Sturgeon: My daily moment of reflection to honour virus dead
Poignant revelation by First Minister but she also gives nation cause for optimism
NICOLA Sturgeon has today issued a rallying cry to the nation – pledging that ‘as spring turns to summer’ Scotland will have turned a corner in its fight against coronavirus.
But although the First Minister insisted there was cause for ‘optimism amid the anxiety’, she warned a tough road lies ahead.
And with glorious sunshine and warm weather forecast, she again pleaded with the public to resist the temptation to leave their homes.
Writing exclusively in The Scottish Mail on Sunday, Ms Sturgeon reveals that, in a poignant ritual, she takes a moment each day to remind herself of the ‘lives lost and bereaved families’ before announcing the latest figures on deaths and infections.
As Scotland’s death toll soared by 25 per cent – up from 172 on Friday to 218 yesterday – Ms Sturgeon warned that the virus could take at least two more weeks to reach its peak.
The First Minister also laid bare how she is coping with the pandemic and newly imposed stringent distancing laws that have changed the very fabric of society. And, despite her position of immense responsibility amid the pandemic, she told how she, like many families, yearns to see her loved ones.
The First Minister’s searingly honest personal insight into the pandemic comes as:
Thirteen residents have died at a care home where staff are being treated for the virus;
Glasgow Airport is hosting an emergency drive-through testing station for NHS staff;
The Scottish Government confirms prisoners are being identified for early release;
An incredible 50,000 caring Scots signed up to join the country’s army of volunteers.
Writing on what is forecast to be the hottest day of the year so far, Ms Sturgeon called on everyone to stay indoors. She said: ‘No one wishes more than I do that we could return to normal. I want that as much as anyone, but as First Minister I have a duty to do all that I can to help to keep people safe – and that means staying the course and sticking with it, no matter how hard that might be.
‘Living the way we are now does not come naturally.
‘It is only human to seek out company and camaraderie, and it is a cruel irony that at a time like this, when such human interaction is valued more than ever, that we are being denied it.
She added: ‘No Skype call, text or Zoom meeting can truly make up for lack of real human contact. That’s why I’m as keen as anyone for this period to end, so I can meet up with my own family, including my parents, my sister and my niece and nephews.
‘My sister and sister-in-law are among the army of NHS and social care workers who are doing such an incredible job working on the front line.’
But Miss Sturgeon reassured that ‘as spring turns to summer, I hope we will have turned a corner’, adding: ‘The fragility of our modern lives has been starkly exposed by coronavirus.
‘But it has also reminded us all of our common humanity, and it may not be too much to hope that, in time, it helps see the emergence of a kinder, better world.’
Ms Sturgeon’s rousing intervention comes as the number of positive cases in Scotland rose yesterday by more than 10 per cent, from 3,001 up to 3,345.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde remains the area with the most confirmed cases at 851, followed by Lothian at 476 and then Lanarkshire at 427.
Serious concerns have been raised about the impact coronavirus is having on the care sector, as 500,000 elderly people living in care homes face becoming ‘abandoned victims’.
It follows a tragedy in which 13 people died at the Burlington Court care home in Cranhill, in the east end of Glasgow. Although the victims were not tested, two staff members are now being treated for the virus. It follows warnings from campaigners that some of the nation’s care homes now resemble ‘war zones’.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government continues to face accusations it is not providing enough testing for frontline health and social care workers.
On Friday, Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland could be carrying out 10,000 tests a day by the end of the month – substantially more than the Scottish Government’s official target of 3,500 per day.
Last week, this newspaper revealed that almost a quarter of Scottish Prison Service employees are now off work.
And yesterday, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf revealed the prison population has fallen
‘Duty to do all I can to help keep people safe’