By Tony O’Riley-
The lockdown of Aberdeen kicked off last night in the first night of Scotland’s first local lockdown.
Nicola Sturgeon announced the tightening of restrictions on Wednesday after cases from a coronavirus cluster rose sharply.
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Hundreds of thousands of people in Aberdeen have been prohibited from entering each other’s homes or travelling more than five miles, as restrictions were re-imposed.
Bars, cafes and restaurants will remain shut for at least seven days as part of the shutdown.
The first minister instructed the closure of all pubs and restaurants in the city as from 5pm on Wednesday, as she barred people from visiting other households indoors, and urged residents to avoid non-essential journeys greater than five miles.
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Health officials in NHS Grampian have named 32 pubs, restaurants and golf clubs visited by some of the 54 people infected in the outbreak, as the scope of their test-and-trace investigation widened to include several businesses in Aberdeenshire.
The health board confirmed that a further 36 infections had emerged overnight in the Grampian area, although it remained unclear how many were directly linked to the Aberdeen cluster, which began late last week at the Hawthorn Bar in the city centre.
NHS Grampian announced on Wednesday evening the suspension of all visits to hospitals in Aberdeen with immediate effect, including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and the city’s children’s and maternity hospitals, to protect patients and staff.
While hospitals in Aberdeenshire and Moray were unaffected, the NHS board said the ban extended to anyone in Aberdeen who was a designated visitor for patients in hospitals outside the city, even if less than five miles from their home.
Extra police have been sent to the city to help increase patrols, though the first minister expressed hope that compliance would be voluntary.
More than 228,000 people living in the city were told they should not enter each other’s homes or travel more than five miles as restrictions were re-imposed.
Officials later announced that visits to hospital and care homes from a named family member or friend would also be stopped, with only essential visits allowed. The number of cases linked to bars in the city centre rose to 54 by Wednesday and the first minister said community transmission could not be ruled out.
Police Scotland posted a video of extra police officers from its Flexible Response Unit making their way to the city to support local police.
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr said: “We are putting somewhere between 10-15 extra patrols in the city from 17:00 on Thursday and over the next few days and the weekend, to reassure the vast majority of the public who will continue to comply with instructions and guidance because they know how important it is.
“But it is also to deal with a small minority who decide that they don’t want to do something and put others’ health at risk.
“We will clearly and undeniably enforce the law when it comes to those people.
Other organisations were also beginning to react to the re-imposed lockdown.
NHS Grampian suspended visiting at all Aberdeen hospitals with immediate effect, including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Woodend Hospital, Cornhill Hospital, Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Roxburghe House and the maternity hospital.
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