Aberdeen Covid-19 outbreak rises to 79 cases
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THE number of cases detected in the Aberdeen Covid-19 cluster now stands at 79 – 25 higher than yesterday's figure – NHS Grampian has confirmed.
The health authority has now identified and spoken to 233 close contacts.
It is investigating a further 30 cases but cannot yet confirm how many may be associated with the cluster.
The outbreak prompted a Scottish Government decision to reimpose a local lockdown in Aberdeen from yesterday.
Dr Emmanuel Okpo, consultant in public health medicine, said: "This is a rapidly evolving situation but our message to the public remains the same: please stick to the government guidance – especially the additional restrictions currently in place in Aberdeen City.
"If you develop the symptoms of Covid-19, you should self-isolate and arrange a test via the NHS Inform website, or the staff testing service if you work in health and social care.
"I know people will be feeling particularly anxious at present. Please be assured that if you are a close contact of a detected case, our teams will be in touch with you. They are working extremely hard to make these calls as quickly as they can.
"My message to everyone, whether they live in Aberdeen or elsewhere, whether they attended any of the previously published venues or not, is to stick to the current guidance. Use a face covering where required, wash your hands thoroughly and regularly with water and soap, practise physical distancing and avoid crowded places. In particular, people in Aberdeen must abide by the current enhanced restrictions."
NHS Grampian said each detected individual was being interviewed about places they have been and people they may have met.
Yesterday NHS Grampian released a list of venues visited by the individuals, which it said was shared in the interests of openness and transparency. It added: "It was not shared to assign blame, to suggest a venue was a source of infection or to suggest everyone who attended these venues is at an additional risk.
See: List of venues linked to Aberdeen Covid-19 cluster
"We worked hard to communicate directly with those venues in advance of publishing the list and apologise unreservedly to those we did not reach.
"We know this has led to a great deal of anxiety for these businesses, their staff and their customers. We are ensuring this communication is taking place and appropriate support is being provided by ourselves and our local authority partners as appropriate."
