Coronavirus: Aberdeen lockdown 'having impact on cases'

Doors close at the Grill, AberdeenPA Media

Bars closed their doors on 5 August

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said lockdown restrictions in Aberdeen are having an impact, with the number of new covid cases continuing to decline.

Lockdown restrictions were reimposed in Aberdeen on 5 August due to a coronavirus cluster in the city.

The restrictions were kept in place last week and are to be reviewed again on Wednesday.

There have now been 386 cases in Grampian since 26 July, with 220 associated with the Aberdeen cluster.

Seven of the 49 new national cases announced on Tuesday were in the Grampian area.

Ms Sturgeon said there had been a decline in new cases across Grampian.

'Outbreak not completely over'

"That suggests that the restrictions that were put in place two weeks ago are having an impact - as of course are the efforts of the health protection teams," she said.

However Ms Sturgeon warned that new cases were still higher than the rest of the country, which would be taken into account when it is announced if there is any change to the restrictions in Aberdeen.

"The situation does appear to be improving but it's important to stress to say that the outbreak is not yet completely over", she said.

The restrictions in Aberdeen mean:

  • bars, cafes, restaurants and pubs are closed

  • no travel more than five miles for leisure or holidays

  • no travel to the city for leisure or to visit friends and family, even if you live in Aberdeenshire

  • no indoor visits with other households

  • visiting suspended for most hospitals

Earlier in the outbreak, it emerged that eight Aberdeen FC players had visited the city's Soul Bar, with two later testing positive for Covid-19.

Soul said on Tuesday it had underestimated how much of a challenge maintaining social distancing was at its busiest times and was "truly sorry" for what had happened.

It added: "Getting it right will be crucial to the recovery of Aberdeen's local trade".

Soul said if lockdown restrictions in the city were eased on Wednesday "you won't see us rushing to open our doors".

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