Opposition MSPs to see ‘R’ number data
Group for men offers support on health
NICOLA Sturgeon will allow opposition MSPs to see the scientific data behind her decisions to ease lockdown at a slower rate than England.
The First Minister also offered MSPs a “technical briefing” with Government statisticians on how Scotland calculates the coronavirus reinfection (R) number.
During First Minister’s Questions, Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie argued the “scientific consensus needs to be significantly different” between countries to justify diverging approaches to lifting lockdown and different public messaging.
Rennie asked: “To settle my nerves and provide us all with the reassurance I think we all need, will the First Minister get her advisers to set out the details of the scientific difference between Scotland and England?”
Sturgeon, who has warned the R number is higher in Scotland than in England, said the scientific data suggests progress tackling the virus is “fragile” and there is a risk it could “run quickly out of control again” if restrictions lift too soon.
She said: “You can look at all that data, and I’m happy for opposition members to look at that data just as I do, but ultimately as a leader you still have to apply your judgment to it, and you have to make decisions, because that’s what people have elected me to do.
“These judgments weigh very heavily right now.
“The science will inform those judgments, but it can’t make the decisions for you.”
ORGANISERS of a mental health chat group are hoping city men will join up as coronavirus restrictions continue.
Talk Club, which has more than a thousand members across social media and face-to-face sessions, has started a Glasgow Facebook group as Mental Health Awareness Week gets under way.
Co-founder Gavin Thorpe said: “With people now forced to stay at home, our face-to-face support groups have gone virtual, giving old and new members the chance to keep talking.”