Time to support local businesses
After months of lockdown, we are now finally starting to see some relaxation of restrictions.
Although still a long way from getting back to normal, it is good to see some aspects of normal life reappearing.
With the shops now being open, I hope that everyone will do what they can to support local businesses.
The Scottish Conservatives recently launched our “Support the High Street” campaign, encouraging people to get out and about and back local businesses.
Of course, people should do that safely, taking account of social distancing, and wearing face coverings.
A lot of folk have got used to online shopping while sitting at home over the past few months, and while this is an understandable trend, we have to realise that if we do not support our local shops they simply won’t be there when we need them.
I know that local retailers are now making a special effort to attract customers back so let us get out there and do what we can to back them.
It is good to see the tourism and hospitality sectors starting to reopen.
Tourism is the backbone of the local economy, and the prospect of a whole summer without the industry operating would have had devastating consequences.
Again, it will be difficult for many operators, with a need for social distancing.
For weeks we were calling for the Edinburgh government to reduce the two-metre rule to one metre to allow hotels, bars and restaurants to function, and I am pleased that this relaxation is now being implemented.
We also need to make sure that a warm welcome is provided to visitors from elsewhere in the UK, and indeed further afield.
We cannot let a message get out there that people from England, or elsewhere, are not welcome to come and visit Scotland.
That is why irresponsible talk of“closing the border”is so dangerous.
People’s businesses and livelihoods depend upon these visitors.
It is also good to know that the schools will be going back full-time in August, providing that the current trend in the decline of COVID-19 cases continues.
The SNP government made a real botch of the plans for schools reopening, and I was contacted by many angry parents who simply could not see how the blended learning model that was being proposed would work.
Education experts warn that the attainment gap would widen as a result, whilst parents were unable to make plans to return to work not knowing if their children would be in school, and for what days. Fortunately, all the pressure forced a U-turn, and I am optimistic about a return to full-time education for all at the end of the school holidays.
However, a great deal of unnecessary work and concern has been caused due to the shambolic way in which the matter was handled.
All these improvements are only possible because of the responsible attitude being taken by so many people across the country – only making necessary journeys, observing social distancing, and wearing face coverings where appropriate.
We all need to keep up the good work if we are going to defeat the virus, and see a full return to normal life.