Residents of Scalpay and the rest of the Western Isles have embraced the lockdown restrictions

The Western Isles have emerged as the only part of the UK without a single death from coronavirus, with residents being praised for their zealous embrace of lockdown.

The archipelago, which has a population of just over 26,000, has so far recorded just six cases of Covid-19 and no fatalities.

By comparison Shetland has had six deaths and 52 confirmed cases, while there have been two coronavirus fatalities on Orkney. All three island groups have similar populations and demographics.

NHS Western Isles said it had not recorded any new infections for almost a fortnight. Gordon Jamieson, its chief executive, said: “We have now gone 13 days without any confirmed cases of Covid-19 here in the Western Isles. I think that is a very, very good