Coronavirus latest: No current restrictions to be lifted as 13 new deaths recorded in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon has announced current restrictions will not be lifted as a result of the three-weekly review, due to a spike in coronavirus cases.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the Scottish Parliament, she said Scotland was at a “critical moment” which needed difficult decisions to be made.

“Each and every one of us” must act in a way that hinders the virus and prevents its spread,” she said.

“All of the existing Covid restrictions and guidance will remain in place for now.”

On Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon urged Scots not to travel to Blackpool after 180 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were found to have links to the seaside town.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that this figure has since risen to 286.

Coronavirus in numbers

Scotland has recorded 13 deaths of coronavirus patients in the past 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon announced.

This takes the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – to 2,585.

1,351 people have tested positive in the past 24 hours.

This is 17.6% of newly-tested individuals, up from 16.4% on Wednesday.

Ms Sturgeon said 44,036 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up 42,685 from the day before.

Of the new cases, 450 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 374 in Lanarkshire, 161 in Lothian, and 111 in Ayrshire and Arran.

Face coverings regulations

Ms Sturgeon has announced that couples getting married no longer have to wear masks at their wedding or civil partnership ceremony.

© Andrew Cawley

However she also said there will be new regulations coming into force tomorrow which include:

• The rules on face coverings in work canteens will be brought into line with restaurants and cafes – from tomorrow, everyone will have to wear a face covering when not seated at a table
• From Monday, face coverings will have to be worn in other communal work areas like corridors. The responsibility lies with individuals but employers should help promote them

Hospitality restrictions

Ms Sturgeon announced that although last week’s tough restrictions on the hospitality sector will expire on October 26, this will not herald a return to “complete normality.”

She said the current restrictions are due to be replaced with a more strategic approach to managing the pandemic.

She also added the restrictions on household gatherings will remain in place until it is safe to ease them.

© Ross Parker / SNS Group

There will be different tiers or levels of intervention set out in the future, with local and national applications depending on how the virus is spreading.

The new framework will be published and then debated by parliament.

The National Incident Management Team and clinical advisers will provide advice to government that informs their actions and what levels of intervention will apply to each part of the country when the temporary restrictions end on October 26.

£40 million support for businesses

Businesses hit by new restrictions put in place last week will benefit from £40 million in support, Nicola Sturgeon said.

Part of that will be a £20 million grant fund, to be administered by local authorities, which will open to applications from Tuesday.

The First Minister said: “I would encourage all eligible businesses who need support to apply.

“There is, after all, an important principle here – many businesses are being required to take drastic action to help us tackle Covid and so it is essential that we take significant action to support them too.”