list of areas in each tier:

Level 3

The areas moving to Level 3 from Level 2 due to a recent spike in cases are:

East Lothian

Aberdeen City

Aberdeenshire

The areas staying in Level 3 are:

Glasgow

West Dunbartonshire

East Dunbartonshire

North Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire

East Ayrshire

South Ayrshire

East Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire

Stirling

West Lothian

Clackmannanshire

Dundee

Edinburgh

Fife

Midlothian

Perth and Kinross

North Ayrshire

Level 2

The areas remaining in Level 2 are:

Inverclyde

Falkirk

Angus

Argyll and Bute

Level 1

The areas still in Level 1 are:

Dumfries and Galloway

Scottish Borders

Highlands

Moray

Orkney

Shetland

Western Isles