Covid crisis demands caution and co-operation by all
Scottish Government needs to be clear about just what is allowed to help businesses get back to work
As Nicola Sturgeon unveiled plans to begin the easing of the lockdown restrictions from 28 May, she described the Scottish Government’s approach as “suitably cautious”. Given this is a life-and-death situation, anything other than caution at this juncture would be a serious mistake. We simply do not know whether or not easing the restrictions will cause the rate of coronavirus infection to flare up once again. In a process that necessarily involves a fair degree of informed guesswork, we need to take things slowly and be prepared to reverse course if required.
However, precisely because our pace is slow, we cannot afford for progress to be further hampered by either a lack of direction and clarity or too much bureaucracy from Government. Never in the history of devolution has it been more important for the Scottish Government to be nimble in its decision-making and responsive to events on the ground. This applies both to the status of the outbreak and also to practical issues being faced by businesses all across the country.
Responding to the Scottish Government’s plan for a staged easing of the lockdown, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said that failings over coronavirus testing had been “the weakest aspect” of its response to this crisis. This is no excuse for the SNP, but the same charge could be levelled at his own party’s Government in Westminster. The UK failed on a ‘four-nation’ basis to rise to the early challenge set by the World Health Organisation to “test, test, test”. Had it done so, the outbreak, the death toll, the lockdown and the consequent economic damage would almost certainly have been less severe.
Another point made by Carlaw was a good one because it was constructive. He told the First Minister that “Scotland is already on the move”, urging her to publish clear instructions for different sectors of industry about what would be allowed as new regimes comes into force. This will be important because, while some people are champing at the bit to return to work or re-open their businesses because of very real and pressing financial concerns, there are many who remain worried about catching the disease and potentially passing it on to their loved ones. So there is a real risk of damaging disputes breaking out between employers and staff. Clear guidelines from the Government, developed with expert help, should offer reassurance to everyone involved.
It would also help if politicians continue to work together and avoid their natural tendency to seek political advantage by trying to exploit the situation in any way. Suspicions are rising that this is starting to happen and party leaders in particular have a job to do to dampen this feeling down by working together as much as possible. If the lockdown becomes politicised, the public’s excellent co-operation with its requirements is likely to break down, especially as the rules become more complicated. And we still need to ‘do our bit’ and abide by them – including ones we do not agree with. For its part, Downing Street welcomed the First Minister’s announcement, saying “we set out the roadmap a few weeks ago and now the devolved administrations are following that path at the right speed for them”.
As we prepare to take our first tentative steps back to normality, we need everyone, politicians, employers, unions and the public in general to work together for the greater good of us all. The danger has not yet passed.