Fife Council pledge over essential services as lockdown impacts on region

Local authority boss Steve Grimmond says prevalence rates of Covid-19 have doubled in the last week compared to the previous month - and says all council staff who can work from home are continuing to do so.

Mr Grimmond told the council's policy and co-ordination committee:: "There's no doubt that the emergence of the new Covid variant, and what has been witnessed in the south of England, led to the conclusion in Scotland over the festive period that unless more significant restrictions to limit human interaction were put in place we were likely to see rising levels here, and growing pressure on our health services.

"Sadly we are now seeing, over the last week, a significant rise in the level of infections in Scotland in Fife.

“The current level in Fife is at 212 weekly infections per 100,000 and a positivity rate at 10.4%. These levels are almost double what they were in December.

"Lockdown provides a legal requirement to stay at home. We've reinforced our message that staff who can work at home should do so.

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"Where jobs can't be done from home staff will keep coming into work."

Mr Grimmond told councillors at the virtual meeting that safeguards were in place to both respond to the continuing challenges of the pandemic and the effects of Brexit, the latter of which has not led to any "significant changes" to date.

All 170 schools and early learning childcare facilities are open only to vulnerable children and the kids of key workers, with online learning starting from next Monday until February 1.

Community centres are not carrying out regular functions but remain open for essential purposes such as emergency food provision and, eventually, to act as vaccination centres.

From Monday, parking charges and waiting restrictions at all on and off-street car parking facilities are being lifted to support key workers and promote the use of local business where possible.

In addition, Mr Grimmond reported that the vaccination programme had begun in earnest, targeting care home residents and staff as a priority.

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