{"id":1972,"date":"2020-09-23T07:53:33","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T07:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/?p=1972"},"modified":"2020-09-23T13:58:27","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T13:58:27","slug":"first-minister-national-address-on-coronavirus-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/first-minister-national-address-on-coronavirus-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"First Minister national address on Coronavirus measures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>First Minister media address to Scotland on 22 September 2020 on new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland.<\/p>\n<p>This speech is from the Gov.scot website and was broadcast live on tv and online in Scotland.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;If we stick with it &#8211; and, above all, if we stick together &#8211; we will get through it.&quot; <\/p>\n<p>Today FM <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NicolaSturgeon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NicolaSturgeon<\/a> announced new restrictions to help stop the spread of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#coronavirus<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WeAreScotland?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WeAreScotland<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LfMU0TieIu\">pic.twitter.com\/LfMU0TieIu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ScottishPoliticsNews &#x1f3f4;&#xe0067;&#xe0062;&#xe0073;&#xe0063;&#xe0074;&#xe007f; (@ScoPoliticsNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScoPoliticsNews\/status\/1308531651207667719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 22, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The last six months have been unprecedented.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve been the hardest many of us have ever lived through<\/p>\n<p>But through our collective efforts across Scotland, we did beat Covid back.<\/p>\n<p>As a result \u2013 although too much heartbreak has been endured and too many families are grieving \u2013 many lives were also saved.<\/p>\n<p>But as we enter winter, and with many lockdown restrictions now thankfully lifted, the challenge is once again getting harder.<\/p>\n<p>Albeit from the very low level we achieved in the summer, cases are rising again.<\/p>\n<p>In the last three weeks, they have almost trebled.<\/p>\n<p>And as the virus spreads, we see more people being admitted to hospital again and sadly dying.<\/p>\n<p>So we are once again at a tipping point<\/p>\n<p>We must act to get Covid back under control.<\/p>\n<p>And protect the things that matter most to us.<\/p>\n<p>In a global pandemic of a virus with as yet no vaccine, we simply can\u2019t have 100% normality. No country can.<\/p>\n<p>So we must choose our priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Our priorities are saving lives and protecting health.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping schools open.<\/p>\n<p>Restarting NHS services.<\/p>\n<p>Ensuring care homes are safe.<\/p>\n<p>And protecting jobs and livelihoods.<\/p>\n<p>It is to safeguard these priorities that I must ask all of you again to make sacrifices.<\/p>\n<p>Sacrifices for our national well-being.<\/p>\n<p>They are not easy but please believe me when I say they are essential.<\/p>\n<p>We have decided that from Friday there will be a national curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants. They will have to close by 10pm \u2013 to reduce the time people spend there.<\/p>\n<p>And from tomorrow, we are all being asked not to visit each other\u2019s homes &#8211; because we know that is often how the virus spreads most easily from one household to another.<\/p>\n<p>There are exceptions \u2013 for care of the vulnerable, extended households, childcare and tradespeople.<\/p>\n<p>But generally, by staying out of other people\u2019s houses for now, we give ourselves the best chance of bringing Covid back under control.<\/p>\n<p>We can still meet outdoors with one other household in groups of up to 6 people<\/p>\n<p>And because we know this is especially difficult for children and young people we\u2019ve tried to build in more flexibility for you.<\/p>\n<p>If you are younger than 12, there are no limits on playing with your friends outdoors.<\/p>\n<p>And if you are between 12 and 17 you can meet your friends outdoors in groups of 6 &#8211; but you don\u2019t all have to be from just two households.<\/p>\n<p>Now, for everyone \u2013 adults and children \u2013 I know that today must feel like a step backwards.<\/p>\n<p>But please know that thanks to all your efforts over the last six months, we are in a much stronger position than in the spring.<\/p>\n<p>Cases are rising but less rapidly than back then.<\/p>\n<p>Our Test &#038; Protect system is working well \u2013 tracing contacts and breaking chains of transmission.<\/p>\n<p>We have much more information on how and where the virus spreads.<\/p>\n<p>And we know what we need to do to protect ourselves and others.<\/p>\n<p>And all of us have a part to play.<\/p>\n<p>So I am asking everyone \u2013 please, follow the new rules. They will make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>If you can and haven\u2019t already, please also go to protect.scot and download the Protect Scotland app \u2013 so more people who might be at risk of the virus can be traced quickly and asked to self-isolate.