Summary

  • A further 67 new positive cases have been logged with the bulk, 39, being in the Grampian area

  • In the Glasgow and Clyde area there were 17 new positive cases

  • Aberdeen went back into lockdown following a growing cluster, which currently totals 79 positives and 30 suspected

  • Bars and restaurants have been closed for at least seven days in the Aberdeen city area, and travel restrictions have been reimposed

  • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon advises that people in the city should not be going on holiday to other parts of Scotland or to other parts of the UK

  • There continues to be no new deaths of a person with a positive test

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

  1. Freeman - 100% test and trace rate in Aberdeen cluster so far

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    graphicGetty Images

    Ms Freeman confirms there has, so far, been a 100% test and trace rate since the cluster was identified.

    The 54 people who have tested positive gave the details of 191 people they have been in contact with and Ms Freeman says they have all been spoken to.

    But that doesn't mean that is all the contacts (involved). Those are the numbers we had yesterday. From being in touch with them...we need to see how many people they have been in contact with as that is how it spreads.

    Jeane Freeman, Health secretary

  2. Health secretary - 'We haven't identified Aberdeen trigger case yet'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Jeane Freeman

    Scotland's Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has said the original cause of the Covid cluster in Aberdeen has yet to be identified.

    She says the fact this case centres on several pubs, bars and restaurants is what makes it different to previous clusters in North Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

    In a situation like this, it is difficult to identify the trigger case. It is unlikely that one person has been to all 28 or so venues that have been named. It is complicated to know exactly where everyone has been.

    Jeane Freeman, Health Secretary

  3. Has something gone wrong with how pubs have been operating?

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    There does appear to have been a level of confusion among owners of pubs, bars and restaurants about the previous guidelines, says Aberdeen councillor Marie Boulton.

    That included when and where face masks should be worn and what was appropriate for individual premises.

    We are in uncharted waters - and that includes the Scottish and UK governments. Everybody is pulling together. It is essential now that we look at the guidance and refine it so it is more prescriptive.

    Marie Boulton, Aberdeen city councillor

  4. 'There is a risk that this could spread out of the city'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    graphicGetty Images

    Fears about the impact of the Covid cluster are not just restricted to the city of Aberdeen.

    Abderdeenshire councillor Peter Argyle says people "overwhelming" followed the guidance given during the original lockdown. But concerns remain that the virus could be spread beyond the city limits.

    There is always the risk of incidents occurring in Aberdeenshire as well, and that is the last thing any of us wants. The message clearly is that this virus hasn't gone away and everybody needs to be very conscious of that and modify their behaviour accordingly.

    Peter Argyle, Aberdeenshire councillor

  5. 'Cafes have been treated a little harshly'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    chairsGetty Images

    Aberdeen is beginning its first full day of lockdown restrictions after a sharp rise in the number of linked coronavirus cases.

    City councillor Marie Boulton has backed by the government decision to act swiftly amid fears of community transfer of the virus. But she believes some businesses may not have been treated fairly.

    She told Good Morning Scotland: "Closing cafes which don't sell alcohol was perhaps a little harsh. It certainly seems from the list of venues that it is alcohol-related premises that we have seen the spikes coming from."

  6. Confusion about what businesses not on the 'cluster list' should do?

    door handleGetty Images

    NHS Grampian has published a list of venues that have been visited by people linked to the cluster, including 28 bars and cafes.

    It has left some businesses, who have not been contacted by the authorities, confused about how they should proceed.

    There are definitely lessons to learn from this. There is a plethora of guidance documents out there around making the premises Covid-safe for businesses. But there does need to be clearer guidance on where your point of contact is if there is a potential or suspected occurrence of Covid-19

    Shane Taylor, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce

  7. 'It's heartbreaking to see businesses shut down'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Shane Taylor, from Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, tells Radio Scotland that it is "heartbreaking" to see hotels, bars and restaurants close down again.

    "We've seen first-hand the investment and the precautions businesses have taken,". he says

    "We are supportive of these measures and it's really important that we get the virus under control as quickly as possible.

    "But what it also underlines is the responsibility that we all have to prevent the spread."

  8. Hospitality industry 'had just got momentum going'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    signGetty Images

    The return of lockdown restrictions in Aberdeen will be extremely tough for the local hospitality industry to deal with, business owners have said.

    Stephen Gow, from the city's Chester Hotel, said he backed the first minister's decision to put health and safety first.

    But had just brought back 40 members of staff from furlough and will now have to temporarily lay them off again.

    We've had a very busy time since we reopened, with more than 400 people a day dining with us. So it's difficult to put the brakes on again when we've just got momentum going.

    Stephen Gow, Chester Hotel

  9. 190 contacts identified so far from 54 Covid cases in Aberdeen

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Linda Bauld

    There's concerns that not all premises affected by the coronavirus outbreak in Aberdeen have been contacted by tracers looking to identified all those in the cluster.

    Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, says the number of people who will need to be contact traced during lockdown is generally small. However as restrictions have eased, that number has increased.

    The number of contacts that would need to be traced per index case - that is the first case - was very small. only a couple of contacts. Now, particularly as these are younger people - they're moving around - there will be many cases so it will be more complex.

    Prof Linda Bauld, University of Edinburgh

    She says that in countries where there are minimal restrictions in place, you could have about 20 contacts per case to follow up.

    "That's pretty average, between 20 and 30 actually so we're looking at large numbers. We have heard this morning though that some of the premises that these people visited didn't necessarily know they were on the list so it does't look like all communication has been perfect."

  10. Empty streets as Aberdeen lockdown takes effect

    Aberdeen was deserted on Wednesday eveningGetty Images

    The streets of Aberdeen were "eerily quiet" during the first night of Scotland's first local lockdown.

    Nicola Sturgeon announced the tightening of restrictions on Wednesday after cases from a coronavirus cluster rose sharply.

    Bars cafes and restaurants will remain shut for at least seven days.

    Extra police have been sent to the city to help increase patrols but the first minister said she hoped compliance would be voluntary.

    More than 228,000 people living in the city were told they should not enter each other's homes or travel more than five miles as restrictions were reimposed.

    Officials later announced that visits to hospital and care homes from a named family member or friend would also be stopped, with only essential visits being allowed.

    Read more here.

  11. Headlines: What happened yesterday?

    Staff prepare for the second shutdown in AberdeenGetty Images

    Wednesday marked another milestone in Scotland's coronavirus fight - the first local lockdown.

    Here's how things panned out:

    • The UK's biggest pantomime producer started cancelling its 2020 shows, including in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, amid ongoing uncertainty about when theatres would be able to reopen fully.

  12. Good Morning

    Deserted AberdeenGetty Images

    Welcome to Thursday's coronavirus live coverage as more than a quarter of a million Aberdeen residents wake up back in lockdown.

    The city was given a few hours' notice that Scotland's first local lockdown was being imposed.

    It followed rising positive case numbers in a cluster connected to the city's bars.

    We will bring you the latest on the situation as restrictions kick in.