THE PUBS ARE OPEN BUT KEEP THE HEID
Sturgeon warns opening bars indoors is highest risk since exiting lockdown
BY VIVIENNE AITKEN Health Editor
THE First Minister has urged Scots to “keep the heid” ahead of pubs reopening today.
Nicola Sturgeon said the opening of pubs indoors was the “highest risk” since exiting lockdown began and encouraged those going to the pub to “do so carefully”.
Speaking as Scotland celebrated a sixth day with no deaths from the virus, she said: “I think we all know where alcohol is being taken, sometimes our inhibitions are lower ... we behave in a way we wouldn’t normally do, getting closer to people. We just have to think so much more carefully now.
“None of us enjoy this. We are in the summer, we should be going about our lives normally, in the sunshine, sitting in beer gardens but we can’t do that because we have a deadly virus stalking us.
“We have just got to be really careful and be on our guard. More so when we have had some alcohol.
“I don’t want to be the big wet blanket on people’s summer enjoyment but equally I don’t want to be standing here in a month’s time reading out horrific figures again of ICU cases, hospital admissions and deaths.
“It is in everybody’s interest that we just all keep the heid around this and do the right things. We are trying to navigate our way through a really treacherous situation as carefully and safely as possible.
“I would love to be at the stage where I could say crowd into the pubs and don’t worry about it. I am not going to say that because I can’t say that. We won’t be doing the hospitality industry any favours because they would all be closed down again sooner than we knew where we were.”
She cited the example of the situation in California where pubs, restaurants, museums and cinemas – all reopening in Scotland today – have had to close again because of virus spikes.
She said: “If we don’t want to be in that position, then I say to everybody of whatever political stripe, just be cautious and sensible about this.”
The First Minister also fended off accusations of anti-English feeling created by her refusal to rule out quarantining people coming across the Border if the virus was out of control elsewhere.
Sturgeon said: “I come from English stock, my grandmother was English.
“There is not an anti-English bone in my body, I don’t have an anti-English fibre of my being. I lead a party that is full of English people.
“We are dealing with a public health crisis right now.
“There are many parts of the world where particular parts of countries have interal borders closed to other parts of the country because of a desire to stop this virus spreading.
“I think some public health experts overseas probably look at this debate in the UK and wonder why we wouldn’t be driven purely by considerations of public health. I am going to keep my considerations to public health.”
She said people from other parts of the UK were welcome to visit Scotland but added they must abide by Scotland’s public health rules.
There were three new confirmed cases of coronavirus overnight but Sturgeon said none appeared to have links to the outbreak in a care home in the Greater Glasgow & Clyde area last weekend.
I don’t want to be reading out horrific figures of ICU cases
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