'Do the right thing' plea from Highland police as health and council chiefs unite in Covid-19 appeal to public

HEALTH, council and police chiefs today united in an appeal to the Highland public not to become complacent over coronavirus.

The Highland Council area has been set at Protection Level One in the Scottish Government’s five-tier framework. That means fewer restrictions for the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors than elsewhere in the UK.

Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson said: “Placing Highland on one of the lowest tiers is welcome, particularly for our businesses. The lower prevalence of Covid-19 which enables this position is partly down to high levels of compliance in Highland and the effective joint work with our partners in addressing outbreaks using test and trace and bringing these swiftly under control.

“There is no room for complacency however and I would urge everyone to continue to be careful and follow the guidelines to ensure that we will soon again be able to enjoy the freedom of social contact within our homes.”

Superintendent Iain MacLelland, Highlands & Islands Division, said: “Police Scotland is working with a range of partners to support the combined effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

“Officers will continue to engage with people to explain the regulations and any new restrictions which may come into force. Where we encounter repeated and persistent breaches we will, as the public would expect, act decisively to enforce the law.

"The chief constable has made it clear that we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.”

Dr Tim Allison, NHS Highland's director of public health, said: "We are learning and improving our processes for dealing with the cases of Covid-19 at every opportunity but I am also making an appeal to everyone to help us in fighting this virus.

"We appreciate that there is local anxiety about Covid but we would appeal to everyone to follow the national guidance.

“Wear a face covering, avoid crowded areas, clean surfaces, keep a two-metre distance and, what I would really like to stress, the importance of self-isolating and booking a test if you have symptoms.

“Everyone in Highland, Argyll and Bute has a role to play to keep the number of positive cases as low as possible.”

Tiers are subject to weekly review.

The Scottish Government’s new Strategic Framework which sets out in detail the basis for this approach can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-scotlands-strategic-framework/

List of protection levels by area, and detailed definition of what each one means - The Highland Council area is set at Level One at present https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-protection-levels/

A new tool to find out which local COVID protection level applies - https://www.gov.scot/check-local-covid-level/

The latest information and sources of general info can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/