Coronavirus: Star News warns of Blackpool travel after at least 180 Scottish cases linked to the city

Scotland’s first minister has warned against traveling to England’s Blackpool and other coronavirus hotspots, with dozens of people already tested positive saying they have recently visited the city.

A separate incident team was formed to deal with people traveling to the Lancashire resort, said Nicola Starjan.

At least 160 people from Scotland who tested positive last month reported a trip to Blackpool.

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Mrs Sturgeon said: “I need to advise you that Blackpool travel is now involved in a large and growing number of COVID cases in Scotland.”

“Blackpool is mentioned more in Tests and safety conversations than anywhere outside Scotland,” the first minister added.

Ms Sturgeon said 94 people contacted last week after contracting the coronavirus said they had recently gone to Blackpool, while 252 had said they would go elsewhere in the UK.

He warned Celtic and Rangers football fans not to go to town to watch the Old Farm match in pubs on Saturday.

The First Minister added: “We are currently advising against unnecessary travel to parts of England which have been identified as areas of very high or high alert under the new three-tier system of England.

“And I’m telling people in these regions not to travel to Scotland either.”

The rest of Blackpool and Lancashire are currently subject to Tier 2 restrictions.

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In Lancashire, the infection rate was 310.7 per 100,000, with 4,689 cases recorded in the week to 10 October.

County Council Chief Jeff Driver said further bans were “inevitable” and warned that unless additional measures were taken, hospital admissions would quickly reach the first stage of spring.

Ms Sturgeon also said she supported the Welsh Prime Minister’s call for a ban on travel to other UK countries from high-risk areas.

He said he would write to Boris Johnson “for urgent discussion” on the matter.

Scotland’s latest daily figures on Wednesday recorded 15 more deaths with COVID-19 and 1,429 more cases.

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