Pressure mounts to reopen Scotland’s building sites

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has defended the government’s decision to keep building sites in Scotland closed, writes Ellis Butcher.

Despite the lockdown, construction firms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been allowed to work with safety measures in place, while in Scotland, all non-essential sites remain closed.

At a recent First Minister’s question time Jackson Carlaw, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, said the different rule for Scotland caused confusion and lacked consistency.

‘If any given business can work safely anywhere, and can do it without spreading the virus, then why not in Scotland?’

Mrs Sturgeon said the evidence was clear that keeping non-essential construction sites closed was the right thing to do to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives.

She replied: ‘I could say well, maybe the problem is that others (nations) are not following Scotland’s guidance, just as others might say Scotland is not following guidance elsewhere. There is a big assumption in Jackson Carlaw’s question that it is safe for construction to be operating normally in other parts of the UK. That is something as First Minister of Scotland I am not yet absolutely satisfied about. Has enough changed for me to change that judgement and my answer to that is not yet because we are at such a critical stage.

‘The evidence I am looking at tells me it would not take much at all to send our progress into reverse.’