Covid: Scots told to prepare for ‘digital Christmas’

Covid: Scots told to prepare for 'digital Christmas'

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duration3 hours ago

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• Coronavirus pandemic

The idea of a normal Christmas is a "fiction" and Scots should prepare for digital celebrations, national clinical director Jason Leitch has said.

The government has insisted that the latest Covid-19 restrictions are having an impact on the spread of the virus.

But Mr Leitch told BBC Scotland there was "absolutely no question" of a "normal" Christmas being allowed.

Measures could be eased if case numbers fall, but Mr Leitch said people should "get their digital Christmas ready".

Opposition politicians said the public would be "devastated" by the news and called for more details.

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Tight restrictions on the hospitality trade focused in particular on Scotland's central belt have been extended for another week as coronavirus case numbers continue to rise.

These short-term measures are to be replaced with a new five-tier system of alert levels from 2 November, although First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that this does not rule out "even tougher restrictions" being imposed if necessary.

'Christmas is not going to be normal'

Speaking on the BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Leitch said the current curbs – along with the ongoing ban on household gatherings – was causing a "deceleration" in the increase of cases.

He initially said it was "honestly too early to say" what would happen at Christmas, but sounded a note of caution over the prospect of measures being eased significantly over the winter.

He said: "I'm hopeful costs now may get us a more family Christmas. But Christmas is not going to be normal, there's absolutely no question about that.

"We are not going to be in large family groupings, with multiple families coming round – that is fiction for this year."

image copyrightScottish government

He added: "I'm hopeful that if we can get numbers down to a certain level we may be able to get some form of normality. But people should get their digital Christmas ready."

Ms Sturgeon has previously insisted it was too early to plan for Christmas, saying it was too soon to tell what impact restrictions are having on the spread of the virus.

She has said that "all of our decisions will be balanced by an assessment of the wider harms that Covid and the measures we are taking to tackle it are having".

Following Mr Leitch's comments, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said the government must allow an open public debate if it "expects months more of sacrifices".

He said: "People have made huge sacrifices for months on end, they will be devastated to hear that Christmas as they know it is cancelled this year.

"Many will rightly question whether the government have used the past six months as well as they could have to expand testing, shore up our NHS and prepare for a second wave."

• RULES: What are the restrictions in Scotland?
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• CASES: Where are the latest cases in Scotland?

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• Christmas
• Coronavirus lockdown measures
• Coronavirus pandemic
• Jason Leitch

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