Coronavirus: Nicola Sturgeon says 'clear' link between outbreaks across world and reopening of pubs

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is “clear” there is a common link between coronavirus outbreaks across the world and hospitality, as she announced the Scottish government would make it mandatory for pubs and other social venues to collect customers’ details.

The Scottish first minister also used a Covid-19 briefing to outline that face coverings will become mandatory in libraries, museums and places of worship from Saturday. She said individuals who choose to wear visors must also do so with another type of face covering.

Her remarks come after lockdown measures were reinstated in Aberdeen with the closure of pubs, restaurants and cafes due to a cluster of infections being detected. Residents have also been told not to meet with other households indoors and travel more than five miles for leisure purposes.

Ms Sturgeon accused a group of eight football players of “blatantly” breaking the restrictions in the city by visiting a bar, warning the return of the professional game would depend on the strict condition that clubs and players abide by the government’s guidance.

Speaking on Friday, she said the situation in the city was “extremely challenging” and that 101 cases have been confirmed as part of the cluster – an increase of 22 infection on Thursday, with 313 contacts identified by Covid-19 tracers.

“We want to learn the lessons of this outbreak and apply those elsewhere,” she said. “We have seen similar outbreaks in countries around the world, and it’s clear that a common factor in many of them is a link to hospitality."

“We’ve always known that settings such as pubs and bars are particularly susceptible to the spread of the virus. That’s why we held back the reopening of hospitality until a later phase."

While the Scottish first minister said many were complying with instructions it was clear “there are some businesses where that has not been the case”, adding: "The government is determined to do everything we can to prevent further outbreaks. And we want to also ensure that our hospitality sector can continue to remain open.

“That’s why today I’m announcing two further measures. The first is that we now intend to make it mandatory for a range of settings, including hospitality businesses, to collect customer details.

"Second, we intend to issue new statutory guidance relating to indoor hospitality. We'll set out more detail of this next week. The aim is to ensure greater compliance with the key public health measures like physical distancing. People should be seated, with table service. People should not be standing together to watch football, dancing, or queuing at the bar."

She said Aberdeen FC's game against St Johnstone on Saturday will not now go ahead after two Aberdeen players tested positive for Covid-19 through "clear breaches of the rules", Ms Sturgeon said. Six players have also been identified as being in close proximity to the cases.

She went on: "It is now clear that all eight of these players visited a bar in Aberdeen on Saturday night. In doing so, they blatantly broke the rules that had been agreed, between the SFA, the SPFL and the Scottish government which, to put it mildly, is completely unacceptable."

“When a football club ends up with players infected with Covid - not through bad luck, but through clear breaches of the rules - we cannot take even a small risk that they then spread the infection to other parts of the country.

“Football has been given the go-ahead on the strict condition that clubs and players abide by the guidance that has been agreed. If they don’t do that, they put at risk the return of the professional game."