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Scots face tougher 'traffic lights' lockdown system as Sturgeon draws up more severe rules

Three-tier 'traffic light' lockdown system unveiled

Nicola Sturgeon is to toughen Boris Johnson’s ‘traffic light’ local lockdown system before it is adopted in Scotland, after the country recorded the highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

The First Minister said she was considering adding a fourth upper “tier” to the medium, high or very high alerts that are being introduced south of the border, which would be based on Covid-19 prevalence and see a corresponding set of lockdown restrictions imposed depending on an area's status.

While the Scottish Government is keen to replicate the system, it will not be identical to Mr Johnson’s. Scots living in areas with the most severe warning level will likely experience more draconian limits on their freedoms than those in England, where the top, “red” status will mean a ban on households meeting and pubs and bars closed unless they serve “substantial meals”.

Boris Johnson's system is being rolled out in England - Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media
Boris Johnson's system is being rolled out in England - Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media

As an alternative to adding a fourth tier above England’s “very high”, the Scottish Government could retain three levels, but the restrictions faced by those in the midst of the most severe outbreaks would be more severe than in England.

Ms Sturgeon set out her plans to bring in tougher measures after she defended rejecting expert advice from Sage, the UK’s committee of scientific experts, which recommended far tougher lockdown restrictions three weeks ago than those she adopted. Boris Johnson also failed to adopt the recommendations, which were backed by figures including Scotland’s chief medical officer and Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government’s chief scientific adviser.

Across Scotland, there were 1,297 cases recorded on Tuesday, the highest total since the start of the pandemic, with 17.2 per cent of those tested receiving a positive result, and an additional seven deaths.

Plans for the Scottish traffic light system will be set out to Holyrood when it returns from recess in a fortnight. Ms Sturgeon said at a UK-wide Cobra meeting on Monday, it had been made clear to the UK Government that its top tier restrictions would be “insufficient” to bring the most severe outbreaks under control.

Watch: What are the new Covid-19 rules in Scotland?

“We want to, if possible, have an aligned strategic framework between the four nations,” Ms Sturgeon said. “But we have to make sure the context of that is right for the circumstances we’re facing here.

“So, without announcing any decisions because we haven’t reached them yet, there would be a couple of options if we thought the tier three announced in England wasn’t sufficient. You could toughen up what the minimum of tier three was or you could have another tier above that.”

While the UK government is to hand English councils a formal role in setting restrictions in their area, allowing them to request stronger measures above a nationally-agreed baseline, Ms Sturgeon indicated that she would continue to impose restrictions from Edinburgh.

Asked about the prospect of councils being handed a formal role in setting rules, she said that while she would continue to engage with town halls, she did not want to “pass the buck” over “horrible, difficult decisions.”

Nicola Sturgeon will announce the new rules at Holyrood - Pool/Reuters 
Nicola Sturgeon will announce the new rules at Holyrood - Pool/Reuters

In Scotland, a shutdown of bars and restaurants in the Central Belt is currently in place, with less severe restrictions on hospitality venues elsewhere in the country. A ban on visiting other people’s homes was announced on September 22.

The previous day, it has emerged that Sage called for the restrictions on visits to other homes, but a series of other measures were not adopted.

A minute of the meeting, attended by Scotland’s chief medical officer and his deputy, shows that the experts also called for a full “circuit breaker” lockdown to get a surge in cases under control. Among the measures put forward for “immediate introduction” but not adopted by Ms Sturgeon was the blanket closure of bars, restaurants cafes, indoor gyms, and personal services such as hairdressers, as well as the suspension of face-to-face teaching in universities where this was not essential.

Ms Sturgeon said: “While advisers advise, governments always have to decide and that means we will sometimes reach a different balance because governments have to take account of all of the different factors.

“But as you can see from the Sage advice published, the actions the Scottish Government is taking just now, are firmly rooted in scientific advice.”

However, grim economic figures published on Tuesday showed that Scotland also faces a major economic crisis, with the number of payrolled workers falling by 63,000 in 12 months.

Official figures also showed a sharp fall in the number of hours worked across the country, with a fall of 6.8 million over the year.

Watch: Nicola Sturgeon - Scotland's restrictions firmly rooted in scientific advice

The country’s unemployment rate remained steady over the summer, at 4.5 per cent, although experts warned this is expected to rise once the furlough scheme ends this month.

Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, acknowledged the figures “continue to be a concern” and that there are further challenges to come.

He said: “The UK Government is doing everything possible to protect jobs and livelihoods in the face of the global pandemic,” he said.

“We are supporting nearly half a million jobs in Scotland through our furlough and self-employed schemes and have committed a further £9 billion to help employers keep workers on.”