DEAL Testing is key in fight against covid
BY WEST SCOTLAND MSP NEIL BIBBY
The new Scottish Parliament has been sworn in after elections earlier this month.
It is an honour to have been re-elected as MSP for West Scotland, having also stood in Paisley and increased Labour’s share of the vote here.
Thank you to all those who have supported me throughout the campaign.
With the election over, the serious work of government must begin again. And these are serious times for our community and our country.
The latest easing of covid restrictions in Renfrewshire and across much of mainland Scotland will allow us to take another step back towards normality.
We can socialise indoors again, albeit with numbers restricted. Overnight stays are allowed.
We can hug our loved ones again from other households.
Restrictions on pubs will be relaxed, more students will be able to go back to university or college and, crucially, for the Renfrewshire economy international travel will return to approved countries.
But we still have to be vigilant.
If we want to keep Renfrewshire out of lockdown then we all have a role to play, observing social distancing or wearing a mask whenever it is required. Government has a role to play too. Their advice has to be clear and firm.
The decisions they make have to be rooted in scientific evidence and sound judgement.
The country has to be helped back towards normality safely, with appropriate testing and the continued rollout of the covid vaccine.
And government has to act quickly too, containing outbreaks and keeping on top of the spread of the virus.
Events from the past several days are a reminder that our progress out of lockdown is not guaranteed. The direction of travel is not all one-way. There will be setbacks and government will make mistakes.
What concerns me is that we do not make the same mistakes again and that we learn from our experience of fighting covid since March 2020.
While Renfrewshire is among those parts of mainland Scotland to enter Level 2, Glasgow and Moray in North of Scotland, remain in Level 3.
The spread of the so-called Indian variant is driving up case numbers, undoing much of the progress that was achieved through hard work and sacrifice since the start of the year.
This variant, and the failure of both Scottish and UK governments to control it, is driving up positivity rates.
Even in parts of the country where the vaccination programme is well advanced and jabs are keeping people out of hospital, the spread of covid risks plunging communities back into deeper, harsher restrictions.
To stay on top of the crisis, to help reopen the economy again and to get people travelling again and meeting their friends and family, we have to power ahead with vaccinations and we also have to ensure that comprehensive testing remains a priority.
Testing can help make air travel covid-safe, getting people back to work at Glasgow Airport.
Testing can give people the confidence to return to hospitality settings safely, rejuvenating our pubs and restaurants in places like the town centre.
Testing can help us keep new variants of the virus under control in Renfrewshire until the life-saving vaccination programme is complete.
This is the serious work ahead for the Scottish Parliament.
It must be the Parliament’s foremost priority. Building a stronger, fairer recovery means recovering at the right pace and taking the care to ensure that we can keep our communities out of another lockdown.
That’s why this new parliament must be a Covid Recovery Parliament, prioritising recovery, public safety and building back from the crisis.