Give us a break from holiday uncertainty

Nicola Sturgeon is still weighing up what to do about ‘air bridges’. or, as Edinburgh airport, Scotland’s busiest travel hub, puts it, the First Minister is ‘dithering’. The UK Government has already published a list of countries with which it has formed travel corridors, allowing Britons to fly there and their citizens to come here without having to undergo 14-day quarantine.

This is intended to give Britons a chance of a summer holiday and allow foreign travellers to visit the UK and spend money in our shops and restaurants.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is striving to strike a balance between the ongoing fight against covid-19, the desperate need to revive the economy and the restoration of liberties of which we were deprived in response to the pandemic.

Miss Sturgeon is not convinced of the wisdom of ‘air bridges’ and has elected to exercise greater caution.

Throughout this crisis, the First Minister has stuck to the old, much-maligned slogan of Stanley Baldwin: ‘Safety First.’

There is, however, a calculus of risk to be taken into consideration.

in lagging behind England, the First Minister is delaying the jolt of investment required to jump-start the tourism sector and the wider Scottish economy. She may be delaying for what she considers to be good reasons but, as Edinburgh airport points out: ‘Jobs have been lost and thousands more are at risk due to this policy and there is absolutely nothing to show for it.’

Erring on the side of caution is still erring. The Scottish public, who have now endured 107 days of lockdown, are entitled to demand clarity on whether or not they can enjoy foreign holiday this year.

The nation’s travel industry also deserves answers as to when it can start welcoming visitors from overseas and giving our economy a much-needed kick-start.

For everyone’s benefit, this uncertainty must end.