AN EDINBURGH dad has survived a UK record of 172 days in ICU to beat coronavirus.

His recovery comes as Scots snubbed pubs last night as a nationwide 10pm curfew kicked in.

Edinburgh and Glasgow were left like ghost towns as fed-up punters opted to stay home.

But nightclubs are set to open as early as 2pm in the afternoon in a bid to win back customers.

Here's the latest from Scotland's battle against the pandemic.

• GHOST TOWNS

  GLASGOW turned into a Friday night ghost town as drinkers boycotted city centre bars on the first night of the nationwide 10pm curfew.

  Pubs in the city centre which would normally be packed on a Friday evening were left struggling to find customers.

  Popular drinking spots such as the Merchant City, Royal Exchange Square and St Vincent Street were eerily quiet.

  One pub manager told the Scottish Sun: “It’s been a good night if we’ve been half empty.”

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6088576/coronavirus-scotland-pub-bars-covid-curfew/

• COVID MIRACLE

  A SCOTS coronavirus patient has survived a UK record 172 days in intensive care.

  Brian Mearns, 63, got a standing ovation from medics as he left the unit.

  The Edinburgh dad said: “It’s thanks to the wonderful staff I’m still alive.”

  His miracle survival comes after his family were called into hospital four times to say their final goodbyes.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/6088639/coronavirus-record-days-icu-survive-edinburgh-dad/

• Infected Glasgow students say Covid outbreak at uni halls was inevitable

  One student said she has now been isolating for nearly a month, having been placed in an initial 14-day quarantine on arrival from California.

  The teenager and three other people in her eight-person flat in Glasgow University's Murano Street Student Village have now tested positive for Covid-19.

  The complex is the university's largest halls of residence and can house 1,175 students.

  The 18-year-old, who is studying international relations and sociology, said she is having to wash her clothes in the sink as the laundry is outside the flat.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6087469/coronavirus-scotland-glasgow-students-covid-outbreaks/

• MEXICO DEATHS PASS 75,000

  Mexico's death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has passed 75,000.

  The country saw 490 deaths in the passed 24 hours, bringing its total to 75,439, the fourth highest globally.

  It now has the seventh-worst outbreak in the world, with 714,457 cases confirmed.

• ENGLAND RECORDS 33 DEATHS

  A further 33 people have been confirmed to have died in hospitals in England after testing positive for coronavirus, NHS England has said.

  The news brings England's overall death toll to 29,871.

  The patients were aged 56 to 93 and all but two had preexisting health issues.

  The two that did not have any known conditions were aged 88 and 84.

• NEW LOCKDOWN IN LEEDS

  Households in Leeds will not be allowed to mix indoors from midnight tonight after the city was placed in a local lockdown.

  The latest seven day COVID-19 rate in Leeds is 98.5 per 100,000 people, with 8.4 per cent of people tested returning a positive result.

  The council said it had seen a “consistent upward trend for a number of weeks”, prompting the new measures.

  These restrictions will mean that from midnight people cannot meet people from outside their support bubble in private homes or gardens.

• Glasgow’s Hard Rock Cafe shut over ‘operational issues’ amid reports of Covid cases

  Photos from the popular Buchanan Street bar showed that it had temporarily shut – with fears there may have been a virus outbreak.

  Sources told The Scottish Sun that someone connected to the premises had tested positive for Covid.

  And one customer was told that the bar was shut due to “operational issues” when they called up to book a table.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6087026/coronavirus-scotland-glasgow-hard-rock-cafe-shut/

• ALMOST 10,000 CASES PER DAY LAST WEEK IN ENGLAND

  Last week saw an average of almost 10,000 new coronavirus cases cases per day in England, the Office for National Statistics has said.

  The news comes as measures intended to stop the spread of coronavirus come into force across the UK.

  The latest figures do not include people living in hospitals, care homes, or other institutional settings.

  A statement on the ONS's official twitter account read: “The most recent estimate suggests the number of infections in England has increased in recent weeks.

  “During the most recent week, we estimate there were around 9,600 new covid19 infections per day in England, not including those living in institutional settings.”

• Suicide prevention expert warns leaving students to self-isolate in halls is 'mental health tragedy waiting to happen'

  Fiona Drouet contacted education bosses on Thursday after it emerged young people had been told they had no option to go back to their parents as they were now part of a separate household.

  Mrs Drouet, whose 18-year-old daughter Emily took her own life at an Aberdeen University halls of residence in 2016, is a member of the Scottish Government’s National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.

