UK Government slow to react

Sir, – Unusually, I agree with Martin Redfern’s first comment (Sturgeon’s stock Covid answers, Courier, July 3) that Nicola Sturgeon is a capable and astute politician, but I would add also as first minister.

That this virus has infected and killed 4,000-plus of our fellow Scottish citizens is an undeniable tragedy.

However, in his letter he attempts to lay the blame solely at the Scottish Government’s door, specifically and unjustifiably the first minister.

When reading similar comments, I have asked the question, ‘What would you have done differently?’, and frequently the answer was ‘I would have shut down sooner!’.

Professor Neil Ferguson agrees, as an ex-member of the UK Government SAGE group, and has produced validated modelling indicating that shutting down two weeks earlier would have saved a significant number of deaths, possibly as much as half.

To achieve this level of shutdown, all employees needed to be furloughed and companies needed other support mechanisms.

It required the UK Government to pull the levers, as this level of intervention is not reserved to the Scottish Government.

The delay in initiating employee furlough and business support and other relief was completely under the control of the UK Government. What was the hold-up? Was it the disarray and disagreements surrounding ‘herd immunity’ strategy, where livelihoods were to be prioritised over lives?

Only the UK Government knows. Alistair Ballantyne. Birkhill, Angus.