Chamber and committees

I thank Emma Roddick for her question, and I take the opportunity to warmly welcome her to the Scottish Parliament. It is fantastic to see her here.

On the specific question about tourism in Moray, I will reiterate a couple of things. The first is that financial support will be available to affected businesses. As I said in response to previous questions, we will work with the affected councils to ensure that support is as comprehensive as we can make it.

Secondly, I really hope that the extension of level 3 in Moray will be very short lived, and that this time next week we will have more positive news from the area. In that case, people will be able to travel to and from Moray and tourism will be able to get back to where it had hoped to be on Monday.

I regret that the situation in Glasgow has deteriorated since earlier this week, but we tried earlier this week to give businesses in Moray some notice that what I have announced might well be the outcome of our considerations. We are very mindful—I am acutely aware of it—of the impact that that outcome has on individuals and businesses, not only financially but in terms of the general sense of how things are going.

I reiterate that these are setbacks; they are, undoubtedly, bumps in the road. However, I hope that our exercising an appropriate degree of caution as we deal with them, and as we navigate our way through the pandemic, will keep us on what continues to be, overall, a positive track through the virus. I ask people, however difficult it is for us all, to continue to try to exercise the patience that is required.

I thank Douglas Ross for those questions. I am very optimistic about the direction of travel in Moray and, although I cannot stand here and give a 100 per cent guarantee, I am as optimistic as it is possible to be that, this time next week, we will see a different decision applied to Moray. I thank the council, Grampian NHS Board and, of course, the people and businesses of Moray for all their efforts in the past few days.

My message is to continue to do what is being done. With regard to the figure that I have just given for the rate per 100,000, members must be aware that there is a three-day lag on all that data. However, the figure of 69 per 100,000 that I have given today is a significant reduction on the 100 that was reported on 9 May. Therefore, things are going in the right direction. I encourage people to continue to come forward for testing and vaccination, to be ultra-cautious in following all the public hygiene and public health advice and to co-operate with the authorities as they try to do that work. It is difficult for individuals but, of course, it is difficult for businesses, which is why the additional financial support is important. There are lessons to learn from the efforts in Moray, which can be applied elsewhere.

The epicentre of the outbreak in Glasgow is in my constituency, so I know the area very well. The different factor in Glasgow which, as far as we know, is not at issue in Moray, is the concern about the Indian variant. That variant is perhaps even more transmissible than the Kent variant, which was more transmissible than the one that we were dealing with last year. As has happened in Moray, public health teams in Glasgow are working hard to test more people and to make testing available; testing has been done door to door and lateral flow devices have been made available. Anas Sarwar and I spoke to the mobile testing unit at Glasgow central mosque the other day. We are awaiting further advice from the JCVI, perhaps later today, on the use of vaccine against the Indian variant, so we need to take that into account. However, we are doing everything possible to support our public health teams, which are doing a fantastic job to get the outbreaks under control, so that we can be optimistic that this bad news for Moray and Glasgow is short lived and that both areas get back on the right track as quickly as possible.

I also welcome you, Presiding Officer, to your post, and I welcome Douglas Ross back to the Parliament.

I am grateful for the opportunity to update Parliament on the situation in Moray. With your permission, Presiding Officer, I will also take a bit of time to advise Parliament of the difficult decision that we have reached in the past hour or so in light of the significant increase in cases in Glasgow over the past few days.

The latest available data shows that the number of cases in Moray is 69 per 100,000 and the test positivity rate is 1.9 per cent. I am pleased to say that the rates for both those measures are declining, so there are grounds for cautious optimism that the situation is improving as a result of the public health interventions that have been taken.

However, case numbers remain more than double the Scottish average, and the local incident management team’s judgment, which has informed this decision, is that it is prudent for Moray to remain at level 3 for a further week, so that we can be more confident that the situation is firmly under control. The position will be reviewed again at the end of next week, at which point I hope that Moray will move to level 2.

I know that that will be disappointing for residents and businesses in Moray—I will come back to the question about business support shortly. However, in my judgment, although it is difficult, it is sensible to be cautious now and allow Moray to move with more confidence to level 2, rather than ease restrictions prematurely and risk going backwards later.

The Government is applying a similar reasoning to the situation in Glasgow city, which I must say is causing even more concern at this stage. On the latest available data, the number of cases has increased to 80 per 100,000 and the test positivity rate is 3.5 per cent. Both measures suggest an increasing level of infection. However, an additional and significant factor is evidence suggesting that the outbreak, which is currently heavily centred in the south side of the city, is being driven by the so-called Indian variant.

We do not yet have a full understanding of the impact of the variant, including on the protection afforded by the vaccines. I want to stress that nothing at this stage suggests that it is causing more severe illness. However, it is thought that the variant could be significantly more transmissible than even the Kent variant that was identified before Christmas. That alone calls for an appropriate degree of caution.

It is important to stress that public health teams are optimistic that enhanced testing and vaccination will be capable of getting the situation under control, and we will be writing to all Glasgow MSPs over the weekend with full detail of those interventions. On vaccination, that will take account of new advice that is expected shortly from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The advice given to me by the chief medical officer, which has informed this decision, is that we need a few more days to assess the data and build confidence that the situation can be brought under control, or at least that it is not resulting in an increasing rate of hospitalisation and severe illness. Accordingly, and very reluctantly, we have decided to err on the side of caution and also keep Glasgow city in level 3 for a further week.

Again, I know how disappointing that will be, but pressing pause for a few days will, I hope, avoid a situation in which we have to impose even more restrictive measures over the next few weeks.

To help contain the spread and ensure a quick return to a positive track for both areas, we are asking people not to travel into or out of Glasgow and Moray for the next week, except for permitted purposes.

In both Glasgow and Moray, affected businesses will receive additional financial support. Moray Council will receive an extra £375,000 a week and Glasgow City Council an extra £1.05 million a week. That will allow hospitality and leisure businesses to be given up to £750 each a week. Both situations will be reviewed again at the end of next week, when I hope that the news will be more positive.

Finally—thank you for your patience, Presiding Officer—I am acutely aware that this announcement will be hugely disappointing and frustrating. I want to stress that our progress overall remains good. It is inevitable that, as we continue to navigate our way through this difficult pandemic, we will hit bumps in the road. However, if we exercise suitable caution, as we are seeking to do today—even though that is difficult—we are much more likely to stay on the right track overall.

I am grateful for the opportunity to provide an update on the situation in both areas. I am now, of course, happy to take questions.

The Scottish National Party pledges loyalty to the people of Scotland, in line with the Scottish constitutional tradition of the sovereignty of the people.

The member then made a solemn affirmation.