  In her email, she told officials: “I do fear the dire consequences of rapidly deteriorating mental health far outweigh the dangers of the virus itself.”

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/6086769/coronavirus-scotland-students-self-isolate-suicide-warning/

• NO PART OF ENGLAND 'LOW-RISK'

  No area of England is currently classified as low risk in the new coronavirus contact tracing app.

  The NHS Covid-19 app, released across England and Wales this week, is intended to alert users if they come into contact with someone who later tests positive for coronavirus.

  The app also tells users whether their neighbourhood is a low, medium, or high risk area.

  A statement on the app's FAQ says that no area is currently classified as low because there is a “general increase in infection rate across the country”.

  “In the current environment it is not considered appropriate for anywhere in England to be deemed ‘low’ risk,” it reads.

• Scotland sees biggest coronavirus spike yet with 558 new patients

  Nicola Sturgeon's latest update announced that a total of 26,518 cases have been registered in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.

  But no deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours keeping the death toll at 2,510.

  Two-hundred-and-fifty-five of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with 61 in Lanarkshire.

  The Lothian health board recorded another 119 cases.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6086330/coronavirus-scotland-spike-cases-glasgow/

• TESCO RATIONS KEY ITEMS

  Tesco has said it will be limiting the number of certain key items that each customer can buy after the government announced new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus.

  The UK's national lockdown in March sparked a flurry of panic buying that left some shops with shortages.

  Tesco said it would bring in a three-item limit on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes, and antibacterial wipes.

  The move comes a day after rival Morrisons announced similar measures.

• AUNT BESSIE'S WORKER DIES

  A worker at an Aunt Bessie's factory in Hull has died two weeks after a coronavirus outbreak was confirmed at the site.

  The woman was among around 350 people employed at the site, and had reportedly worked there for 21 years.

  The company confirmed on September 10 that a “small number” of workers at the factory had tested positive.

  A statement read: “We are all saddened about the death of our colleague, and our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends at this time.

  “As a mark of respect, today we won’t be running the shift our colleague worked on, so that friends and colleagues have time to mourn and remember her.”

• Scots students treated as ‘second class citizens’ through strict Covid bans, says union chief

  Mary Senior, Scots University and College Union official, says it's “astounding” that students are being blamed for a spike in virus cases.

  Students have been banned from going to the pub as more than 1,000 self-isolate across the country.

  And they've been warned they could be booted out of university if they breach the new rules, with new restrictions criticised for breaching students' rights.

  Universities have also now agreed to introduce a “yellow card, red card” system to breaches of student discipline that put students and others at risk.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6085370/coronavirus-scotland-students-scotland-second-class-citizens-bans/

• £2.3BILLION LOST SPENDING IN CENTRAL LONDON

  The coronavirus pandemic has left a £2.3billion shortfall in spending in central London, research suggests.

  Recent months have seen the capital hit as hospitality venues were forced to close and many switched to working from home.

  Data from the Centre for Economics and Business Research said that, between March and July, central London saw £2.3billion in lost spending.

  New guidelines published this week saw the government once again encourage people to being working from home where possible.

• Covid cases rise at St Andrews University with 12 confirmed

  NHS Fife revealed that a dozen people linked to the world-famous institution had tested positive since the outbreak first began.

  Health chiefs confirmed that both staff and pupils had been infected as university cases soar across Scotland.

  While some St Andrews cases are linked, it was revealed that some had emerged due to virus victims having close contact with people outside Fife.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6085654/coronavirus-scotland-st-andrews-university/

• FAMED BOLLYWOOD SINGER DIES

  Renowned Bollywood singer SP Balasubrahmanyam has died aged 74 after contracting coronavirus.

  Balasubrahmanyamdied recorded more than 40,000 songs for films in 16 Indian languages over a career spanning 50 years.

  He was diagnosed with the virus in early August and taken into hospital not long after.

  He died on Friday after days in intensive care in the city of Chennai on India's southeastern coast.

• Staff to pupil Covid transmission confirmed at Fife school as new cases emerge

  NHS Fife revealed a total of seven people linked to Sinclairtown Primary School, Kirkcaldy, have tested positive for the killer bug since the outbreak began.

  Health chiefs confirmed that the school remains shut – and added that some schoolkids may have become infected from older staff members.

  Pupils in a total of four classes have been told to self-isolate for two weeks in a bid to help stem the spread of Covid.

