THE First Minister has urged Scots not to visit Blackpool after almost 300 Scottish Covid cases were linked to the English coastal town.

Nicola Sturgeon said so many coronavirus cases recorded in Scotland have links to the English town that a specific incident team is being set up.

While stressing that the figure was rising, and so likely already out of date, Sturgeon said that in the last month 180 Scottish Covid cases had been linked to Blackpool.

The chair of the incident management team has since confirmed this number is actually much higher, at 286. 

The UK Government currently classes the town as a “high-risk” area.

Speaking at today’s coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said she had to talk about “Blackpool, a place that many Scots love and like to visit, particularly at this time of year”.

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She went on: “Many of us have happy childhood memories of going to see the Blackpool illuminations, but this is one of the places currently classed by the UK Government as a high-risk area.

“I need to advise you that trips to Blackpool are now associated with a large and growing number of Covid cases in Scotland.

“We indeed now have an incident management team in Scotland that has been set up to look specifically at cases associated with Blackpool.”

She added: "Blackpool is being mentioned in Test and Protect conversations far more than any other location outside of Scotland.”

According to the First Minister, 342 people who were contacted by Test and Protect in the last week after having contracted coronavirus reported travel outside of Scotland. Ninety-four had been to Blackpool, while 252 had been somewhere else in the UK.

Sturgeon advised those who were looking to travel to the town not to do so, especially to watch this weekend's Old Firm match in a pub.

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Kirsty Licence, chair of the Incident Management Team looking into cases associated with Blackpool, said many of the cases associated with travel to the English town involved "group transport, especially coach, but also private transport".

She added: "And many are of middle and older ages with increased risk of suffering from very severe Covid-19 illness.

“Our data shows the numbers of Scottish cases who visited Blackpool shortly before their illnesses substantially exceeds those having visited any other place in the UK.

"Over the past month, since September 14, when Blackpool was first noted on a case there have been 286 cases in Scotland whose records note recent travel to Blackpool.   

“These cases highlight the risk associated with travelling to areas with high rates of infection."