Coronavirus in Scotland - Cross-border cluster as death rate falls - BBC News
Nine cases are identified around Gretna and Annan as the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 falls for the ninth week in a row.
The outbreak involves the Annan and Gretna areas Image caption: The outbreak involves the Annan and Gretna areas

The cross-border "cluster" of coronavirus cases around Dumfries and the north west of England "continues to illustrate the challenge we face with this virus", according to Scotland's national clinical director.

Professor Jason Leitch goes on to tell Radio Scotland: "This will be, unfortunately, the new normal, for a little while, of these outbreaks and containing them."

NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed there had been nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Gretna and Annan areas since Monday.

Prof Leitch says if the group of positive cases can be contained and contact and trace works as it should, then "you can close down that cluster without too much more trouble".

The danger is if the contacts can't be traced then potentially something more severe might have to be done, he adds.

Prof Leitch hopes that will not happen and he says the incident management team on both sides of the border is meeting now and he is confident the process will work.

The national clinical director stresses that people must organise a test if they have the symptoms and tell the truth regarding their movements, so that their contacts can be traced to close down the chain of transmission.