Nicola Sturgeon is facing fury over her plans for a five-tier lockdown system set to be even tougher than Boris Johnson’s – as her advisers warn the idea of a family Christmas is ‘fiction’.
The First Minister has been hit with a wave of anger after it emerged she wants to take a harsher approach than the PM, with more levels of curbs to tackle the pandemic.
In another sign of the hard line north of the border, her clinical director has effectively told Scots to cancel their festive arrangements, saying gatherings would have to be ‘digital’.
Details of the new system are due to be spelled out tomorrow, with the highest bracket potentially condemning large areas to a March-style squeeze. It will raise concerns that England could end up in a similar position, as has often happened during the previous phases of the crisis.
But pubs, restaurants and retailers are already voicing alarm they face a catastrophic winter, with dire predictions that two-thirds of hospitality firms could close.
The licensed trade said businesses had been kept ‘completely in the dark’ about the fresh wave of regulations, and warned the sector was ‘staring into the abyss’, with thousands of jobs at risk.
In other coronavirus developments today;
- Rishi Sunak will today unveil yet another bailout amid warnings that thousands of bars and restaurants in Tier Two lockdown areas face going bust;
- Shocking official figures today show that 17 per cent of firms in the accommodation and food services industry are at ‘severe’ risk of insolvency;
- South Yorkshire agreed a deal to move into Tier Three from Saturday, meaning 7.3million in England will be living under the toughest Covid rules;
- Talks to put Nottinghamshire into the ‘very high risk’ category were said to be close to completion;
- Boris Johnson sought to bypass Andy Burnham by offering £60million of coronavirus help directly to local councils in Greater Manchester;
- Economists warned that lockdowns were killing even more people than they ‘could possibly save’;
- Labour’s Angela Rayner was forced to apologise after she called a Tory MP ‘scum’ during a Covid-19 debate;
- 191 further deaths from coronavirus were reported yesterday, with daily cases at a record 26,688;
- Hospitals stepped up the cancellation of routine surgery and non-Covid appointments amid a surge in virus admissions;
- Scotland Yard agreed to withdraw a letter urging pubs and restaurants to snoop on their customers;
- Prince William spoke of the ‘unimaginable challenges’ faced by cancer patients as a result of coronavirus;
- National debt has soared to the highest level in 60 years;
- A major report warned Covid-19 must not be used as an excuse to delay social care reform.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at a press conference in Edinburgh yesterday
Shoppers walk yesterday along Princes Street, which is the main shopping area in Edinburgh
The First Minister also refused to rule out school closures in badly affected areas, saying ‘blended learning’ could be reintroduced under extreme circumstances.
It came as Scotland recorded its deadliest day since May, with 28 deaths linked to Covid-19 registered in 24 hours.
A further 1,739 people tested positive, with 49 patients admitted to hospital. There are now 73 people in intensive care units across the country.
The new five-tier system is due to be rolled out on November 2.
Ms Sturgeon has said current restrictions on pubs and restaurants will remain in place until then.
She has already indicated that the three middle tiers will be broadly similar to the new system in England – where areas are classed as being at either ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ risk.
But there will also be a lower level in Scotland for areas with fewer cases of Covid-19, and clinical director Prof Jason Leitch indicated travel restrictions will be put in place to prevent people from higher tiers moving into these.
In areas in the lowest tier, he said people will have ‘slightly more freedoms than other parts of the country’.
In contrast, Prof Leitch said areas in the highest tier would be under a ‘fuller’ lockdown, though schools would remain ‘as open as possible’.
The new system is not expected to come into place until November 2, replacing temporary restrictions on the hospitality sector which were on Wednesday extended for another week up to that date.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Thursday, Prof Leitch said work is under way by advisers on what levels should be applied in different areas.
He said: ‘We will give advice and then the decision makers will make those choices over the weekend and into next week.’
He explained a five-tier system is preferred in Scotland over the three levels in England because ‘we think as advisers you have to have everything in your toolbox’.
He added: ‘You have to have the lower end, because if you were an area of Scotland with very low prevalence… then you could perhaps have slightly more freedoms than other parts of the country.
‘Then there’s the middle ones… kind of what we are in just now in various parts of the country.
‘But we think you need something in your toolbox that says if those aren’t working in time to protect the National Health Service, to protect individuals from the disease, you have the option of a fuller, unfortunate lockdown.’
Prof Leitch also delivered a stark warning that hopes for a family Christmas this year are ‘fiction’.
He said: ‘Christmas is not going to be normal, there is absolutely no question about that.
‘We’re not going to have large family groupings with multiple families around, that is fiction for this year.
‘I am hopeful, if we can get the numbers down to a certain level, we may be able to get some form of normality.
‘People should get their digital Christmas ready.’
According to business bosses, they had been assured that the First Minister would remain ‘as closely aligned with the rest of the UK as possible’.
But her comments yesterday revealed she is willing to impose far harsher restrictions than those in England.
Paul Waterson, of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, warned: ‘Hundreds of businesses are facing permanent closure and with that thousands of jobs will be lost – the damage could be irreparable.
‘We estimate that two-thirds of hospitality businesses could be mothballed or go under in the coming months. Over 50 per cent of jobs in the pub and bar sector could also be lost.’
During her Covid briefing yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘Let me explain the logic for the five tiers, which I think is very strong.
‘The middle three tiers will be broadly equivalent to the three tiers in England which they describe as medium, high and very high.
‘We think we need one at the bottom, which is the level we would be aspiring to this side of getting a vaccine, which is closest to normality we could reasonably expect.
‘We think it’s important to have that until we all know what we’re working towards. We also think we need another one [tier] at the top.’
Miss Sturgeon said that when Mr Johnson published his tier system, his Chief Medical Officer thought the top level was ‘not enough to necessarily, in all circumstances, get the virus down’.
