Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, and Perth and North Perthshire MP, Mr Pete Wishart, has reacted to news that Perth and Kinross will now be moved to level 3 in the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 tiering system.

The announcement, made by the First Minister on Tuesday afternoon, will take effect from Friday, 13th November.

Commenting, Mr Swinney said:

“The news that Perth and Kinross has been moved from level 2 to level 3 restrictions will be disappointing for local people and businesses but it is a necessary change given the rise in cases in recent days. 

“There has been a 32% rises in cases in Perth and Kinross in the last week so the Scottish Government has taken the precautionary step of moving the area to level 3 restrictions. This is to ensure swift action is taken to reduce infection and to protect lives.

“I appreciate this change will raise difficult challenges for businesses but I would urge everyone to work together to tackle the situation we face. If we all play our part we can reduce the prevalence of the virus and see a move back to better circumstances sooner rather than later.”

Mr Wishart added:

““I appreciate that this news will be disappointing for people and businesses across Perth and Kinross, but the rise in cases prove that this is unfortunately necessary. 

“The message that we take from this has to be that we must work together to tackle this dreadful virus. The restrictions are in place for good reason, and we must work to reduce our contact with other households and situations which put us at higher risk.”