New figures show 25 positive Covid tests in Thurso and north-west Caithness
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There were 25 positive tests for Covid-19 in Thurso and the north-west of the county in the latest seven-day period recorded by Public Health Scotland.
The figures – based on people tested from January 12-18 – show 16 cases in Thurso West, five in Thurso East and four in Caithness North West.
The national agency's interactive dashboard has a map giving the number of positive cases in specific neighbourhoods, seven of which are in Caithness.
If a neighbourhood has fewer than three positive cases the number is presented as "0-2". The county's four other neighbourhoods – Caithness North East, Caithness South, Wick North and Wick South – came into this category based on tests from January 12-18, meaning there could have been zero, one or two positive cases in each.
There were five positive cases in Sutherland North and West and seven in Sutherland South, with a figure of 0-2 for Sutherland East.
Ross-shire neighbourhoods continued to see the highest numbers of positive cases in the region, with 47 in Invergordon and 43 in Alness.
The dashboard reported 262 positive cases in the Highland local authority area during the seven-day period. The region's seven-day positive rate per 100,000 population was 111.1, with both figures showing a downward trend.
Earlier this week Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that Scotland's lockdown is to remain in force as Covid-19 transmission remains too high for restrictions to be relaxed. The current measures will stay in place throughout mainland Scotland and in some island communities until at least the middle of February, the First Minister said.
Schools will also continue to use remote learning until at least the middle of next month except in the case of vulnerable children and those of key workers.
In an update to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Ms Sturgeon said that lockdown appears to be having an impact on case numbers – but transmission of the virus remains too high to relax restrictions.
Nobody who lives in an area under lockdown should leave or remain outside their home except for essential purposes such as caring responsibilities, outdoor exercise and work that cannot be done from home.
These measures will be kept under consideration and parliament will be updated following a review by the cabinet on February 2.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers remain high, even though they might be declining, could quickly send the situation into reverse.
“We believe that the lockdown restrictions – and the sacrifices everyone continues to make – are beginning to have an impact. However, it is important to be cautious.
“I continue to be very grateful to people across the country for their patience and resilience in the face of this extraordinary challenge.
“At the moment, lockdown is the best way of keeping each other safe, as vaccination continues. It is how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
Barra and Vatersay have moved into lockdown following a sharp increase in infection rates there. The rest of the Western Isles remain in level three.
