Public Health Scotland urges deferral of Christmas parties
Public Health Scotland has issued a nationwide appeal, this Thursday evening, urging folk across the country to defer their Christmas parties this festive season.
This plea comes amid COVID-19 outbreaks across Scotland and increasing concern about a new variant of the virus.
According to Public Health Scotland, a number of these outbreaks have been linked to Christmas parties, particularly those caused by Omicron. As such, it is urging people to defer such parties at this time.
In a statement issued this evening, Dr Nick Phin, Public Health Scotland’s director of public health science and medical director, said: “There is much that we still need to learn about Omicron, but early evidence suggests that this new COVID variant is much more transmissible.
“The impact of this transmissibility has been seen in recent weeks, with a number of Omicron outbreaks linked to parties.
“We still need to learn more about the severity of disease caused by Omicron and the effectiveness of vaccines, but there are important things that we can do to help protect ourselves and our families now. To help minimise the further spread of COVID-19, and Omicron in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time.
“I appreciate that everyone is keen to celebrate this festive season, particularly after the pressures of the last twenty months, but by postponing some plans we can all do our bit to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
Public Health Scotland has also issued a reminder of the other measures we can all take to continue to keep safe over the festive period:
- Get your vaccine and your booster when your turn comes
- Test at least twice weekly using LFDs and take a test each time you are socialising with people out with your household
- Reduce the number of people you catch up with, try to meet outdoors or if indoors ensure ventilation is good
- Keep up the other public health measures: wash your hands, clean surfaces, maintain distances and of course wear a face covering in public spaces