Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has advised Scottish people to desist from traveling “to or from” England except for “essential purposes”.
Addressing her daily coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon claimed that her government’s concerted action on the pandemic was having an “impact” on arresting the momentum of the virus in Scotland.
Sturgeon, who is also the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), issued her latest travel advisory as people south of the border in England brace for a month-long lockdown.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is set to announce the new lockdown – which most speculate will begin on Monday November 02 – shortly.
However, Sturgeon denied there is any connection between her travel advisory and developments south of the border.
The First Minister claimed her government will “take account” of any developments in England but that it would “base decisions” on Scottish measures on “circumstances in Scotland”.
New campaign
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has launched a new campaign to warn the public of the dangers arising from “twisting the rules” related to the containment of the pandemic.
The campaign highlights how even small infractions can adversely impact public health and by extension damage the economy.
In launching the campaign, Sturgeon lauded the Scottish public on the “huge sacrifices” they have made since the onset of the pandemic in March.
The SNP leader said: "I know that people are tired and frustrated, but at this critical point in the [coronavirus] pandemic, I want to remind people that the decisions they make over the coming days and weeks have a real impact on not only themselves but others”.
"Right now, we rely more than ever on public willingness to adhere to the measures in place", Sturgeon added.