STURGEON: ‘TAKE HEED OF ANDY’S SAD STORY’
First Minister says public should listen to dad’s warning
FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has used the daily coronavirus briefing to praise Andy Leaman, who told his story in yesterday’s Glasgow Times.
In the course of four weeks, Andy lost his mum, dad and father-inlaw to Covid-19, leaving his nineyear-old daughter without three of her grandparents.
Ms Sturgeon described Andy’s story as “heartbreaking” and said people should listen to and take heed of what he says.
In Edinburgh yesterday, the First Minister spoke of the importance of adhering to lockdown rules.
She said: “Let me, for a moment, give one example of why this matters.
“I read this morning, in the Evening Times, the tragic story of a family from Castlemilk.
“Andy Leaman has told how his mum, dad and father-in-law have all died from the virus. He talks too of the impact on his nine-year-old daughter.
“Their story is heartbreaking. “It’s heartbreaking for them, but what we need to bear in mind is that it could be any of us.
“That family have told their story because they want people to listen to the advice being given at the moment.
“In the paper they say, ‘People need to realise it is real. These guidelines that are set out need to be followed.
“‘It may be them next and their families and we would not want anyone to go through what we have had to go through.
“‘Stay in the house, social distance. That is the only way of keeping the people you love safe.’”
“I think that is a very powerful message.
“It underlines the importance of the restrictions – and why we need to follow them.”
Andy told us of having to break the news of the deaths to his girl.
Andy’s daughter Anna has tragically lost three grandparents to
Covid-19 – Andy Snr, Mary and
Dougie.
Andy said: “Anna is dealing with it as best she can and I don’t think it will fully hit her until she goes back to her new normality of being back at school and no longer being picked up by them.
“It’s not something a nine-yearold should go through. It’s bad enough one, but having three in four weeks is too much.
“She was my parents’ only granddaughter, only grandchild so she was everything to them.
“We have a really small immediate family but a very close family. That was our world and now it’s three less.”
Andy Snr died of coronavirus after having previously been discharged following a negative test.