She said Scotland’s top level would be closer to the ‘full lockdown’ imposed across the country in March, but at a local level.
Miss Sturgeon signalled that schools would remain open in the top tier but depending on circumstances ‘a move to blended learning in some council areas could be required’.
The highest tier in England includes a ban on socialising with other households both indoors and outdoors.
Pubs and bars are closed unless they operate as restaurants, with alcohol only served alongside a substantial meal.
Last night, the Scottish Beer and Pub Association hit out at Miss Sturgeon’s plans.
A spokesman said: ‘There’s huge concern from businesses who are now completely in the dark about when they might be able to reopen again.
‘We don’t know how many tiers there will be, what the restrictions will be in each, or which areas are going to be in which tiers.
‘The closure was meant to be temporary, but the announcement today and potential for further restrictions has left the trade staring into the abyss.’
A recent study revealed nearly 40 per cent of hospitality firms are considering closure.
Meanwhile, retailers demanded ‘clarity’ about the five-tier system as the Christmas period approaches.
Two young men sit on a park bench in Edinburgh yesterday as the pandemic continues
A little girl runs past a sign outside a premises on Cockburn Street in Edinburgh yesterday
Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: ‘We have consistently called for greater visibility and clarity over potential next steps when it comes to future Covid restrictions, particularly in the run-up to the critical Christmas trading period.’
Scottish Tory health spokesman Brian Whittle said: ‘Businesses can’t go through another confusing SNP debacle like the one they’re still facing over what’s a café and what’s a restaurant.
‘Any confusion would only make it more difficult for people and businesses to do their bit to suppress the virus.’
Miss Sturgeon will tomorrow reveal details of financial support for the businesses affected in coming months.
She said this would be ‘broadly similar’ to that offered south of the Border by the UK Government.
Miss Sturgeon added that she was urgently seeking to speak to the UK Treasury to enhance the spending packages.
Pubs face last orders: Business owners ‘feel betrayed over devastating week extension’
Pubs, bars and restaurants have warned they face ‘devastating’ consequences after Scotland’s two-week circuit breaker was extended by Nicola Sturgeon.
The hospitality sector yesterday claimed it had been ‘betrayed’ by the First Minister after she had ‘gone back’ on her word over the restrictions.
The current measures were meant to end on Monday, but Miss Sturgeon said she had made the ‘harsh’ decision to extend them until November 2.
This will see all licensed premises except cafes in the Central Belt forced to remain closed for an additional week.
Other restrictions such as a ban on indoor gym classes and contact sports for adults will also remain in place across the five health board areas – including Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian.
In other parts of Scotland, restaurants and pubs can stay open between 6am and 6pm – but alcohol is only allowed to be served until 10pm outside.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, said: ‘This news is absolutely devastating for the sector.
‘We were told that these measures were to be ‘short’ and ‘sharp’ but now the Scottish Government have gone back on that, leaving operators feeling betrayed.
‘The extension of the economic support is welcome, but still in no way makes up for the lost income of another week fully closed. The trade now feels even more let down by the Government and unfairly targeted by the measures which are costing jobs and livelihoods.
‘Scotland’s pubs and bars have repeatedly been subject to some of the most penalising restrictions in the world, but without the evidence to back it up. The situation cannot continue.’
Speaking at her briefing yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said she had agreed, with her Cabinet, to extend the short-term restrictions to ensure a ‘smooth transition’ to the new five-tier system which will come into force on November 2.
Announcing the extension, she said: ‘I know all of this is really unwelcome and I know that these restrictions are harsh.
‘They are harsh financially for many individuals and businesses, and they are harsh emotionally for all of us.
‘I want to stress again none of these decisions are being taken lightly – this is about trying to minimise the health damage we know this virus is capable of doing.’
But business bosses hit out at the move, with Liz Cameron of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce saying that the hospitality sector would be ‘absolutely devastated that restrictions now look to be in place indefinitely’.
She said: ‘We were advised that temporary restrictions would help to reduce the spread of the virus. But now the temporary restrictions have been extended, which make it impossible for businesses to rebuild and protect jobs.
‘This short-term reactive approach is no longer enough. Where is the plan that we can all get alongside to help the Scottish Government to both manage the virus and ensure the economy can also return to health?’
Campaign for Real Ale spokesman Joe Crawford said that the announcement was a ‘hammer blow’ to pubs and breweries ‘who feel like they’re being offered up as a sacrificial lamb without sufficient evidence’.
Last night, hospitality bosses launched a Save Our Jobs campaign following Miss Sturgeon’s announcement.
It demands support from the Scottish and UK Governments to ensure up to 100,000 jobs are not lost in bars and restaurants across the country when the furlough scheme ends on October 31.
Michelin-star chef Tom Kitchin, Signature Group boss Nic Wood –the head of one of Scotland’s biggest pub groups – and other hospitality sector bosses and staff have joined the campaign.
Mr Kitchin said: ‘Our industry is in real need of help, especially having only just partly recovered from the first lockdown.
‘Eliminating the risks of the virus is our greatest concern, but there needs to be a balance for the hospitality future of Scotland.’
Mr Wood said that he hopes the campaign will highlight the plight of the young hospitality workforce, with 50 per cent of all staff aged between 16 and 24.
The Scottish Government has provided £40million to affected businesses over the original 16-day closure period, and Miss Sturgeon said this would be extended on a ‘proportionate’ basis.
Research shows that the industry spent around £15million on training and implementing social-distancing measures across the entire sector to reopen businesses and rebuild consumer confidence.
However, a large number of licensed premises have not reopened at all since March as they would not be viable as a result of a decrease in their capacity in order to adhere to social distancing regulations.