Tory warning as Sturgeon refuses to speed up exit
SCOTLAND is ‘stuck in the slow lane’ out of lockdown because Nicola Sturgeon refuses to commit to speeding up the exit from restrictions, critics warned last night.
The First Minister yesterday said latest figures on the pandemic give grounds for ‘a lot of optimism’.
But she insisted that restrictions need to be lifted ‘cautiously and carefully’ to ensure there is no need for a third lockdown.
She also refused to commit to an earlier lifting of restrictions not due to end until May 17 – and dashed hopes of the return of foreign travel, calling it ‘one of the prices to pay’ for domestic normality.
The comments came after Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross yesterday urged Miss Sturgeon to allow a ‘faster route back to normality’.
This would include bringing in changes due on May 17 – such as the full reopening of leisure premises, indoor hospitality until 10.30pm, and the return of outdoor sport – three weeks earlier than anticipated.
The Tories will today launch a ‘rebuilding road map’ of how restrictions can be eased more quickly to protect jobs and get the economy moving again.
Following yesterday’s lockdown review, Mr Ross said: ‘In light of the success of the UK vaccine scheme, we should be looking at a faster road to recovery while remaining cautious.
‘The public health data has improved considerably and Nicola Sturgeon herself said that if that happened, we could look to safely speed up Scotland’s reopening dates.
‘We welcome that face-to-face learning in schools is resuming, although later than the Scottish Conservatives felt necessary. But there is still not enough emphasis on the impact of these restrictions on mental health, physical health and family finances.
‘It’s disappointing that has been overlooked, despite the more encouraging health data.
‘Instead of reacting to more positive data, we are stuck in the slow lane with a more sluggish than necessary return to normality.’
Miss Sturgeon yesterday said data on virus prevalence provides a ‘really positive picture’ and ‘gives us a lot of optimism’. But she warned countries such as France have had to reimpose lockdowns following a spike in cases, saying that could ‘still happen here if we let down our guard too far or too quickly’.
She added: ‘We will continue to look to see what we can do as quickly as possible.
‘People understandably look at falling case numbers, falling deaths, falling hospitalisations and say, “Why don’t we just ease up a lot more quickly?”.
‘The reason the cases are falling is because we have these restrictions. As soon as you have to ease the restrictions, you run the risk of the virus running out of control again.’
The next review on April 20 will confirm whether restrictions due to be lifted on April 26 will go ahead.
Mr Ross said he believed it was ‘possible’ all restrictions could to be lifted in Scotland around the June 21 ‘freedom day’ set for England.
But Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I hope that by the time we are into the summer there will be significantly more normality on a whole host of things but for me to stand here right now and give certainty about that, given all the uncertainties and unpredictability, I don’t think I would be treating people fairly.’
Cross-UK talks are continuing about the return of foreign travel, with a ‘traffic light system’ based on prevalence in various countries.
Boris Johnson has said he is ‘hopeful’ this can begin to return from May 17 in England.
But Miss Sturgeon said yesterday: ‘One of the prices we are going to have to pay for a bit of time to get more normality back domestically is not travelling overseas.’
‘We’re stuck in the slow lane’