The First Minister has just announced a five-mile travel ban on Aberdeen residents and ordered city bars and restaurants to close. People have also been advised not to travel to Aberdeen except for work or education.
The reintroduction of lockdown measures comes after a spike in coronavirus cases. It will last for a week initially.
Cllr Jim Gifford is Leader of Aberdeenshire Council. He said: “Throughout Covid-19, it has been widely accepted that local outbreaks were a real risk. The decision to apply restrictions in Aberdeen City has been taken as a result of Public Health advice, and it is that Public Health advice which is of the highest priority.
“We must all be aware of these local restrictions and ensure we are doing everything in our power to stop local outbreaks becoming more widespread. This has implications on almost everyone and our approach to tackling this must be done as a region.
“We encourage people in Aberdeenshire to make themselves aware of the restrictions and not travel into the city, unless necessary for work or education. Meanwhile we also encourage people in the City boundary to stick to the travel limits and prevent spread into part of Aberdeenshire.
“It is incumbent on everyone to adopt all the measures in order to help keep each other safe.”
I have had clarification over the status of Aberdeenshire residents who work/attend schools in the city. The Scottish Government is protecting the ability for young people to return to education next week as previously outlined. This means that if you live in Aberdeenshire but go to school in the city or work in a city school (and vice versa), you will be required to attend school next week as planned.
There is more detail in the Scottish Government news release: https://www.gov.scot/news/local-restrictions-introduced-in-aberdeen/
NHS Grampian has issued a list of venues affected by this cluster, and they are not all in Aberdeen. The Marine Hotel is included but here is what the Stonehaven establishment has to say: “The Marine Hotel has been listed as one of these premises by NHS Grampian and various other local news sites. We have been assured by Aberdeenshire Council & HP Grampian that this was an error! We are looking to have this retracted & amended as soon as possible by the NHS Grampian press team. This error is devastating for us! PLEASE spread the word!”
Full NHS Grampian statement here: https://www.facebook.com/NHSGrampian/posts/3615874845138239