PARTS of Scotland may be kept in Level 2 next week as case numbers continue to rise, Humza Yousaf has said.
The Health Secretary said that as the Government was still trying to determine the impact of the new April-02 variant on serious illness and death, only parts of Scotland will move down to Level 1 on June 7.
And for Glasgow, Yousaf echoed John Swinney who said yesterday that he was “optimistic” the city will move into Level 2 on Friday, but it is unlikely it will be moved down to Level 1 a week later.
Yousaf added that it wasn’t just Glasgow that was giving the government “cause for concern”, as case numbers are rising in other areas too.
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It comes as Glasgow is set to open a Euro 2020 fan zone on June 11 in Glasgow Green, which will host 6000 punters a day.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Yousaf was asked if all of Scotland will be moved into Level 1 in a few weeks.
Yousaf said: “What I would say at this stage, and we’re looking at the data every day, is that it may not be the entire country moving to Level 1.
“I think people would understand where there are still rising numbers, where there is rising test positivity, and again that critical question you asked me at the start of the interview, we’re still trying to determine the absolute answer to whether or not people are getting severely ill and hospitalised with the new variant.
“As we determine and try to find the answer to that question, it may be the case that parts of the country move to Level 1, but actually other parts of the country we decide to keep into level 2.”
And, probed on whether that meant just Glasgow staying in Level 2 - where case numbers are the highest in Scotland currently - while other parts of the country dropped down to Level 1, Yousaf was cautious.
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He said: “Glasgow, but also I must be quite frank there are other parts of the country that clearly from the data give us continued cause for concern.
“So there will be other parts of the country that we’ll also look to, and of course the First Minister will be making a statement later in parliament this week.
“But there are other parts of the country too that may not also move from Level 2 to Level 1, but again it’s early for me to say so, but certainly that is the situation as we’re looking at it just now.”
At the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said that a decision on whether the entire country could move to Level 1 on June 7 would be made on Tuesday June 1.
And, the First Minister said she would announce a decision on whether or not Glasgow can move down to Level 2 by Wednesday, June 2 at the latest.
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