South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has praised residents across Dumfries and Galloway for sticking with tough Covid-19 restrictions and continuing to drive down virus rates over the past few weeks.

The Scottish Government’s Covid-19 figures show that weekly virus figures for the region have dropped by 74 per cent compared with the start of November.

Colin Smyth said: “People across Dumfries and Galloway have worked very hard to follow the ever-changing rules over the past couple of months and the most recent Covid figures indicate that their vigilance is paying off.

“Our region is now subject to level 1 restrictions and I would encourage people to stick with it, especially as Christmas approaches and the rules are set to change again. I know many people still feel aggrieved at the failure to introduce mass testing, problems with test and protect and errors such as the botched handling of the return to university of students, which led to the rise in cases and ultimately these tough restrictions.

“However, I would like to thank everyone who has stuck to the rules over the past weeks in what has been a very challenging time and the falling Covid cases is a testimony to the community’s resilience.

“Hopefully, the easing of restrictions will provide a welcome relief for hospitality across Dumfries and Galloway who have been really suffering in what would usually be their busiest time of year. But with some restrictions still in place for the foreseeable future, both the Scottish and UK Governments will have to redouble their efforts to support businesses to get through the next few months.”