<\/p>\n<p>And remember FACTS \u2013 face coverings, avoid crowded areas; clean your hands and surfaces; keep two metre distancing; and self-isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, I know that all of this has been incredibly tough \u2013 and six months on it only gets tougher.<\/p>\n<p>But never forget that humanity has come through even bigger challenges than this one.<\/p>\n<p>And though it doesn\u2019t feel like it now, this virus will pass.<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t last forever and one day, hopefully soon, we will be looking back on it, not living through it.<\/p>\n<p>So though we are all struggling with this \u2013 and believe me, we are all struggling \u2013 let\u2019s pull together.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s keep going, try to keep smiling, keep hoping and keep looking out for each other.<\/p>\n<p>Be strong, be kind and let\u2019s continue to act out of love and solidarity.<\/p>\n<p>I will never find the words to thank all of you enough for the enormous sacrifices you have made so far.<\/p>\n<p>And I am sorry to be asking for more.<\/p>\n<p>But a belief I hold on to \u2013 and one I am asking you to keep faith with in those moments when it all feels too hard \u2013 is this.<\/p>\n<p>If we stick with it \u2013 and, above all, if we stick together \u2013 we will get through it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>ARTICLE SOURCE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/news\/first-minister-nicola-sturgeons-address-on-coronavirus-measures\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/news\/first-minister-nicola-sturgeons-address-on-coronavirus-measures\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>IMAGE SOURCE VIA SCOT GOV: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/spaces.hightail.com\/space\/iKyNWHItBS\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/spaces.hightail.com\/space\/iKyNWHItBS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/scottishpoliticsnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/EilZnjkXsAUSZmi.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/scottishpoliticsnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/EilZnjkXsAUSZmi-1024x754.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"471\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1442\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED STORY: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/Nicola Sturgeon statement on additional COVID restrictions\">Nicola Sturgeon statement on additional COVID restrictions 22\/0920 Scot Parliament<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>USEFUL LINKS:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV WEBSITE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV FACEBOOK:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheScottishGovernment\/timeline\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheScottishGovernment\/timeline\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV TWITTER:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/scotgov\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/scotgov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV YOU TUBE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/scottishgovernment\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/scottishgovernment<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV INSTAGRAM:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/scotgov\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/scotgov\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SCOT GOV FLICKR:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/26320652@N02\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/26320652@N02<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>FIRST MINISTER TWITTER:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScotGovFM\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScotGovFM<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>SNP:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snp.org\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.snp.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>BBC SCOTLAND POLITICS<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/scotland\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/scotland<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>STV SCOTTISH POLITICS:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.stv.tv\/section\/politics\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/news.stv.tv\/section\/politics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First Minister media address to Scotland on 22 September 2020 on new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland. This speech is from the Gov.scot website and was broadcast live on tv and online in Scotland. &quot;If we stick with it &#8211; and, above all, if we stick together &#8211; we will get through it.&quot; Today FM @NicolaSturgeon announced new restrictions to help stop the spread of #coronavirus.#WeAreScotland pic.twitter.com\/LfMU0TieIu &mdash; ScottishPoliticsNews &#x1f3f4;&#xe0067;&#xe0062;&#xe0073;&#xe0063;&#xe0074;&#xe007f; (@ScoPoliticsNews) September 22, 2020 &#8220;The last six months have been unprecedented. They\u2019ve been the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,50],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1972"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1974,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972\/revisions\/1974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imadscotlandgroup.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}