Grampian Online: Scottish Government now publishing more detailed coronavirus data. “SINCE the start of the coronavirus pandemic, many people have been asking the same question: whereabouts in Moray are the new covid-19 cases located? This data has not previously been available – but that has now changed with the Scottish Government beginning to publish coronavirus data by neighbourhood area.”
Scotland
The Scotsman: Scottish courts face 10 year Covid-19 backlog
The Scotsman: Scottish courts face 10 year Covid-19 backlog. “Holyrood’s Justice Committee said ‘unpalatable’ steps are needed to address the lengthy delays in the criminal justice system. Most criminal cases were put on hold during the initial stages of the pandemic.”
Coronavirus Scotland: Glasgow University to give students in halls month’s free rent and vouchers after outbreak (The Scottish Sun)
The Scottish Sun: Coronavirus Scotland: Glasgow University to give students in halls month’s free rent and vouchers after outbreak. “GLASGOW University will give students in halls a month’s free rent and shopping vouchers to help them out after a campus Covid outbreak. University chiefs confirmed they would offer financial support to those impacted by the virus clusters – with free accommodation for the next month and £50 for shopping.”
Barga: How Italy’s most Scottish town coped without its annual ‘invasion’ (BBC)
BBC: Barga: How Italy’s most Scottish town coped without its annual ‘invasion’. “Thousands of Scottish Italians can trace their roots back to Barga and the surrounding area. The connection is said to go back to the turn of the 19th Century, when large numbers of people struggling to find work in Tuscany decided to emigrate. Many Scots return to the area every summer with their friends and family, swelling the size of the Tuscan town. But this year the coronavirus pandemic has forced many to put their annual pilgrimage on hold. So how has ‘the most Scottish town in Italy’ coped without them?”
Daily Record: Online historical resource for Perthshire’s air force heroes launches
Daily Record: Online historical resource for Perthshire’s air force heroes launches. “A Perthshire author with a love of flying history has put together a database of local folk who served in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and The Royal Air Force (RAF) during both world wars. Ken Bruce is author of ‘Where Sky and Summit Meet: Flight over Perthshire – A History: Tales of Pilots, Airfields, Aeronautical Feats, and War’.”
University of Edinburgh: Majestic collection showcased on global stage
University of Edinburgh: Majestic collection showcased on global stage. “Scotland’s oldest surviving book still in a Scottish collection is among the historic artefacts showcased in a new free online experience. The University has joined the British Library, the Louvre and others in collaborating with Google Arts & Culture to make their collections more accessible to a wider audience. The magnificent Celtic Psalter, which has been described as Scotland’s Books of Kells, is one of a series of objects which can be viewed on the Google Arts & Culture website and app.”
The Scotsman: North Lanarkshire Council leader condemns councillor behind Covid-19 conspiracy movement
The Scotsman: North Lanarkshire Council leader condemns councillor behind Covid-19 conspiracy movement. “A local authority leader has condemned the actions of a councillor who organised an anti-mask demonstration in protest at Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, warning that he is endangering people’s lives.”
Phys .org: Lockdown did not reduce ‘most harmful’ type of air pollution in Scotland
Phys .org: Lockdown did not reduce ‘most harmful’ type of air pollution in Scotland. “The significant reduction in vehicle journeys during the COVID-19 lockdown did not reduce the level of toxic fine particles in Scotland’s air, according to experts at the University of Stirling. Analysis of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) in the first month of restrictions found little change—despite a 65 percent reduction in the number of vehicles on the country’s roads.”
Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland. “Face coverings have become mandatory in more indoor settings in England and Scotland following a recent spike in coronavirus cases. Places where coverings must now be worn in both countries include museums, places of worship and aquariums. Other new settings in England include cinemas and funeral homes, and in Scotland, banks and beauty salons.”
Contact tracing: Scotland will launch its own app this autumn (ZDNet)
ZDNet: Contact tracing: Scotland will launch its own app this autumn. “Scotland is working on its own contact-tracing app, which is expected to be available to download in the Apple and Google app stores in the autumn. The announcement follows the release of the StopCOVID NI app last week in Northern Ireland.”
British Baker: Ashers Bakery launches Covid-19 Scottish face mask biscuits
British Baker: Ashers Bakery launches Covid-19 Scottish face mask biscuits. “Nairn-based Ashers Bakery has rolled out masked shortbread biscuits that highlight life during the coronavirus pandemic. The Law Abiding Scots biscuits are shortbread people with pink and blue sugar paste masks and kilts. Available at an rsp of £1.29 from Ashers stores and retailers including Scotmid and Spar, they are a ‘coronavirus twist’ on Ashers’ MacGinger biscuits, with gingerbread people wearing kilts.”
The Scotsman: Influencer accused of £200m plot to defraud Edinburgh firm
The Scotsman: Influencer accused of £200m plot to defraud Edinburgh firm. “Ramon Abbas, who has attracted millions of followers on the social media network by sharing images of his lavish lifestyle, is alleged to have conspired to launder hundreds of millions of pounds from frauds known as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and other scams.”
New York Times: In Tackling Coronavirus, Scotland Asserts Its Separateness From England
New York Times: In Tackling Coronavirus, Scotland Asserts Its Separateness From England. “There was nothing particularly festive about Nicola Sturgeon’s recent visit to the Cold Town House, a newly reopened Edinburgh pub, but maybe that was the point. Sipping coffee and surveying plexiglass dividers, Ms. Sturgeon, the leader of Scotland’s government, warned customers not to expect the jolly, sweaty intimacy of nightlife before the coronavirus pandemic.”
The Herald: Glasgow history project unveils digital maps to city’s past
The Herald: Glasgow history project unveils digital maps to city’s past. “Ghost Signs of Glasgow is a volunteer-based project started by the Glasgow Heritage Trust which provides guided tours around the city to discover its past. While lockdown has halted all in-person tours, the group have released digital maps for people to explore Glasgow’s history through fast-disappearing signs across the city.”
Devi Sridhar and Adriel Chen: Why Scotland’s slow and steady approach to covid-19 is working (The BMJ Opinion)
The BMJ Opinion: Devi Sridhar and Adriel Chen: Why Scotland’s slow and steady approach to covid-19 is working. “In April 2020, the Scottish government issued a framework for decision-making on covid-19 which notably included that there would be no acceptable number of covid-19 cases, and that no one would be intentionally exposed to this virus. This framework set the objective clearly: to drive the number of cases as close to zero as possible, and from that, a strategy and game plan could be worked out to arrive at the outcome.”