Covid in Scotland: Decision due on levels for Glasgow and Moray

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Prof Jason Leitch said the outbreak in Glasgow is “relatively contained”.

The first minister is set to provide an update on the Covid restrictions Glasgow and Moray will face as Scotland prepares to move to level two.

Meetings took place on Thursday with local public health teams in both areas but a decision will be made on Friday.

National clinical director Prof Jason Leitch said an outbreak in the south of Glasgow is “relatively contained”.

Meanwhile, NHS Grampian said Moray’s outbreak is showing “signs of improvement”.

The rest of mainland Scotland is scheduled to move to level two Covid restrictions on Monday, which will allow people to hug and visit other households indoors. Most islands will move to level one.

On Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon said that Moray was likely to stay in level three.

This followed a surge in cases in the area, which currently has a case rate of 98.1 per 100,000 – well above a key threshold for easing restrictions.

The latest published rate for Glasgow is 70.9 per 100,000.

Prof Leitch said people should be concerned about the increasing numbers in Scotland’s largest city.

But he added: “It is relatively contained, not yet exponential growth like we have seen with this virus before.”

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Clackmannanshire has also seen rising Covid rates recently, and is now just above the 50-case threshold at 52.4.

Cases also seem to be on the rise in Midlothian, which has 48.7 cases per 100,000.

The reasons behind the increase in cases in Glasgow are not yet known, although it is suspected the so-called Indian variant has played a role.

NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde and Glasgow City Council is writing to all households in the G41 and G42 areas, asking people to get tested regardless of whether they have symptoms.

Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at the health board, said the south of the city appeared to be affected and there had been a “cluster of outbreaks” linked to household transmission.

Ms Sturgeon and other leading politicians have also issued words of caution this week around celebrations of Eid – one of the biggest holidays in the Muslim calendar.

In the north of Scotland outbreaks have also been seen in areas such as Lossiemouth and Aberlour.

Additional mobile testing units are to be deployed in communities.

Deputy director of public health for NHS Grampian, Chris Littlejohn, said the number of people coming forward for testing had increased and that it was possible the outbreak in Elgin may be starting to plateau.

He added: “Despite a fourfold increase in the numbers being tested, the positivity rate has stayed broadly the same, which is encouraging and means the outbreak isn’t currently any worse than we already feared.”

Elgin – which has seen dozens of cases associated with Elgin Academy – and Keith are said to have been been particular hotspots.

The vaccination of younger adults in Moray was earlier accelerated because of the coronavirus surge in the area.