HOUSE BAN

Coronavirus Scotland: Greater Glasgow & Lanarkshire lockdown EXTENDED as house visits remain banned for third of Scots

GREATER Glasgow's coronavirus lockdown has been extended with household visits remaining banned for a third of Scots.

The Scottish Government confirmed the restrictions which prohibit meetings in homes for a further eight days.

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The decision was made after a Scottish Government review meeting, with the next scheduled for September 22.

Restrictions will also remain in place in Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.

Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is clearly regrettable that these restrictions need to continue.

"I understand that this will not be welcome news for people living in these areas but given the continued worrying increase in cases we continue to see we must act to get more control over the virus in these areas.

"But while cases remain on the rise, early indications show these measures are working.

“I would ask everyone in the affected areas to continue being extra vigilant, to follow all guidance and to isolate and book a test if they have any symptoms. Do not lose ground now.

“Above all, I want to emphasise that getting a test – and even getting a negative result – is not a substitute for self-isolating. If you have symptoms, or if you are contacted by our Test and Protect team and told to do so, you will need to self-isolate.

“Over 900,000 people have already downloaded the Protect Scotland app, which is a really important way to support Test and Protect and also to keep our communities safe. In the face of COVID, we can all feel a bit powerless but, if you have the means, using the app is a way of doing something positive that helps the collective effort.”

It comes after Scotland's 'rule of six' came into force today restricting the number of people allowed to gather to six people from two households.

In the past 24 hours another 70 cases have been recorded across the country but Ms Sturgeon warned the figures are not yet complete.

The First Minister said the backlog of test results, which is affecting the UK as a whole, raised "very serious concerns".

The 70 new cases represent 2.7 per cent of those tested - and brings the total of positive tests throughout the pandemic to 22,749.

The SNP chief also confirmed that there had been no deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.

This means Scotland's death toll throughout the pandemic remains at 2,499.

There are currently 264 people in Scottish hospital, an increase of five since yesterday.

This includes seven patients in intensive care, which is no change from the previous day.