Anger at Scottish travel ban as fans surge south
MANCHESTER’S mayor has raged at Scottish Government “hypocrisy” after it banned travel to the North West – while thousands of Scottish football fans descended on London.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon named Manchester and Salford as Covid-19 hotspots on Friday, despite figures in the cities matching case rates in parts of Scotland.
Asked about the fans being allowed to surge south, Labour mayor Andy Burnham said: “I just think it is double standards, it is as simple as that. It is hypocrisy.”
Complain
And he said the Scottish Government did not even give any notice to city authorities before announcing the ban on “all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford” starting from today.
Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Mr Burnham said: “I was really disappointed the First Minister just announced – out of the blue – a travel ban saying people couldn’t travel from Scotland to Manchester and
Salford and people couldn’t go the other way.
“They’ve done to us what they always complain that the
UK Government does to Scotland.”
He added: “Why should a couple from Salford who are double jabbed who are about to go on a walking holiday in Scotland not be able to go?
“It’s completely disproportionate in my view.
“I will be writing to the First Minister. I will be asking for compensation for the
individuals who might lose holidays and the businesses who might lose bookings.”
Scottish Government trade minister Ivan McKee said a decision on Covid-19 had to be made quickly.
He said: “The virus, as we know, moves very fast, decisions are made very fast.”
Meanwhile, Welsh football fans who travelled to Rome for yesterday’s game with Italy were celebrating twice over.
Their team went through to the last 16 of the Euro 2020 – and Italian authorities decided to delay implementing a five-day quarantine for British travellers until today.
That meant fans could see the game without having to first isolate.
Now that’s a result!