CONFIRMED: Fife moving to level three coronavirus restrictions

Fife is moving into level three of coronavirus restrictions from Friday.

The first minister confirmed the move at the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.

It comes due to concerns over a rise in cases in the Kingdom in recent days.

The move means a ban on non-essential travel outwith the area, and hospitality venues can no longer serve alcohol.

No area in Scotland has moved down a level, and there are none in either the lowest tier (level one) or the highest (level four).

First Minister Nicola 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 1,000 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."

Tricia Marwick, chair of NHS Fife, said: "Our public health team have been closely monitoring the data for Fife and we have seen a sustained increase in the number of positive cases of coronavirus across the Kingdom.

"It is therefore vital that we now act quickly and decisively to suppress the transmission rate of the virus across Fife, to save lives and protect frontline services.

"Following advice from Fife’s director of public health and discussions with Fife council leaders, the National Scottish Incident Management Team (IMT) made a recommendation to the Scottish government to move Fife to level three.

"This move from level two to three is a stark warning to us all. I am therefore asking all Fifers to adhere to the level three measures to help drive down the transmission rate and avoid any further restrictions being placed on our communities.

"NHS Fife is jointly working with its partners to support the combined effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

"The level three measures that were put in place across the central belt last month are starting to show some impact and we hope the same will follow for Fife. We will continue to monitor the situation with the Scottish Government and review the decision again regularly."

Ms Marwick added: "I would like to remind the public that, at present, Covid-19 is causing severe pressure on our health and social care resources across Fife.

"To protect our loved ones, our staff, and our hospitals, it is vitally important that everyone takes responsibility to follow Scottish Government guidance. We must all reflect on our individual actions and consider the consequences of these on our communities and the most vulnerable in society.

"I would like to remind everyone about F.A.C.T.S. everyone should take care to wear a face covering when indoors, on public transport or when physical distancing is difficult. We should avoid crowded places and clean our hands regularly. We should also keep a two-metre distance from others and self-isolate and book a test if we show symptoms, however mild they may be."

Level allocations from 6am on Friday November 13:

Level 1:

• Highland
• Moray
• Western Isles
• Orkney
• Shetland

Level 2:

• Aberdeenshire
• Aberdeen
• Scottish Borders
• Dumfries & Galloway
• Argyll & Bute

Level 3:

• Fife
• Angus
• Perth & Kinross
• Inverclyde
• East Dunbartonshire
• West Dunbartonshire
• Renfrewshire
• East Renfrewshire
• City of Glasgow
• South Ayrshire
• East Ayrshire
• North Ayrshire
• Stirling
• Falkirk
• Clackmannanshire
• City of Edinburgh
• Midlothian
• West Lothian
• East Lothian
• Dundee
• North Lanarkshire
• South Lanarkshire

Here are the details of what it means for people living in Fife (please refresh your page if the document does not appear):

More to follow.