Gloves are off as MSP calls for soft play support
Tor y MSP Graham Simpson is backing calls from indoor soft play operators to be allowed to reopen.
After meeting with protestors outside o f S c o t t i s h Pa r l i a ment, Mr Si mpson is speaking out in support of safely reopening centres.
It is feared that 64 per cent of these c e nt r e s a c r o s s S c o t l a nd c o ul d c l o s e permanently by Christmas.
It comes after the operator of Wonder Wor l d , wh i c h h a s p r e mi s e s i n E a s t Kilbride, this week reiterated his call for a U-turn on the Scottish Government to delay reopening until at least October 5.
A rally was held outside of Scottish Parliament where Mr Simpson spoke to supporters.
They discussed how it is essential that indoor play centres are allowed to reopen or gain some kind of government support.
There are approximately 145 centres in Scotland.
These 145 centres collectively employ over 4500, mostly female staff.
Mr Simpson says staff are a mixture of full-time and part-time from a wide range of ages and can be teens, working mothers and more.
Indoor play centres have been open in Wales from August 10, August 15 in England and September 14 in Northern Ireland with no detectable adverse impact on the spread of coronavirus.
In Scotland, indoor play centres had been given the provisional date to prepare premises, st aff and st ock f or opening o n S e pt e mber 1 4 , but t hat dat e was postponed.
Mr Simpson said unlike outdoor swing p a r k s t hat a r e ne i t he r s a ni t i s e d nor monitored, indoor play centres in Scotland have a full list of the many coronavirus measures they have adopted. And that these centres are ready to open their doors to the public in a safe, measured way.
The MSP for Central Scotland said: “Nicola Sturgeon has made the point that 96 per cent of businesses in Scotland are open and yet continues to ignore the remaining four per cent. They too need our support.
“Why is it that adults in Scotland can eat, drink and be merry in pubs but children cannot access this form of play, exercise and social interaction?
“With winter fast approaching, kids need a way to play in a safe, public, allweather environment.
“Beyond c oronavir us, t here i s re al c o n c e r n f o r t h e ment a l h e a l t h a n d socialisation of our youngsters. Indoor play also has the potential to be a key part of the government’s obesity reduction strategy in Scotland.”
He added: “These are difficult times and public health must remain our first priority but with these centres open elsewhere in the UK with no detectable adverse impact on the spread of coronavirus, the SNP Scottish Government must open these centres in a safe way or these spaces will shut permanently.
East Kilbride SNP MSP Linda Fabiani s ai d: “The S c ot t i s h Government has
for months now been calling on the UK Government t o e x t e nd t he Furl ough scheme so as t o better support t hose who work i n sectors such as t hose i n the soft play industr y. In my view, the recent measures announced by the UK Government do not go far enough and should be further improved.
“Un f o r t u n a t e l y we h av e s e e n t h e number of cases rise significantly over the past week or so, and many of the changes
due to take effect on October 5 are unlikely to go ahead on that timescale.
“The Scottish Government’s judgement, after listening to the advice from public health experts, is that reopening such services brings further risk of transmission.
“Of course it’s deeply concerning for everyone affected, and the situation for soft-play and other sectors is monitored on an ongoing basis.”