These are news items relating to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Please note that items are continually being added and updated from time to time. Check again in a few days' time if you have a particular interest. As the amount of information here grows, you may find it easier to use the search facility instead. This is available for the whole site through the magnifying glass icon in the top, right-hand corner or by clicking HERE.
These are some useful points of contact during the pandemic crisis.
Local councillors for Ward 1, Trossachs & Teith
During the pandemic restrictions, normal "surgeries" for all local councillors have been cancelled, but you can still contact them individually. Here are some useful contact details for each of our local ward councillors. They are also publishing helpful information and updates via both Facebook and Twitter.
Cllr Evelyn Tweed, Scottish Nationalists |
Cllr Jeremy McDonald, Scottish Conservatives |
Cllr Martin Earl, Scottish Conservatives |
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| Email; | |||
| Telephone: | 01786 233101 | 01786 233117 | 01786 233114 |
 |
Evelyn Tweed | Jeremy McDonald | Martin Earl |
 |
Evelyn Tweed |
Local Members of Parliament
As our communities begin to emerge gradually from the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, they will face numerous problems and difficulties. The local members of parliament stand ready to assist all local constituents and may be contacted as follows.
Alyn Smith MP, Scottish National Party |
Bruce Crawford MSP, Scottish National Party |
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| Email: | |
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| Telephone: | 01786 471899 | 01786 471899 |
| Office: | Office 16, Stirling Enterprise Park, Stirling, FK7 7RP. | Office 16, Stirling Enterprise Park, Stirling, FK7 7RP. |
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Alyn Smith | |
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Alyn Smith | Bruce Crawford |
Government sites
Scottish government |
UK legislation |
Scottish legislation |
| Scottish government website | UK Government website | Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill |
| Possible Exit Strategy | ||
| Route Map to easing of restrictions | ||
| Exit - Phase 1 | ||
| Exit - Phase 2 |
Travel information
Buses |
Trains |
| First Group, Central Scotland website | Scotrail website |
Support for individuals
Alternative arrangements for child care and education |
Information on helping friends, neighbours and family |
| Stirling Council website | Ready Scotland website |
Citizens' Advice, Scotland |
Advice on dealing with debt |
| Citizens' Advice website | Scottish Debt Advice website |
More advice on dealing with debt |
StepChange debt charity |
| National Debt Line website | StepChange website |
Support for work and business
Advice on available support measures for business |
Short-term employment opportunities and job vacancies |
Practical help and guidance for businesses |
| Stirling Council website | Invest in Stirling website | Business Gateway, Stirling |
Opportunities for voluntary work
Support for tourism
Advice on available support measures for tourism including self-catering properties |
Visits to Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park |
| Scottish Government website | National Park website |
COVID-19: Urgent help or support needed
Latest update, published on 15th April by Stirling Council.
A new national helpline has been launched to provide essential assistance to those who don’t have a network of support, but who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
The number is: 0800 111 4000
It will initially operate during core working hours of 9am-5pm while plans are developed and implemented to extend it to operate for a longer period each day. It will offer help to those who fall in to any of the following categories:
- do not have family or existing community support;
- cannot get online;
- are over seventy years old;
- are disabled;
- require the support of mental health services;
- are pregnant
- or receive a flu jab for health reasons.
Information published on 2nd April by Stirling Council on behalf of Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise.
If you are vulnerable, or you know of somebody who is vulnerable, self-isolating and has no immediate support available, please contact Stirling Council:
Call: 01786 404040
Email
Please let them know who needs support, how to contact them by telephone and if they have any condition that helpers should know about.
They will be contacted and one of our Local Coordination Teams will look at the most appropriate way of getting support to them, through the local Community Response Groups, Third Sector organisations, a local volunteer or more formal support if they require it.
THANK YOU!
COVID-19: Strategic Framework - Latest Information
This information was published on 21st December 2021 by Stirling Council.
