The number of coronavirus cases linked to an outbreak in Aberdeen has increased to 79 - with more expected in the coming days.

Lockdown restrictions were imposed in the city on Wednesday after the number of cases in the cluster rose to 54.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said an additional 25 cases had been confirmed since then.

A further 30 cases are being investigated to see if they are linked, while 233 contacts have been traced.

More than 228,000 people living in the city have been told they should not enter each other's homes or travel more than five miles for leisure - and should not go on holiday.

The cluster has been linked to pubs and restaurants in the city - which have all been told to close for at least seven days as part of the local lockdown measures.

Ms Sturgeon said the latest figures "underline why it was so important that we took strong and decisive action yesterday to try to keep this outbreak under control."

She added: "I, unfortunately, would expect to be standing here tomorrow reporting growth beyond the numbers today."

Pub crawls

Ms Sturgeon said there seemed to be an issue with people spreading the virus by going from one pub to another, and hinted that tighter rules could be imposed on licensed premises.

She added: "We have not reached a view on that yet but it is something we can't simply ignore."

Ms Sturgeon said anyone who had visited any of the premises linked to the outbreak should be "extra vigilant for symptoms" - even if they had not been contacted by specialist tracers.

They are:

• Bieldside Inn, Bobbin, Brewdog (Castlegate), Buckie Farm Carvery, Café Andaluz, Café Dag, Café Drummond, The Cock & Bull, College Bar, The Dutch Mill, Dyce Carvery, East End Social Club, Ferryhill House Hotel, Hawthorn/Adam Lounge, The Howff, The Justice Mill, The Marine Hotel, McGinty's, McNasty's, Malmaison, Moonfish Café, No.10 Bar, O'Donoghues, Old Bank Bar, Prohibition, Soul, Spider's Web, The Draft Project.
• The list also includes Aboyne, Deeside and Hazelhead golf clubs, and the Banks O'Dee Football Club.
• The first minister said that some people who had visited these premises would not have been contacted by test and protect staff because they may not have been there at the same time as the person who tested positive.

Or they might not be classified as a close contact - for example, they might not have been within two metres for the requisite period.

Ms Sturgeon said: "On the numbers I have right now, they are tracing successfully a very high proportion of the contacts and that should give us a degree of assurance about how the system is working."

She said it was "absolutely essential" for anyone involved to follow the advice they were given by contact tracers.

And she stressed the importance of people across the country coming forward for testing and self-isolating immediately if they experience symptoms of the virus.

Details of the Aberdeen cluster, which was initially linked to people who had visited the Hawthorn Bar on 26 July, first emerged on Sunday.

Many, but not all, of those who have tested positive are from younger age groups.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the person who had started the outbreak - the so-called trigger case - had not yet been identified.

She told the Good Morning Scotland programme: "In an outbreak like this, it is very difficult to identify the trigger case.

"It is unlikely that one person has been to all 28 venues that have been named.

"What is more likely is that more than one person has been to more than one venue, and that is part of the complexity of this."

The restrictions that have been imposed on the city include:

• not to travel more than five miles for leisure or holidays
• not to travel to the city for leisure or to visit friends and family, even if you live in Aberdeenshire
• if you are currently visiting the city, you can stay - but take necessary precautions when returning home
• no indoor visits with other households
• bars, cafes, restaurants and pubs must close, although takeaways can remain open.
• Extra police have been sent to the city to help increase patrols but the first minister has said she hoped compliance would be voluntary.

The restrictions will be reviewed next Wednesday and may be extended further if required.

Share This Post