Aberdeenshire Council has warned that some of its services will be reduced or closed in coming weeks due to the number of staff self-isolating.
In a video posted on social media, the local authority’s chief executive Jim Savege said services such as care, schools and waste collection will need to be prioritised as the squeeze continues.
The number of new Covid cases around Scotland has not dropped below 10,000 on any day since the beginning of 2022, with a record high of more than 20,000 recorded on January 3.
Today, there were 14,486 new cases reported – 484 of which were in the Aberdeenshire council area.
NHS Grampian is also reporting a fast increase in the number of patients with Covid being treated in its hospitals, with today’s figure of 78 more than double the figure recorded as recently as December 28.
Our Chief Executive @jimsavege explaining some of the very real pressures felt on our staffing levels just now, our important role to support in areas like care, and what that means for us and you. #aberdeenshire pic.twitter.com/r5CRm8aYIq
— AberdeenshireCouncil (@Aberdeenshire) January 7, 2022
Mr Savege said this spread has meant a “large number” of staff are having to self-isolate, either because they have come into contact with someone who has Covid or because they are ill themselves.
This “real issue” was the reason the council was forced to choose services to prioritise over others, he said, apologising for the impact this would have on people.
Mr Savege added: “What you may experience over a number of weeks ahead of us now is other services being impacted as a result, where we are having to reduce the hours they were available for, or to sometimes close those services completely.
“Again, I’ll apologise from the start for the impact that may have on you in terms of how you go about your life on a day-to-day basis, but I can’t apologise that this is the right thing for us to do as a council to make sure we are using the staff we have available to provide the most important services for our communities and those who are most vulnerable.
“They need our help just now.”
A similar warning was issued by new Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson earlier this week.
She said: “Peak levels of Covid are expected in the coming weeks and while our services have business continuity plans in place, we recognise that whole teams could be required to self-isolate which may impact on service provision and mobilisation of replacement staff may not be possible due to location or impact on services elsewhere.”