A circuit breaker lockout prohibiting the serving of alcohol indoors has been declared in Scotland, in a bid to bring rising coronavirus cases back under control
Pubs, restaurants and other venues will only be allowed to open indoors between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. under the 16-day curfew – provided they are not being used as a ‘alcohol
To lessen the blow these brakes will have on the Scottish hospitality industry, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced additional funding of £ 40million to help keep businesses afloat
Under the new rules, which come into effect on Friday and end on October 25, establishments will be able to serve alcohol outside until the current 10 p.m. curfew, which applies in Scotland, Wales and England
Licensed pubs and cafes in five areas of the Scottish Health Board – Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley – must close to all customers except take out for more than two weeks from Friday
However, unlicensed cafes in Scotland’s central belt will be allowed to open until 6 p.m., in a bid to tackle social isolation Residents of these areas have been urged to avoid public transport unless absolutely necessary within the next two weeks
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon previously indicated the country is not going to return to a large-scale lockdown like the one imposed in March People are not being asked to stay at home, schools will not be forced to close and vulnerable people are no longer invited to protect themselves
But with an average of 780 new cases every day in the country and an 80% increase in the number of people in that hospital this week, Sturgeon insisted action was needed now to stem the outbreak in the country
Without further steps, she said: « We are likely to return to the peaks of infections we had in the spring by the end of this month. »
Scientists have warned that the R number in Scotland could rise to 17, which means every 10 carriers will infect another 17 people
Another 1,054 people have tested positive in Scotland in the last 24 hours, up from 800 the day before One more person has died and 319 are in hospital with confirmed coronavirus, up from 54 Of those patients, 28 are in intensive care
Sturgeon also said stores in Scotland will be required to re-enforce the two-meter social distancing rule « until further notice » and said staff would be asked to revert to measures such as one-way systems
Announcing the new measures today, she said: « None of this is easy I am fully aware that in every decision we make, lives and jobs are at stake And I want to ensure not only the chamber, but also the country, that none of these decisions are taken lightly «
Sturgeon said she was « grateful » for the work being done by companies in the hospitality industry to stop the spread of the coronavirus and said « no one has pointed the finger of blame at them »
But she said an article published today suggests these settings pose particular risk, even when companies consciously strive to follow the rules.
Sturgeon told MSPs: « We know that over a fifth of those contacted by testing and tracing report having visited a host facility
« For all these reasons, drastically restricting licensed premises for 16 days temporarily removes one of the main opportunities for the virus to move from household to household. This is an essential part of our efforts to get the R number to be significantly less than 1 «
Speaking as part of BBC Scotland’s Seven Days program last week, national clinical director Jason Leitch said there were hopes the circuit breaker restrictions could push the outbreak back by 28 days and » save time ”for the winter, when hospitals will be at their busiest
He added: « You reduce the R number, you bring the numbers down to a reasonable level and then you can start to re-enter some of the things that you closed.
« So the idea is that a two-week breaker, or so, would net you 28 days. You don’t know for sure, because it’s not an exact science, but it would cost you about a month. in the pandemic «
But industry executives have warned that further restrictions could be the last nail in the coffin of many hotel companies
Paul Waterson of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association has warned Scotland could lose two-thirds of its pubs and half of its staff if rules are tightened beyond the 10 p.m. curfew
He told BBC Breakfast: « To have more restrictions would be a real disaster, not only for pubs and bars, but for the entire hospitality industry. »
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland, Coronavirus, Lockdown, Scottish Government
News from the world – GB – Scotland bans alcohol in pubs from Friday for a ‘cut circuit » of 16 days
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