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6085545/coronavirus-scotland-staff-pupil-fife-school/

• Morrisons starts rationing items after ‘unnecessary’ second wave panic buyers force supermarkets to limit stock

  The supermarket has rationed essentials such as toilet roll because shoppers are unnecessarily panic buying.

  There is a limit of three per person on some items according to ITV news.

  A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We are introducing a limit on a small number of key products, such as toilet roll and disinfectant.

  “Our stock levels of these products are good but we want to ensure that they are available for everyone.”  

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/money/6083531/morrisons-rationing-unnecessary-panic-buyers-limit-stock/

• FRANCE CASES SOAR

  FRANCE has recorded its highest EVER number of daily coronavirus cases – with 16,096 people testing positive for the bug yesterday.

  It comes as the government announced new restrictions in major cities to stem the worrying surge in infections.

  The number of people hospitalised for the disease also went above 6,000 for the first time in more than two months, the health ministry confirmed.

• VACCINE FEARS

  SCIENTISTS have warned ministers that the first coronavirus vaccine is unlikely to prevent people catching the disease and may only alleviate sufferers' symptoms.

  Advisers are braced for the first generation of vaccines to be only partially effective – with wide ranging implications for the country's exit strategy from the pandemic.

  The Times reports that experts believe that a vaccine may not enable a complete return to normal life.

• ENTIRE RUGBY TEAM AND PARENTS TOLD TO SELF-ISOLATE AFTER YOUTH PLAYER TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID

  AN entire youth rugby team and their parents are self-isolating after a player tested positive for Covid-19.

  The player in question trained with his Peebles RFC squad in the Scottish Borders on Monday night.

  Club bosses have since confirmed he has contracted the virus and all rugby training and games have been axed.

  George Blair, Peebles RFC Covid-19 safety coordinator, said: “One of Peebles RFC’s youth players has had a positive Covid-19 test returned.”

  Read more: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/6084955/coronavirus-rugby-player-positive-peebles-youth-rfc/

• 120 EDINBURGH STUDENTS TEST POSITIVE

  MORE than 120 students at an Edinburgh university have been infected with coronavirus while 1,000 more self-isolate across Scotland.

  A major outbreak of Covid-19 is under investigation at Napier Uni after positive tests were confirmed today.

  Smaller clusters have also been identified at Edinburgh and Queen Margaret Universities, but the numbers remain unknown at this time.

  Napier chiefs have reminded students not to attend parties and to stay in their rooms by themselves to avoid further transmission.

  Professor Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health and Health Policy, NHS Lothian, said: “This is a really important time for all of our students and we need them to stay safe.

  “They must follow national advice and all of the Covid-19 prevention and infection control guidance that has been put in place to protect them.

  “When someone is asked to self-isolate as a case or a contact they must stay in their room on their own to help us prevent the infection from spreading.

  Read more:https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/6083534/coronavirus-universities-edinburgh-napier-cases-students/

• 'STARK WARNING'

  The UK recording the highest single-day figure of coronavirus cases since the outbreak began has been described as a “stark warning” by a top public health official.

  As of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 6,634 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the four nations, taking the overall number of cases confirmed to 416,363.

  Experts have previously warned that describing the daily figure as a record could be “misleading” as it is not clear how many people were actually infected during the height of the first wave due to a lack of community testing at the time.

  Testing capacity has greatly increased since then.

  But Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said the rise in new cases provides a “clear” signal and insisted people must follow the stricter measures announced this week in order to help control the virus.

• BREAKING: SCOTS STUDENTS BANNED FROM PUBS

  SCOTS students have been banned from going to pubs as more than 1,000 self-isolate due to coronavirus outbreaks at universities.

  Students have been warned that those who repeatedly flout Covid guidelines could be thrown out of university under new rules.

  Higher education chiefs met to discuss a range of measures which would be introduced amid concerns over a number of outbreaks since term started.

  Students have now been asked not to attend bars and restaurants at the weekend and are required to download the Protect Scotland tracing app.

  Universities have also now agreed to introduce a “yellow card, red card” system to breaches of student discipline that put students and others at risk, which could result in an end to studies.

  Nicola Sturgeon has urged students to abide by new measures introduced by universities.

  The First Minister tweeted: “To all students – I'm so sorry COVID is making this special time of your lives so tough.

  “But it won't be forever and the more we get the virus back under control now, the sooner you'll get a bit of normality back. So, please do what's being asked of you.”

  Read more:https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/6083941/coronavirus-universities-students-scotland-pubs/

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