THERE has been a rise in Covid-19 cases in East Lothian and I would like to highlight how critical it is for constituents to stick to travel restrictions and follow the rules.

With a vaccination in circulation, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel with the virus, and we need to persevere until those most at risk have received their immunisations.

At this time, East Lothian residents should not be travelling to Level 3 areas and should not be flouting restrictions to meet with others inside for parties, as local reports have suggested.

There has been updated advice relating to self-isolation, which now means that close contacts of a positive case of Covid-19, and those returning from countries without a travel corridor, will be able to self-isolate for 10 days instead of the current 14 days.

If you receive Universal Credit or legacy benefits, you may be entitled to a £500 self-isolation grant which means that you won’t have to experience financial hardship for doing the right thing and keeping others safe.

If you are experiencing a loss of income due to self-isolation, it is worth checking to see if you can get access to funding to support you over your isolation period.

I have been made aware of a number scams recently and I would like to encourage constituents to be aware of these to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.

There is currently a scam in circulation where emails are being hacked and the contacts are asking for help to buy Amazon vouchers. There are also scams relating to the failed delivery of packages from companies such as Royal Mail or DPD. You should never click on links from email correspondence if you are unsure whether the email is genuine and, with many scams in circulation, you should be particularly critical of emails at this time. You should also never send money following email correspondence, unless you are completely sure that it is genuine.

If you believe you have been a victim of online fraud, you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre at report@phishing.gov.uk