Menu
 
Home | News | Have yourself a Merry LITTLE Christmas now
 
News | 24th December 2020
 

Have yourself a Merry LITTLE Christmas now

It’s a Level Four lockdown from Saturday

 
 
 

THE move to impose Level 4 restrictions on Scotland for three weeks from this Saturday has shocked and disappointed both residents and retailers in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Both areas have only just dropped from Level 2 to Level 1 allowing people more freedom as the number of cases dropped.

The five-day relaxation over Christmas has been removed and people can meet only on Christmas day and can’t travel to any other country in the UK. Travel within Scotland is allowed tomorrow only.

The clampdown has been imposed because of the rapid spread of a new, highly-contagious strain of COVID-19 which spreads more quickly.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Saturday that tomorrow legal household limits would still apply: a maximum of eight people from three households but her advice was to minimise the numbers.

Where possible, people should celebrate at home in their own household and meet with others outdoors.

From Saturday Level 4 restrictions will apply, including the closure of non-essential retail and hospitality.

Next month teachers will return to work as planned, along with children of key workers and the most vulnerable children.

For most pupils the holiday will be extended until January 11 and learning will begin online from then until at least January 18.

Ms Sturgeon said: “We are concerned that this strain may drive what appears to be faster transmission in some hospitals and care homes.

“We intend to maintain a strict travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK during the festive period. We can’t risk more of this strain entering the country if we can possibly avoid it.

“My message is stay at home, stay safe and enjoy Christmas. It’s in your own interest and the interest of everyone you love.”

Jo Elliot, who owns Holmspun in Langholm High Street said: “Unfortunately, I will have to close again. I’m open today until 2pm.

“I’ll be at the shop at least once a week working away in the background, and making new stock and, hopefully, uploading to the Facebook page.”

Sam Park, who owns the Crown Hotel with her husband, Steve, said: “They say it’s for three weeks and as long as it is, we’ll be okay.”

There will be no meals served tomorrow but the bar and café will be open.

Sam added: “We’ll carry on with the take-aways – drinks as well – to shore things up a bit.”

She said being plunged into Level 4 was “a bit of a shock” and they wouldn’t be seeing family as planned.

She said: “We’ll try to make it work and, touch wood, it’s for three weeks only. We’ll just grit our teeth and get on with it.”

Katherine Latimer of Latimers of Langholm said it would be business as usual for the shop and they expected deliveries to continue.

The shop will reopen after Christmas next Monday. She re-emphasised the need for customers to take precautions and, if they were shielding or had the virus, they should not come in.

She said: “The town had made such progress, the shops were full, people were shopping locally and now we’re going from Level 1 to Level 4.”

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Dumfries and Galloway is on course to vaccinate care home residents and staff with their second jab by January 16.

The first of the two jabs will have been administered by today.

Immunity begins to develop after the first dose but is fully established seven days after the second.

Julie White, chief officer of the Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Care homes are particularly vulnerable so the protection this vaccine offers will be a huge comfort and relief to residents and their families as well as the staff.

“To date, 1,200 vaccinations have been delivered to medical staff working in patient-facing areas where they may encounter patients with COVID-19. 

It is expected the programme will accelerate significantly when the Astra Zeneca/Oxford vaccine is approved.

It is anticipated that the Astra Zeneca/Oxford vaccine will become available next week.

Vaccination of people aged over 80 is scheduled to start on January 18, subject to regulatory approval.

GP practices will schedule appointments for people aged over 80 in early January so there is no need to contact the practices or the NHS.

 
 
Would you like to support us?

The Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser is our community owned local newspaper and even in today’s troubled times, we aim to bring you local news and articles in an impartial, responsible and factual way.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this free article but we need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent and keeps you up to date with what is happening in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Every reader’s contribution, however big or small, is so valuable to us.
 
 
‘Owned by the Community...Published for the Community’
Do you have a story?

Please get in touch if you have a story or article you would like to see published.

Related Articles

Return of full Post Office is first-class news for town

Elizabeth and team are all trained up and ready to…

 

Goat petition reaches MPs

4,000 anti-cull signatures handed over Conservative politicians John Lamont MP…

 

A healing moorland…

Sphagnum moss wound dressings during the Second World War By…

 

Heilan’ Coos and Fell Ponies join the Tarras Valley family

The cows and ponies will play their part in restoring…

 

NHS D&G announces massive funding shortfall

Board seeks public support to manage £33.6 million funding gap…

 

4,000 signature petition to be handed to politicians

Oxygen Conservation’s disregard prompted massive response A local petition with…

 

Scottish Woodlands plan ' voluntary' Environmental Impact Assessment for Warblaw

Scottish Woodlands, which has been developing the woodland creation design…

 

