Scottish Covid lockdown extended until at least mid-February, with schools remaining closed

Scotland’s coronavirus lockdown is to continue at least until the middle of February, with schools remaining closed to most pupils.

In a statement to Holyrood, first minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that restrictions imposed earlier this month will remain in place. The announcement followed a review by the devolved administration’s cabinet.

Strict “stay-at-home” rules covering all of mainland Scotland and several were initially due to last until the end of January.

But Ms Sturgeon announced that Covid-19 case numbers remain too high for easing to begin.

And she extended level 4 lockdown to the island of Barra and neighbouring Vatersay from midnight on Tuesday, after some 10 per cent of its population were forced into self-isolation.

Speaking to the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said: “We believe that the lockdown restrictions – and the sacrifices everyone continues to make – are beginning to have an impact.

“Case numbers – which had been rising rapidly – appear to have stabilised and even declined.

“In the week to 14 January, there was an average of around 1,900 confirmed new cases per day. This is an 18 per cent reduction on the previous week.

“Test positivity has also declined slightly, as has the number of cases per 100,000 of the population.”

But she said that Scots must continue to be “cautious”, telling MSPs: “We need to see these trends continue to be more certain that this phase of the epidemic is now on a downward trajectory.

“We need to be realistic that any improvement we are seeing is down, at this stage, to the fact that we are staying at home and reducing our interactions.

“Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.

“It is for all these reasons that the Cabinet decided this morning to maintain the restrictions which are currently in place.

“That means that the lockdown restrictions – including the strict stay-at-home requirement – will remain in place across mainland Scotland and some island communities until at least the middle of February.”

Ms Sturgeon said the risks of community transmission of Covid-19 had forced a delay to the reopening of schools on 1 February.

“The Cabinet decided today that – except for vulnerable and key worker children – school and nursery premises will remain closed until mid-February,” she told MSPs.

The situation will be reviewed on 2 February, the first minister said, adding: “If it is at all possible, as I very much hope it will be, to begin even a phased return to in-school learning in mid-February, we will.”

Eighty percent of care home residents in Scotland have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, with a number of local authorities administering jabs to all of those in their area, Ms Sturgeon said.

Some 70 per cent of care home and other heath and care staff had been given their first jab, she added.

She added: “In around three months’ time, around three million people in total will have received at least the first dose of the vaccine – this is, of course, the majority of the adult population and includes everyone over the age of 50, and many younger people with an underlying health condition.

“The rest of the adult population will follow after that just as quickly as supplies allow.”