Possible restrictions before Christmas cast gloom on some of Monday’s front pages. The i reports “Christmas restrictions hanging in the balance” and says the UK health secretary refuses to rule out tougher measures to halt the transmission of Covid-19. In Scotland, it reports Nicola Sturgeon’s doubts over “extra cash” announced by the Chancellor.
The Scottish Daily Mail claims Hogmanay is “in the balance” after Chancellor Rishi Sunak “handed over £440m war chest” to tackle the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. The paper claims new restrictions could be announced as soon as Tuesday.
The Scotsman also leads on the extra £220m funding. This doubles the Covid funding available to the Scottish government, the Treasury says. The paper also adds that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon previously said a lack of additional resources had stopped her from going further to tackle the spread of Omicron.
The Herald says the Chancellor’s cash has paved the way for more curbs as it reports warnings from public health experts that immediate action may be needed to stop the spread of the more infectious variant. In the story, Prof Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage advisory group, raises the prospect of a circuit-breaker lockdown in the coming days.
“Scots brace for new Covid curbs” says the Scottish Daily Express in answer to the emergency funding announcement. Like many papers, the front page also featured Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis after her victory on Saturday.
In the Daily Telegraph, Nicola Sturgeon is said to be “incredulous” that neither the PM nor the chancellor attended Sunday’s Cobra meeting about the Covid situation facing the country. The paper says she has accused Boris Johnson of acting too slowly to stop the Omicron variant.
The lead in The Times says that “at least ten ministers” are questioning modelling done by Sage scientists on Omicron. The paper says Chancellor Rishi Sunak is one of them, resisting calls for further restrictions. The paper also pictures the new BBC Sports Personality of the Year, US Open winner Emma Raducanu.
It’s all looking “ominous” says the Metro in a play on words. The paper cites experts who say there could be two million people infected by Omicron by January , with 10,000 in hospital.
The prospect of a circuit-breaker lockdown is raised in Monday’s Courier and Nicola Sturgeon’s top Covid adviser hints that tougher restrictions may be needed to tackle the “worrying” spread of Omicron in Scotland. The report says UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid also refused to rule out introducing new restrictions before Christmas amid growing speculation that a circuit breaker lockdown – possibly on a four nations basis – is being considered for the new year.
The National casts doubt on the extra £220m of Covid cash offered by the Treasury. It report that the first minister has called into question whether cash for Scotland has really been “doubled”. She tweeted that before she would accept “spin” on doubling budgets, she would seek to confirm if the cash was new funding.
The Scottish Sun says that Scots who test positive for Covid are being asked to trace their own contacts and inform them due to “huge strain” on the tracing system. It says that many who get a positive result are urged to “let non-household contacts know to isolate and take a PCR test”.
The effects of high infection rates and levels of self-isolation are hitting in Edinburgh, according to the Evening News. The paper says that shows have been cancelled at the Playhouse Theatre, while Edinburgh Castle was also forced to close after staff cases of the virus.
In the Daily Record, furious council chief Marie Garrity is said to have written to Boris Johnson demanding he resign after government staff partied as her brother was dying from Covid. The councillor was not allowed visit her brother Ian as he was fighting for his life in hospital last Christmas and she said she had to call him and say her last goodbyes over the phone hours before his death on 29 December.
The P&J leads with a poll finding that one in three voters believe the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens is damaging to Scotland’s oil and gas industry.
An attack on the Dundee United team bus is the lead story in the Evening Telegraph. The paper says £4,000 of damage was caused by vandals and that police are investigating.
The plight of a Glasgow food bank is the top story in the Glasgow Times. The paper also goes big on Celtic’s Cup Final win at Hampden on Sunday.
It’s war in Aberdeen as traders prepare to fight against a proposed new Starbucks development on the beachfront, according to Evening Express. The plans include a drive-thru for the coffee giant.
And in other shocking news, The Daily Star of Scotland reports that Santa’s Christmas Eve snacks may be in danger as the cost of biscuits is “set to soar”. It is indeed a “jingle bells choc shock”.
