FIVE pubs, cafes and shops have now been linked to a coronavirus outbreak at a call centre in Motherwell.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said "something has clearly gone badly wrong" within the Sitel facility, which was doing work for NHS England's test and trace system.

But he said the location of the site and the fact that staff live all over Scotland meant a local lockdown would not be a simple solution.

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Mr Swinney said 19 people have now tested positive, 14 of whom are employees at the North Lanarkshire facility and five of whom are family or otherwise connected to them.

He said 360 tests have been undertaken, with 307 results returned so far.

The Sitel site has been closed, with all staff tested. Five other businesses which were visited by call centre employees have also now been identified.

Some of these have been shut temporarily and deep cleaned.

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Mr Swinney said: "There is a very serious situation at this facility, where something has clearly gone badly wrong in the working arrangements within the Sitel facility resulting in such an outbreak, and we are putting in place all the test and protect arrangements to make sure that we contain the outbreak as far as we possibly can do."

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He added: "There are a whole series of interventions that are able to be made... We have done the testing of staff and have pursued all of the contacts arising from there.

"There are five secondary premises who we are talking to very actively and they are all cooperating with the test and protect teams in Lanarkshire."

He said some of these pubs, cafes and shops have now been closed temporarily and deep cleaned, with staff advised to self-isolate.

Mr Swinney said: "What we are doing is essentially extending the web from Sitel to establish who else may be affected by the outbreak which has happened in Sitel because of secondary connections. 

"All of the companies involved are cooperating fully with the test and protect arrangements that have been put in place and taking all the necessary precautions."

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He added: "When you look at the homes of the employees of Sitel, this facility is adjacent to the M8, right in the centre of Scotland. 

"There's people from the west of Scotland, there's people from the east of Scotland, there's people from Lanarkshire. So it's not as simple as applying a local lockdown."