We’ve been let down, say Scots businesses
the f ai l ure of t he Scottish Government to come up with an adequate contact tracing system has let down companies, according to business leaders.
Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said that firms are being ‘switched on and off like lightbulbs’ by changes in restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus.
Under the Scottish Government’s five-tier framework, weekly reviews determine the level of restrictions for each local authority area.
Mr Patrick’s comments come as Glasgow and some other Central Belt local authorities face being put into the toughest – Level 4 – restrictions, which he c l ai ms would ‘suspend’ 80,000 jobs.
however, Deputy First Minister John Swinney claimed on Sunday that the move is ‘not inevitable’.
Mr Patrick told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: ‘It’s not too surprising to find that among the membership there’s a degree of disillusionment with the way in which the Government has handled its relationship with business.
‘Business went about investing millions in putting in the necessary personal protective equipment, setting up the test and Protect systems and ensuring that their operations were as safe as they could be.’
he added: ‘But we feel that the Government hasn’t fully delivered on its side of the bargain, which was to deliver a very successful test and Protect system.
‘that clearly hasn’t worked otherwise we wouldn’t be going i nto another round of lockdowns.’
Mr Patrick said if swathes of the country enter Level 4 curbs and non-essential shops are forced to close ‘there really has to be sufficient investment i n the mass testing that’s going to be necessary to avoid having to go into this miserable lockdown cycle’.
Meanwhile, east Dunbartonshire Council’s joint leader, Andrew Polson, has urged the Scottish Government to use ‘severe caution’ when deciding whether or not to place areas into tougher restrictions.
he claimed ministers are only paying ‘lip service’ to some of the harms caused by the pandemic.
the senior Conservative councillor said that at present only the harm against public health was being considered, while problems caused in the delivery of health and social care, the economy and the exacerbating of social harms are not being given as much attention.
Mr Polson added: ‘It is irresponsible of decision-makers not to take into account other health harms – inequalities which affect those disadvantaged already and the severe economic damage that will impact on people losing their jobs and livelihoods.’
Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in edinburgh yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘ We try to assign levels based on the extent of restrictions that we think are required, taking account of the prevalence, the test positivity, the pressure on NHS resources and, of course, the direction of travel.
‘In terms of the economic and social impact, of course, we are all concerned about that, which is why we don’t take decisions about increasing restrictions, and certainly not going to the Level 4 tier of restrictions, lightly.’
‘A degree of disillusionment’