She’s doing OK but we want rules lifted if jabs rollout allows

MOST Scots think Nicola Sturgeon has struck the right balance on easing lockdown restrictions – but a big majority think that the Scottish Government should speed up the timetable if the vaccination rollout reduces the death toll.

With the UK hitting 20million vaccine doses yesterday, a Survation poll for the Daily Record shows that 57 per cent of people think that the phased easing of lockdown in Scotland should be accelerated.

But almost the same number of Scots – 56 per cent – think the Government should not allow football fans to attend matches before the end of the season in May, compared with 30 per cent who want fans back in grounds and 15 per cent who don’t know.

The First Minister has given a timetable for opening up the economy with the staged return to schools starting last week.

There will be a return to a regional system of restrictions by April 26 with the opening of non-essential retail, hospitality and services such as gyms and hairdressers if cases are kept low amid the rollout of the vaccine.

There is some impatience with the April 26 date for shops and hairdressers reopening with 29 per cent saying the date is too late, compared with 17 per cent who say it is too early and 44 cent who thought it was about right.

Some 25 per cent think that the school return date was too early and 17 per cent thought it too late with 44 per cent satisfied the Government had it right.

In the survey of 1000 Scots, the Survation polling company found 57 per cent wanted the Government to revise the timelines for ending lockdown if vaccination continues to show reductions in hospitalisations and deaths.

This is compared to 33 per cent who were happy with the current guidelines and 10 per cent who said they did not know.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice said: “Over the last year, voters have backed Sturgeon’s cautious approach to easing lockdown restrictions.

“However, in today’s poll more say that the end of April date for reopening the high streets is too late – and at the same time 57 per cent say that the lockdown timetable should be changed if the vaccination programme continues to have an impact.

“Much of Sturgeon’s – and thus the SNP’s – popularity in recent months has rested on her handling of the pandemic.

“She now needs to ensure she continues to take the country with her.”