Coronavirus: No coronavirus deaths in Scotland for fourth day – as Wales changes lockdown rules
Written by News on 30/06/2020
Scotland has recorded no deaths from coronavirus for the fourth day running, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
During a Scottish government briefing, Ms Sturgeon announced the total number of people who have died after contracting the virus remains at 2,482.
She added five more people tested positive for the virus since Sunday, taking the total to 18,241.
A total of 740 patients were in Scottish hospitals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, down 38 in 24 hours.
Of these, 10 were intensive care, which is a fall of three.
Speaking about the figures, Ms Sturgeon said: “In the past 24 hours, I’m pleased to report no deaths were registered from a patient confirmed through a test of having COVID-19.
“The total number of deaths in Scotland under that measurement therefore remains at 2,482. This is the fourth day in a row where no deaths of patients confirmed through a test have been recorded in Scotland.
“Now, two of these days have been weekends, and we know registration can be artificially low at weekends, and we may see more deaths registered later this week.
“But there’s no doubt that these recent figures demonstrate beyond any doubt how much progress Scotland has made in tackling COVID, and that’s down to the sacrifices from everyone across the country. I want to say a heartfelt thank-you again to all of you for that.”
The Scottish first minister also spoke on the issue of air bridges between the UK and countries in Europe.
She said UK ministers did not consult the Scottish government ahead of the changes.
Scotland’s justice secretary Humza Yousaf had a conference call with cabinet minister Michael Gove and the other devolved administrations on the issue on Monday morning, she added.
Ms Sturgeon said she can “see the benefits” of adopting a consistent UK-wide approach on air bridges, but added she was concerned about a spike in new cases.
“We know that quarantine measures, albeit on a more targeted basis in the future, may become more important in Scotland, rather than less, as our infection rates fall,” she added.
“The relative impact of cases from outside Scotland potentially becomes greater. Of course the prospect of cases coming in from elsewhere poses a risk not just to health but also to our economy.”
As a result, she said her government would be taking more time to consider the use of air bridges and would make an announcement in the future.
It comes as Leicester is facing a possible first local lockdown in the UK.
While the rest of England will have restrictions eased on Saturday, government officials have recommended that current rules should stay in place for the city for a further two weeks.
Around 866 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Leicester over the last two weeks. Its total number of cases to date since lockdown is 3,000.
According to NHS England’s latest figures, a further 19 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,672.
The patients were aged between 60 and 96. All had known underlying health conditions.
In Wales, two households will be allowed to pair up and form “one extended household” from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He told the Welsh government’s daily press briefing: “This can allow families and close friends who have been separated by the coronavirus pandemic over the last few months to reconnect with one another and to enjoy one another’s company again indoors.
“Our aim has been to introduce this in a way which is as safe as possible, as fair as possible, and as simple as possible.
“And we’ve now reached the stage where, provided the situation remains favourable this time next week, we will be able to lift the stay-local requirement, and at the same time we’ll be able to make changes to the rules to allow people from two separate households to form one exclusive extended household.”
Northern Ireland’s Department of Heath said one additional person had died after contracting COVID-19, bringing its total number of deaths in the region to 551.
The number of positive cases following testing by both local centres and the national programme rose by six in the last 24 hours to 5,757.
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For the 24 hours preceding 5pm on 28 June, the Department of Health reported 25 deaths and 815 cases – taking the respective totals to 43,575 and 311,965.
A further 93,881 COVID-19 tests have been undertaken, with more than 9.2 million now completed.
(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: No coronavirus deaths in Scotland for fourth day – as Wales changes lockdown rules