The Scottish government has set out a range of new measures, aimed at reducing the spread of the omicron variant of Covid-19 in Scotland. See the link to the Scottish government website below.
Scottish government website - NEW MEASURES
We are all being asked to reduce social interaction in our homes and indoor public spaces to a maximum of three households at any time. Before meeting together, people are also being asked to take a lateral flow test. We are asked to stay at home as much as possible, both before and immediately after Christmas.
See the previous item below (dated 12th December) for advice on getting lateral flow testing kits.
This information was published on 12th December 2021 by Stirling Council.
Following the identification of a new variant of Covid-19, known as the omicron variant, the Scottish government has revised its advice to include the following, with immediate effect.
- Work from home wherever possible.
- Take frequent "Lateral Flow" device tests. More specifically, take one each and every time before you mix with others outside your household. The tests are freely available at local pharmacies or you can order them online here: Lateral Flow Tests
- Wear a face covering in all indoor settings for food and retail, on public transport and in all communal spaces.
- If you are eligible, get a Covid booster injection. You can book online: Vaccine Booking
- Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.
For more detailed information, consult the online advice provided on the
This information was published on 9th August 2021 by Stirling Council.
With effect from Monday 9th August, Scotland has moved out of the system of pandemic restrictions (levels 0-4). It is still a legal requirement to wear face masks in most indoor, public spaces and on public transport. (Children under twelve years of age are exempt from this.) There is no longer any requirement for physical distancing and no limits on the numbers that can meet together. Regular hand-washing, keeping surfaces clean and ensuring good ventilation indoors are all sensible measures to continue. For full details of the continuing restrictions and guidance, click on the button below for the Scottish government website.
This information was published on 14th July 2021 by Stirling Council.
With effect from Monday 19th July 2021 all areas in Scotland will move to LEVEL 0 of the Covid-19 protection levels. The legal requirement to use face coverings in certain situations will continue unchanged until further notice. A further relaxation of restrictions is expected on Monday 9th August, but this will be dependant on the judgment of the Scottish government in the light of statistical and medical data available at that time. For full details, click on the button below for the Scottish government website.
This information was published on 17th May 2021 by the BLS Community Council.
As of today, Monday 17th May 2021, this area comes under LEVEL 2 of the Covid-19 protection levels. Most of Scotland is now at this level but Moray and Glasgow City remain at LEVEL 3, whilst some of the islands are now at LEVEL 1. The change in level means that up to SIX people (from three households) may now meet indoors and stay together overnight. (This number includes ALL children, regardless of age.) For full details of what is now possible in LEVEL 2, click on the button below for the Scottish government website.
This information was published on 26th April 2021 by the Scottish Government.
From Monday 26th April, all of Scotland comes under LEVEL 3 of the Covid-19 protection levels. People may now meet in groups of SIX and travel anywhere in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. For full details of the changes, click on the button below for the Scottish government website.
This information was published on 13th April 2021 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
From 16th April, people can travel anywhere within Scotland for the purposes of outdoor socialising, recreation or informal exercise. (This date has been brought forward from the previously published date of 26th April.) From the same date, restrictions on people meeting outdoors will change to allow a maximum of six adults, from up to six households. (Children under twelve years of age do not count towards this limit.)
Socialising in homes is still not permitted. People must continue to "STAY LOCAL" for other purposes such as non-essential shopping. Public transport capacity will continue to be limited. It is expected that, on 26th April, restrictions on travelling to and from England and Wales will be removed. The indicative dates are still available to view on the link below.
Timetable from March to June, 2021
This information was published on 16th March 2021 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish government today published its latest "road map" for the planned easing of restrictions. The indicative dates begin on 12th March and run through until the end of June 2021. An illustrative graphic can be seen by clicking on the button below.
Timetable from March to June, 2021
This information was published on 9th March 2021 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
The current rules on meeting up with other people will be slightly relaxed as from Friday 12th March 2021. For full details please see the Scottish government website by clicking on the button below.
