Travel restrictions protect the nation

NICOLA Sturgeon is right when she says Scotland faces a “big risk” of importing new variants of Covid if international travel restrictions are lifted too soon.

The First Minister has urged caution on flying abroad as the country slowly emerges from the second deadly wave of the virus.

She has admitted allowing foreign travel to resume after the first lockdown was done “too quickly” which then led to new strains being imported.

Scotland had the virus in retreat last summer but opening too early to international travel reversed the trend.

Ultimately we saw a rise in cases and deaths.

Faster spreading and more severe strains of coronavirus ravaged the country, which led to the lockdown over Christmas and into the new year.

The same thing must not be allowed to happen again.

Coronavirus won’t be defeated in Scotland until it is defeated everywhere.

The virus is spreading fast in countries such as India and Brazil and although they may seem like far-off places, Covid doesn’t recognise borders.

It’s important we learn from mistakes and don’t repeat them.

It would be devastating if we were forced to lockdown nationally for a third time, all because of foreign travel.

Are two weeks on the Costas worth six months more of lockdown?

Scotland, and the rest of the UK, is making great progress in suppressing the virus, but that could easily be undone if we lift restrictions before time.