Household visits to be allowed but isles remain in level one

Shetland will remain in level one of tiered coronavirus restrictions, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday afternoon.

But Ms Sturgeon said residents in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland would be able to meet people from one other household inside their homes from Friday 13th November.

That would be up to a maximum of six people, she stressed, and warned: “There must be no complacency in these places.”

The Scottish government has reviewed its levels following a week of the new measures, and will do so again at the beginning of each week.

No local authorities moved down a level, with Ms Sturgeon saying the country was “not yet seeing a sustained fall in cases”.

She said that while there were still “tough times ahead”, she added there was “grounds for optimism” amid a small fall in hospital admissions and cases.

Thirty-nine deaths were recorded in the past day, meaning more than 300 people have died in Scotland over the past three weeks.

That, Ms Sturgeon said, was a “sharp reminder of the heart-break this virus causes.”

She also said that yesterday’s news of a breakthrough with a coronavirus vaccine was “extremely encouraging”.

There were no coronavirus cases recorded in Shetland today (Tuesday 10th November).