This information was published on 23rd February 2021 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish government today published its "road map" for a planned easing of restrictions. The proposed timetable commenced on Monday 22nd February with the return of some children to school and further contact allowed between residents in Care Homes and their relatives. For a detailed graphic of the proposals, please click on the button below.
Planned Easing of Restrictions
This information was published on 4th January 2021 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
All mainland Scotland and the Isle of Skye has moved, today, into a "Lockdown" with a legal requirement to stay at home. There are several exemptions that and the link below provides full information on the restrictions and the permitted exemptions. Once on the government website, scroll down to find a drop-down menu for a range of situations.
This information was published on 17th November 2020 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
With effect from 6 p.m. on Friday 20th November, residents in the Stirling Council area will be classed as being in TIER 4 of the local protection levels. For full details of what this entails, follow the link below.
This information was published on 29th October 2020 by the Scottish Government and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has developed a "Strategic Framework" for managing the Covid-19 pandemic. It comprises five "tiers" or "protective levels" that apply in designated local council areas throughout Scotland. The links below take you to two documents. The first deals with a range of activities such as socialising, travel and transport, shopping, personal services, public buildings, stadia, events and places of worship. The second looks specifically at hospitality and places offering accommodation. (Both documents are stored in our "Filing Cabinet".)
| Five Tiers - various activities | Five Tiers - hospitality |
COVID-19: Latest Information
This information was published on 7th October 2020 and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has announced further measures to drive down infections. These will come into effect from 6 p.m. on Friday 9th October 2020. Some of the measures apply throughout Scotland, whilst others apply only to the Central Belt area, focusing on five health board areas (Ayrshire & Arran; Forth Valley; Greater Glasgow & Clyde; Lanarkshire and Lothian). The button below takes you to the relevant page on the government website.
This information was published on 22nd September 2020 and circulated on 26th September by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has announced new measures to drive down infections. They came into force on Wednesday 23rd September and Friday 25th September. The button below takes you to the relevant page on its website.
This information was published on 10th September 2020 and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has announced new restrictions that will pass into law on Monday 14th September. The button below takes you to the relevant page on its website.
COVID-19: Protect Scotland App
This information was published on 10th September 2020 and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Protect Scotland App from NHS Scotland’s "Test and Protect" service is a free, smartphone app designed to help us protect each other, reduce the spread of coronavirus and avoid further lockdowns. For further details, click on the button below to go to the relevant NHS website.
COVID-19: Indicative Dates.
This information was updated on 20th August 2020 and circulated by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has published an update on the current situation in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. The button below takes you to the relevant page on its website.
This information was published on 26th June 2020 and updated on 10th July by Stirling Council.
The Scottish Government has made several announcements in the last few days, indicating when different businesses can open and when personal restrictions will be further relaxed. The indicative dates announced this week are:
| Friday 3rd July | Travel distance restriction relaxed. |
| Self-catering accommodation and second homes (without shared facilities) permitted. | |
| Monday 6th July | Outdoor hospitality allowed (subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice). |
| Friday 10th July | People can meet in extended groups outdoors (with physical distancing). |
| Households can meet indoors with up to a maximum of two other households (with physical distancing). | |
| Monday 13th July | Organised outdoor contact sports can resume for children and young people (subject to guidance). |
| Non-essential shops inside shopping centres can re-open (following guidance and with physical distancing). | |
| All dental practices may begin to see registered patients for non-aerosol routine care. Urgent care centres will continue to provide aerosol generating procedures. | |
| Organised outdoor contact sports, play and physical activity can resume for children and young people under eighteen (subject to guidance). | |
| Wednesday 15th July | All holiday accommodation permitted (following relevant guidance). |
| Indoor hospitality can re-open (subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice). | |
| Hairdressers and barbers - with enhanced hygiene measures. | |
| Museums, galleries, cinemas, monuments, libraries - with physical distancing and other measures (e.g. ticketing in advance). | |
| Places of worship can re-open for congregational services, communal prayer and contemplation with physical distancing and limited numbers. | |
| All childcare providers can open, subject to individual provider arrangements. | |
| Easing of restrictions for funerals, marriage and civil partnership ceremonies with physical distancing (limited numbers). Associated receptions are subject to restrictions on hospitality and household meetings. | |
| Wednesday 22nd July | Universities and colleges: phased return to on-campus learning as part of a blended model with remote teaching. Health measures (including physical distancing) must be in place. |
| Other personal retail services such as beauticians and tailors can re-open – with enhanced hygiene measures. | |
| Motorcycle instruction with theory and hazard tests can resume. Tractor driver instruction can resume. |
COVID-19: Availability of Rapid Test Kits
This information was updated on 18th May 2021 by Stirling Council.
