‘We need to get tough on vandals spreading covid scam messages’
Vile vandals who sprayed covid-denying graffiti on a wa l l near Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital have been branded “morons” by a councillor who is now calling for tougher action over the spread of misinformation on covid.
SNP man Kenny MacLaren is set to put a motion before full council this week condemning the mindless act, which he insists will have deeply hurt those who have lost loved ones to Covid- 19 as well as hardworking NHS staff.
His motion will also ask the council to encourage everyone who is eligible for a jab to get it and commit to tackling lies about the pandemic and vaccines.
Earlier this month, the yobs first sprayed “scamdemic” on a wall less than half a mile from the RAH before another twisted message was found near the Phoenix Retail Park in Linwood just days later.
Councillor MacLaren, who represents Paisley Northwest, said he was pleased the council took swift action to remove the offending graffiti, but has insisted more needs to be done to stop the scourge of fake news.
He said: “There has recently been an outbreak of some moronic graffiti across Paisley claiming the covid pandemic is a scam.
“Try telling that to those who have lost loved ones and to the hard working staff at the RAH who are battling through long shifts trying to cope with the impact of covid on Renfrewshire residents.
“It’s good that the council has been cleaning up this graffiti as quickly as possible but we really need to tackle these morons to stop them spreading their lies.
“The vaccine is saving lives and I would encourage everyone to take up their appointment when it comes.”
The latest figures show one-third of Scotland’s adult population have been given the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with more than 1.5million jabs administered.
Councillor MacLaren’s motion - which will be seconded by Councillor Stephen Burns - will also congratulate everyone involved in the vaccination effort including those from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Renfrewshire Leisure and council staff.
Councillor Burns added: “Due to an underlying medical condition I have already received my first vaccine at my local GP practice.
“I was impressed by the organisation and the efficiency of the staff at Anchor Mill Medical Practice in processing the vaccinations.
“The vaccination programme is an important step in dealing with the pandemic.
“The various lockdowns have been ineffectual, with too many loopholes resulting in the UK having the worst rate of deaths from covid.”
Try telling that to those who have lost loved ones and the hard working staff at the RAH