Nicola Sturgeon announces Highlands to remain in level one of coronavirus restrictions

The Highlands will remain in level one under Scotland's five-tier coronavirus restrictions.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed there would be no change for the region when she spoke in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.

There will be an easing of one restriction for residents in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles – which are also in level one – who will be able to meet with one other household inside their homes, up to a strict maximum of six people from Friday.

However, Ms Sturgeon said unfortunately the government did not consider it prudent to lift that restriction for people living in the Highlands and Moray which also remains in tier one.

"Although the cases remain relatively low, we have seen some volatility in recent days," she said.

She said people living across the Highlands and in Moray should not visit each other’s homes except for essential purposes such as childcare, looking after a vulnerable person or being part of an extended household.

She added it remained the single most effective way of preventing the spread of the virus from one household to another.

Nine further Covid-19 infections have been detected across the NHS Highland region in the past day taking the health board area's cumulative number of confirmed cases from 1206 to 1215

Three council areas – Fife, Perth and Kinross and Angus – will move up from protection level two to three as coronavirus cases continue to rise in their areas while all other local authority protection levels are unchanged.

Ms Sturgeon said: "The sacrifices everyone is making are hard - and they feel never-ending. But they are helping.

"They have made a difference, and they are saving lives. There is no doubt that the restrictions we have put in place have dramatically slowed the spread of the virus.

"But hospital admissions are still too high. The number of new cases we are seeing – more than 1000 a day on average – is also too high. And we cannot be sure that we are seeing a sustained fall in cases.

"As I have said repeatedly in recent days, a rising or even plateauing rate of infection is not a stable position. We want to see a decline in cases and so we will be monitoring the situation carefully in the days ahead.

"In light of the situation I have just outlined, it would clearly not be prudent to ease restrictions today."

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