Ayrshire is one of the top Covid hotspots in Europe as one of five health boards in Scotland making a concerning list.
World health officials have collected data which has ranked the worst rates of coronavirus across the continent – with over half the list made up of Scottish towns and cities as cases continue to surge.
The list has put the Scottish Government on high alert as doubts over 'Freedom Day', scheduled for August 9, have become apparent.
Over a period of 14 days, NHS Ayrshire & Arran has shown a case rate of 602 per 100,000 leaving it 10th on a list that includes Tayside (1,146), Lothian (1,079) Greater Glasgow and Clyde (824) and Fife (646).
Case rates in Ayrshire are alarmingly only less than 100 than the Russian capital with Moscow appearing on the list at 667, according to the figures released by the World Health Organisation.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last month that Scotland’s exit out lockdown will be scheduled for Friday, August 9, where social distancing rules will be dropped. All council areas are set to move to Level 1 on Monday, July 19.
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown says decisions will be based on the science and hopes that restrictions are lifted for the last remaining businesses to reopen, such as soft plays who have yet to be given permission to make their comeback.
The SNP politician told Ayrshire Live: “The numbers are a concern but there is a lot of testing going on so that really explains where the numbers are coming from.
“I can’t speak for Nicola Sturgeon and how she will see things, but she will be following the advice from the experts.
“Everyone is hoping that life can return to normal. The whole pandemic felt like one step forward and then two steps back.
“I really feel for so many of the businesses who haven’t been able to open yet and it is sad to see restaurants are still having to shut down.
“They have been really responsible in taking the outbreak seriously and taking the decision to shut down.”
A Covid survivor believes complacency has set in. Gail Merry is still recovering from a brush with death after she suffered a severe blood clot and spent days in intensive care.
The vaccinated mum-of-three from Mossblown has warned people to continue to stick to rules and get back into good habits like using hand sanitiser after noticing “less and less” people using it.
Gail, 46, said: “The fact that Ayrshire has such a high number of new Covid cases just proves the point that people here are getting complacent.
“Hopefully the majority have been double vaccinated and will not suffer serious symptoms or complications like I did.
“But they can still pass it to these who unfortunately may not be so lucky. That’s why, no matter how mild your symptoms are, you must get tested and isolate.”
NHS Ayrshire and Arran has been contacted for comment.
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