Free asymptomatic testing is now available to everyone in Scotland. Rapid Test kits (using a "Lateral Flow" device) can be ordered from the Scottish government for home delivery. Each pack contains seven test kits and you can re-order additional kits as often as you like. Click on the website link below for further details. (Scroll down to where it says: "Get a rapid LFD test".) Test kits can also be collected on any afternoon from the "Engine Shed" testing location in Stirling.
COVID-19: Asymptomatic Testing in Callander
This information was updated on 28th June after a previous update on 5th May 2021 by Stirling Council.
A walk-in testing facility for coronavirus is being provided by Stirling Council at the McLaren Leisure Centre in Mollands Road, Callander (FK18 8JP) for a few days every four weeks. The next session will run from Thursday 1st July until Sunday 4th July. People who have no obvious symptoms of the virus but wish to be tested may call in between 12 noon and 6 p.m. on Thursday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Sunday. This is part of a scheduled programme to provide testing facilities in rural areas for people who wish to be tested. For further details, please click on the button below for the Stirling Council website.
COVID-19: Coronavirus Home Testing Kits
This information was published on 24th December 2020 by Stirling Council on behalf of the NHS Inform in Scotland.
Home testing for people with symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been expanded to rural areas of Stirling Council where it was previously unavailable. Fur further details, click on the button below for the Stirling Council website.
COVID-19: Coronavirus Latest Information
This link was published on 6th October 2020 by Stirling Council on behalf of Public Health Scotland.
The website maintains a continually updated list of the number of positive cases of COVID-19 that have been identified in any given area throughout Scotland. To see the figures for our local area, you need to do the following:
- Click on the button below to go to the Public Health Scotland website (called "Tableau Public").
- Select "Cases by neighbourhood" from the tabs across the top of the page.
- Just below the red line for "cases in your neighbourhood", select "Stirling" from the drop-down box entitled: "Select Local Authority:"
- Under the column headed: "Neighbourhoods in Stirling", select the box for "Highland" towards the bottom of the list. (Our area is included in this "neighbourhood".)
- This will put up a small window in which the latest figures in this area for the dates shown will be detailed.
Public Health Scotland website
COVID-19: Coronavirus Testing
This information was published on 26th September 2020 by Stirling Council on behalf of the NHS Inform in Scotland.
This contains updated information on who should be tested, when and where. Click on the button below for the NHS Inform website in Scotland.
This information was published on 27th May 2020 by Stirling Council on behalf of the UK Government.
This has updated information on who is currently eligible for a test and how to get tested. Anyone in the UK who has symptoms of coronavirus can ask for a test through the NHS website. Essential workers can apply for testing through the government website. For full details, follow the link below.
This information was published on 21st May 2020 by Stirling Council on behalf of the UK Government.
To assist with the testing for key workers, the Scottish Government has established mobile, coronavirus testing units in the Stirling Council area. The units will be provided by the military and will be operational between 10am and 6pm on the following days:
- Stirling (at Forthbank Stadium): 21 to 27 May and 4 to 10 June.
- Callander (at the High School): 28 to 31 May and 11 to 14 June.
- Balfron (at the High School): 1 to 3 June.
For more information, please visit the website: