Glasgow City Council staff urged to take care over festive period - as Christmas party cancelled

While staff parties are not usually organised by the local authority or held in council premises, workers are being urged to be careful when meeting up over the festive period.

It is thought that some departments within the council have cancelled festive gatherings, didn’t organise a party or have postponed their Christmas get together until 2022 this year because of the virus.

A council spokesman said: “The only Christmas parties the council has tended to organise have been events at the City Chambers for older citizens – and these have not taken place in the last two years, for obvious reasons.

“Staff celebrations are not typically organised by the council, or held on work premises. The council’s position remains that everyone should do whatever they can to make sure they follow all current regulations and advice.”

Earlier this week Edinburgh Council staff were ordered to cancel Christmas parties amid Omicron fears.

Edinburgh City Council said no Christmas parties will be allowed in its buildings and offices across the city, following guidance from the Scottish Government that such events should be put on hold.

On Tuesday, the Scottish Government set out new guidance and measures to stem the flow of transmission, which comes into effect from Midnight on Friday.

While businesses and services remain open, restrictions and protections to protect against the new highly transmissible Omicron strain of Covid-19, will be implemented.

During her speech, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I am not asking anyone to ‘cancel’ Christmas – but in the run up to and in the immediate aftermath of Christmas, I am asking everyone to reduce as far as possible, and to a minimum, the contacts we have with people in other households.

“We are not banning or restricting household mixing in law as before – we understand the negative impact this has on mental health and wellbeing – but we are asking everyone, and we will issue strong guidance to this effect, to cut down as far as possible the number of people outside our own households that we are interacting with just now. This will help break transmission chains.”