With a new national lockdown announced to combat rising case numbers, Council leaders have called on Edinburgh residents to do their utmost to help bring COVID19 rates down.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: This is obviously a very concerning situation for the whole country, perhaps the most precarious position we’ve been in since the pandemic first took hold in Scotland in early 2020. Everyone has sacrificed so much already in our collective fight against this virus but as the new strain is now accounting for almost half of all new cases, we need to act decisively. Edinburgh residents and businesses have demonstrated extraordinary resilience throughout this crisis and we face more very difficult weeks ahead. I know we’ve got what it takes to pull together once again and keep ourselves and each other safe. The more we stick together on this, the faster we’ll bring the spread under control to keep our communities safe.

We’re actively reviewing all relevant council services in light of today’s announcement and will provide further updates to residents and businesses as soon as we’re able. Our focus will remain on providing the best support we can to those most in need across the Capital. We’ll be speaking to partners over the next hours and days and will be sharing information when details are finalised on the dedicated COVID pages on our website and through our social media channels.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: New Year is always a hopeful time of year and with the vaccines being rolled out nationwide we can all draw comfort from the prospect of a return to a more normal way of life later in 2021. We’ll get to that point more quickly, though, if we put in the effort now to really minimise our risk of transmitting or picking up the virus. Please stay at home except for essential purposes and help protect the NHS, who are going through such an incredibly difficult period right now – and it looks set to worsen in the coming weeks. We need to follow the public health guidance and get this right. I want to offer my thanks in advance to all the frontline workers in health, retail, essential transport, core Council services and other sectors who help keep us all going through these extremely tough times.