As the last bank closes, a Cash Hub opens

Temporary facility will open in Holmspun with better hours of…

 

NatureScot tells the E&L “culling the goats is legal”

Oxygen Conservation lays the blame at Government’s door Part of…

 

New health team sought for Canonbie Surgery

Husband and wife medical partners to hang up their stethoscopes…

 

18-month trial of 20mph has begun

A7 Action Group discuss various issues The A7 Action Group…

 

No caravans or motorhomes to cross Milntown bridge

Far-reaching effect on the community as Ewes Water site has…

 

Confirmation received that cull has already begun

Gilly Fraser delves further into the feral goat debacle Oxygen…

 

Some beautiful moments in LAODS’ latest show

Annie Get Your Gun is chock-full of love, laughter and…

 

2025 Common Riding AGM

New faces in official roles he trustees and members of…

 

Parking restrictions and 20mph limit from next week

By the end of March, the speed limit throughout the…

 

A well-used community resource for over 30 years

Mairi Telford Jammeh takes a look at what goes on…

 

Goat cull company tackled by councillor

Meeting with CEO of Oxygen Conservation requested Councillor Male has…

 

Wheatley has “No plans for housing in Eskdale

Scotland’s second largest social landlord is also “not considering the…

 

Langholm Town Band do well in regionals

By Christine Calvert This weekend saw the latest contest outing…

 

As predicted, D&G raise Council Tax by 9%

Furthermore, they will “implement increases inselected fees and charges relating…

 

Community Council hears from concerned residents

Number of derelict sites in the town is a major…

 

Huge local reaction to news of proposed goat cull

Social media alight and petition raised following announcement by Oxygen…

 

NFUS retiterates its opposition to National Park in Galloway

NFU Scotland has once again made clear its opposition to…

 

D-day for Council Tax rises across the area

Dumfries and Galloway Council will make decisions today about the…

 

THEY'RE GOING TO CULL THE GOATS!

In what will be a hugely unpopular decision, Oxygen Conservation…

 

Sitka spruce going, going, gone!

A big task for the Tarras Valley team over the…

 

D&G Council Tax set to rise between 5 to 10%

…and the same for Water Rates…possibly 9%. Budgets are to…

 

Caroline Street is still railing against its railings

As angle of fence increases, council budgets for repairs to…

 

U15 gold medal for Langholm’s Aoiffion

Amazing 12 year old athlete makes her mark in her…

 

Service held to celebrate union of parishes

The Church of Scotland presbytery of the South West held…

 

Eskdalemuir's Hub generate Eowyn warmth

But Scottish Power falls short of supporting othervulnerable customers after…

 

Return to the Far Pavilions for Helen

Another Himalayan adventure for gardening columnist Helen Knowles Life is…

 

Copshaw on the the cusp of red and amber for Éowyn

Health Centre provided a Warm Hub throughout the storm By Gilly…

 

Touching tributes to an incredible young man

Both the Langholm Primary and Secondary schools and the Xcel…

 

Langholm’s firefighters are the pride of D & G

Best Dumfries and Galloway Fire Station for 2024/2025 awarded to…

 

Scottish Tories to hold vote on controversial mega-pylon plans

The Scottish Conservatives will this week hold a vote at…

 

Langholm’s ‘model’ citizen hits the highlights in Milan

Proud Langholm Mum, Deborah Laidlaw, set off on a four-flight…

 

Langholm Housing Needs survey – the results are in!

Exceptional response captures the views of 24% of the town’s…

 

Canonbie trust has its eye on Cross Keys Hotel

Potential purchase of historical inn presented to local residents Canonbie…

 
 
Kelso Races
requires mailchimp logins and wired up to a list
Join our mailing list
Keep up to date with all that’s going on at the E&L
This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. We use necessary cookies to make sure that our website works. We’d also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. By clicking “Allow All”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
These cookies are required for basic functionalities such as accessing secure areas of the website, remembering previous actions and facilitating the proper display of the website. Necessary cookies are often exempt from requiring user consent as they do not collect personal data and are crucial for the website to perform its core functions.
A “preferences” cookie is used to remember user preferences and settings on a website. These cookies enhance the user experience by allowing the website to remember choices such as language preferences, font size, layout customization, and other similar settings. Preference cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of the website but contribute to a more personalised and convenient browsing experience for users.
A “statistics” cookie typically refers to cookies that are used to collect anonymous data about how visitors interact with a website. These cookies help website owners understand how users navigate their site, which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on each page, and similar metrics. The data collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not contain personally identifiable information (PII).
Marketing cookies are used to track user behaviour across websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted advertisements based on the user’s interests and preferences. These cookies collect data such as browsing history and interactions with ads to create user profiles. While essential for effective online advertising, obtaining user consent is crucial to comply with privacy regulations.