A backwards step for morale and economy

THE prospect of families being banned from visiting each other would have been unthinkable before coronavirus struck.

Now the move is part of a raft of changes that represent the latest government drive against a virus that is – so far – proving impossible to defeat.

The prohibition on indoor household meetings is a devastating development – just as many of us believed we had turned a corner. It’s also an infringement of personal freedom that will increase social isolation.

Pub curfews are another blow for an industry battling for survival – and it’s not clear how they will have the desired impact of cutting infections.

Illegal house parties appear to be driving the resurgence of Covid, and industry leaders fear closing bars earlier may simply drive revellers into carrying on their night out at an illicit get-together indoors.

One of the cruel anomalies of these new curbs is that families will effectively have to pay to see their relatives and friends.

While other people’s homes are out of bounds, meeting in pubs and restaurants is the only realistic alternative in the cold winter months.

And are we really to believe that licensed premises are cleaner and safer than the home of a loved one?

But the First Minister has also urged us to reduce unnecessary personal interactions.

And we’re told we must forego foreign breaks over the mid-term holiday – a further setback for beleaguered airlines and package holiday firms. Taken together, this new batch of restrictions, which could be in place for months, are yet another sobering imposition on daily life.

Even the traditional family Christmas – the promise of family reunions at the end of a tough year – is at risk.

The new measures are all the more daunting given that until recently Nicola Sturgeon spoke repeatedly of her government’s progress in its long-term strategy to ‘eliminate’ Covid.

As Miss Sturgeon said in her television address last night, one day we will be looking back on Covid, ‘not living through it’.

But until a vaccine is found, there’s no real hope of a full restoration of our former lives, as long as the testing regime is a shambles.

The economic toll is incalculable; as furlough nears its end, there is little doubt that we are hurtling towards a major crisis.

Yet Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said Scottish independence is necessary for job creation – a starting position that does not bode well for the future.

We can stomach yesterday’s demoralising backward step, as long as it’s over soon.

But we can’t be expected to tolerate a return to full lockdown – or a government that isn’t laser-focused on economic recovery.