FM: Ending lockdown in Aberdeen may be premature

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said removing coronavirus restrictions in Aberdeen may be a little bit premature''.

She said at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing on Monday that cases from the cluster in the city are decelerating'' but measures may have to stay in place for at least another week.

Ms Sturgeon said 207 cases have now been confirmed in the city linked to an outbreak discovered in bars and restaurants, while 1,050 contacts have been identified.

A weekly review is due on Wednesday, two weeks to the day since pubs and restaurants were ordered to close, Aberdonians were told not to visit each other's houses and restrictions were put on hospital and care home visits as a result of the localised outbreak.

The First Minister told the briefing: I think we do see signs, and it's too early to be absolutely definitive about this, the increase in cases in that cluster has decelerated a bit, so it is slowing down.

We need more time to see whether it's starting to properly reduce in the way we would want it to and I do think the evidence that we have thus far is that Test and Protect has done a very good job.''

She added: We will continue to monitor it closely, we have to review the restrictions again on Wednesday, seven days from the last review.

I can't say at this stage that those restrictions will be lifted yet but it may still be a little bit premature for that.''

National clinical director Jason Leitch said Aberdeen is acting very well'' in response to the restrictions but there may not have been enough time for the number of cases to reduce.

He said: It takes a few weeks to bend the curve.

I spoke to some Australian colleagues about Victoria and Melbourne, and it's taken them four weeks to see a drop in a big number of cases that they had four weeks ago.''