Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stay home message ‘may have cost lives’
A PROMI NE NT Du ndee lecturer has claimed the Scottish Government’s “Stay at Home” message could have led to more deaths than lives saved in the country’s care homes.
Dr Stuart Waiton, who teaches sociology and criminology at Abertay University, has also claimed there is no scientific basis for the lockdown and it is forcing people into living limited lives.
His views have been rubbished by local politicians as well as the Scottish Government, who say the guidelines have led to “significant progress” in controlling the virus.
The lockdown was extended by a further three weeks by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last Thursday.
But Dr Waiton, who has previously been chosen as a Brexit Party candidate, believes it could do more harm than good. He claimed: “I have always thought you should allow people to use more common sense.
“If people are following procedures they should be treated like adults who understand the seriousness of the situation. What the government has adopted is not based on science, rather on a distrusting and unpleasant view of the public.
“The ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS’ mantra encouraged people with the virus to be stuffed into homes and that has probably helped to kill some of those people rather than encouraging a more flexible approach.”
Dr Waiton’s views have been dismissed by Dundee City Council leader John Alexander who insisted it’s important the public are given the clearest message possible.
He said: “I think his comments fall short in a number of aspects and fail to recognise the public confidence in that message. This remains a matter of life and death.
“Firstly, clarity of message is absolutely essential during such a crisis, a crisis in which there is an information overload through the media, social media, TV, etc.
“Being able to cut through that cluttered landscape with something which is crystal clear and understood is a must. We have that clarity in Scotland.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Thanks to the efforts of the public in observing the rules, we are making significant progress in our efforts to get this virus under control.”