Revised Version Of Covid-19 Strategic Framework To Be Published Tomorrow First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said details of what lockdown level will apply to different parts of Scotland will be announced ahead of a coronavirus debate in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.
The First Minister announced last week that a new five-level approach would be introduced across the country from November 2 and the level will depend on the spread of Covid-19 in local authority areas.
She explained that areas in the central belt which are currently subject to stricter local restrictions are likely to be classified as level three, while other areas may be equivalent to level two.
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said a “sustained” fall of virus transmission will be needed for an area to move down tiers.
Rising coronavirus cases in Tayside are being closely monitored, the First Minister said, with the potential for restrictions in the area to be increased.
Discussing how different parts of Scotland are coping, the First Minister said there is “a question” over the situation in Dundee but cause for optimism that cases are stabilising in the NHS Lanarkshire health board area.
Asked about Tayside at the briefing, the First Minister said many parts of Scotland will not see changes to restrictions when the new five-tier system comes into force next week.
Local Lockdowns 'Stifling Jobs Recovery' Deserted High Streets and home working are stifling the British job market's recovery, new research suggests.
Urban areas in Scotland and southern England have seen the biggest declines in job postings, according to the Centre for Cities (CfC) think tank.
Vacancies have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels across all 63 towns and cities it analysed across the UK.
CfC boss Andrew Carter said local lockdowns, while necessary, will exacerbate the situation over winter. The slow jobs recovery is linked to a "collapse" in the number of jobs in services being advertised, CfC said.
Aberdeen, where the oil industry has struggled during the pandemic, recorded the steepest fall, with a 75% decline in job vacancies at the beginning of October, compared to the same time last year.
It is followed by Edinburgh at 57%, and both Belfast and Crawley, a West Sussex town near Gatwick Airport, at 55%.
The UK unemployment rate stood at 4.5% in the three months to August - the highest level seen in over three years.
According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 1.5 million people were out of work and job hunting between June and August.
A spokesperson for the Treasury said it had put in place a comprehensive plan to protect and create jobs in every region of the UK, and increased the generosity of its winter support schemes.
Advice For Halloween And Bonfire Night Issued Families and children are being urged to avoid guising this Halloween to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney says the move is necessary to ensure people stay within the current restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings to mitigate risk of transmission.
Advice on the Parent Club website suggests ways for families to have a safe Halloween at home including ideas around party games, fancy dress and storytelling.
For Bonfire Night, the advice includes guidelines around group sizes, distancing and FACTS precautions to reduce the temptation for people to hold gatherings and firework displays in their back gardens.
Emergency COVID-19 Funding For Cultural Venues Three flagship venues will receive funding as part of the ongoing emergency COVID-19 support for cultural and heritage organisations.
Capital Theatres – which operates the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre and The Studio in Edinburgh – will receive £500,000 in addition to £250,000 already awarded through the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund to help weather the effects of the pandemic.
The Burrell Renaissance Project in Glasgow has been awarded £750,000 to help cover increased project costs caused by the COVID-19 crisis and V&A Dundee will receive £1 million of support.
The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to support culture and heritage sectors as they recover from the impacts of COVID-19. So far almost £98 million of emergency funding has been allocated.
Future Of UK Aerospace 'In Doubt' Without EU Deal The future of the UK's £34bn aerospace sector is at risk if ministers do not reach a deal with the EU over the mutual recognition of parts, the aviation trade body ADS says.
It said a deal would not form part of any post Brexit trade deal, despite the sector employing 110,000 people. Currently the UK is the world's second largest aerospace manufacturer.
But ADS said that without agreement, customers would "go elsewhere or UK-based businesses choose to relocate".
The warning comes as global aircraft orders slowed to nearly zero in September due to a slump in demand caused by the pandemic.
Just 13 aircraft were ordered in the three months from July to September, according to data from ADS.
ADS says ministers have not prioritised an agreement over the certification of aerospace components in their trade negotiations with the EU, preferring to focus on issues such as fishing rights.
However, it said that without mutual recognition, manufacturers could face added cost and complexity at a time when they are already reeling from coronavirus.
At the moment, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certifies all aerospace parts made within the EU, and it has mutual recognition agreements with regulators around the world.
But from 1 January, all UK-designed parts for aircraft will automatically become invalid in the EU.
The UK's own Civil Aviation Authority will take over the function of certification, but experts fear it does not yet have the competence to do the job.
Get Behind Scotland Loves Local Scotland Loves Local is a Scotland-wide campaign encouraging all of us to get behind the people and businesses at the heart of our town centres and high streets.
The £1 million ‘Scotland Loves Local’ fund will provide grants of between £500 and £5,000 to hundreds of projects to promote town centre and online businesses. The funding is NOT for businesses, but Chambers, not for profits and BIDs can apply.
The funding aims to support small scale improvements that will help motivate people to shop, eat and relax within their community whilst ensuring public health safety.
Grants can be put towards providing safe shopping information for residents and tourists, the installation of public health infrastructure such as protective screens, physical distancing markers, hand sanitising equipment and PPE.
Virtual Trade Missions To Shandong And Inner Mongolia Scottish Chambers of Commerce is pleased to invite applications from any Scottish business for these virtual outward trade missions to Shandong and Inner Mongolia.
These missions will build on our existing strong business relationships and are open to any business based in Scotland - not only Chamber members.
The events take place on 17th and 24th November and will introduce the main socio-economic profile of the regions and highlight the opportunities for B2B trade.
SCC will introduce the main participants and explain the collaborative support available from the Scottish Government, SDI and SCC and will highlight the main opportunities for B2B trade connections.
Following the conference, a matching process will take place to identify suitable business contacts for you based on your specific business objectives.
This will be followed by a series of one-to-one B2B meetings (and, if helpful, sectoral based webinars) over several days with our counterparts.
The intention is to follow up with trade missions in 2021 when travel restrictions are lifted.
Support For Those Affected By Redundancy Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) is the Scottish Government’s initiative dedicated to responding to redundancy situations.
It’s a partnership of organisations, which includes the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, dedicated to providing free and impartial advice, guidance and support during redundancy.
PACE can help businesses by supporting employees through the redundancy process. PACE is available to all individuals affected by redundancy, no matter the size of the business.
PACE Advisers have extensive experience of dealing with redundancy situations and can:
Skills Development Scotland leads on the delivery of PACE on behalf of the Scottish Government and a number of partners.
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The SCC Business Support Hub The Business Support Hub on the SCC website has been created to enable businesses to find useful information quickly.
The Hub is updated daily and includes information on business support, access to finance, contact numbers, public information and travel advice.
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