Leaders say thanks for year of ‘sacrifice’
NICOLA Sturgeon has thanked health and care workers for “an absolutely magnificent job” in her New Year message to Scots.
The First Minister also insisted people could now look forward to “a much better and brighter new year ahead”.
The SNP leader said: “Throughout this year, our health and care workers have continued to do an absolutely magnificent job. And those working on our vaccination programme have provided all of us with an incredible service.
“Thanks to their efforts – and also thanks to the sacrifices of people right across the country – earlier this year businesses were able to reopen.”
She admitted Hogmanay would not be as people wished “but I believe that we can still look ahead to 2022 with optimism”.
In his message, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack praised the UK as being “to the fore in the global struggle against the virus”.
He added: “I want to pay tribute to the scientists who made this possible by developing, innovating and testing; to the magnificent staff of the NHS and the volunteers who worked alongside them – and to the military personnel who toiled tirelessly amid the greatest national effort of peacetime.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the year will be remembered “for the individual sacrifices and acts of kindness everyone made”.
He added: “We have come so far in this fight– we must keep going, and we will get through this.
“But I’m not willing to go back to the way things were before the pandemic.
“As we enter 2022, let’s resolve this year to not just accept that this is the way it is, but pledge to change it – to build a different country based on unity, empathy and hope.”