Nicola’s roadmap? It feels more like a cul-de-sac
WHEN Nicola Sturgeon stood up less than a fortnight ago, pledging to reveal the route map out of lockdown, the country waited with bated breath.
A day after the Prime Minister had given clear dates for hopedfor transitions south of the Border – and clear warnings that changes in transmission rates or new variants emerging would see dates revised – that was what Scotland expected, too.
In the event, there was no route map. No clear plan for workers, for families, for industries such as hospitality, for holidaymakers or for those whose medical treatments had been put on hold.
It was a three-week update with a clanger in the middle – a whole age group of pupils were being told they could expect to start back when schools were having their Easter holidays.
If Ms Sturgeon’s inbox looked anything like mine, the disappointment, frustration and anger of people would be evident.
People want to play their part and stick to the rules but they also want to be treated like adults and to be given proper information about what is going to happen and when. They want answers and Ms Sturgeon would be well advised to start giving some during this Tuesday’s update.
Resilience is low. Continuing separation is being felt. Plans put on hold for months at a time need decisions to be made.
An aspiration to move all of mainland Scotland to Level 3 by the last week in April seemed to give an indication of what might be permitted – until it was swiftly followed up with a warning that there may be ‘some revision to the content of the levels’.
This is the equivalent of saying that we hope five million of you can move to Level 3 in two months’ time, but we won’t tell you what Level 3 is going to be by then. Brilliant.
Currently, Level 3 bans people from leaving their council area.
For most of central Scotland, this measure was brought in as a temporary firebreak in early October. By the last week in
April, that ‘temporary’ 16-day measure will have been in force for more than six months, and people will still be being told that it is illegal to visit relatives or friends – even outside – if they live in another council area.
Roadmap? It was more of a cul-de-sac. It is no wonder that Ms Sturgeon was back just a week later with a big announcement on opening up schools more quickly (and attempting to fix the Easter holiday confusion).
THE people of Scotland aren’t stupid. We recognise the need for caution and understand that we want to keep moving forward rather than opening some things up before having to close them again.
However, we can see for ourselves that the vaccination programme is working. That the transmission rate has dropped, hospitalisations are down, deaths are a fraction of what they were and the people who would be hardest hit if they contracted Covid have now been inoculated.
In that context, we want – and deserve – the Government to level with us about what is and isn’t possible. When can people expect to be contacted about their operation that was cancelled? When can they travel to see their grandchild in the park?
When can cancelled weddings be booked again, in the confidence that guests will be allowed?
When can a business tell its employees their return-to-work date? When can someone struggling with isolation finally get back to an indoor exercise class?
These are the sort of questions that matter. I know, because each and every one of those questions has been asked of me as an MSP from people desperate to know.
They understand that some dates might be subject to change if something big happens and that everything isn’t going to open up immediately. But they want and need better information than the Scottish Government is drip-feeding them.
Ms Sturgeon will be back on her feet in Parliament in two days.
It’s time to treat people like adults and give them the information that they deserve.