NO MORE LOCKING US DOWN
We must ‘learn to live’ with virus ‘Never forget cost of lockdowns’
SCoTlAND must ‘learn to live’ with coronavirus and move away from using lockdowns to deal with the pandemic, according to the Deputy First Minister.
John Swinney voiced hope that Scotland will be able to move away from tough restrictions as a way of responding to rising Covid-19 cases.
He said he hopes future outbreaks can be dealt with through the Test and protect system.
His remarks came as MSps debated the strategy around Covid-19 for the first time in the new Scottish parliamentary term yesterday.
Mr Swinney, who is also the Covid recovery Secretary, said the first crossparty steering group on coronavirus recovery had already met and agreed its core priorities.
He was urged to confirm the Scottish Government would ditch the elimination strategy – and lockdowns.
At Holyrood, Scottish Tory MSp Murdo Fraser said that his party understood that ‘restrictions on lives were necessary’ in order to stem the spread of Covid-19 and protect the NHS.
But he said the country must ‘never forget these lockdowns came at enormous cost, socially and economically, with vast sums having to be spent by governments to support individuals, businesses and communities’.
Mr Fraser said that with the vaccine rollout now moving to the 30s age groups and under, the country must learn to live with the virus in order to move forward.
He said: ‘Just as we have had to live with, for example, seasonal flu outbreaks, we’re going to have to learn to live with Covid in future.
‘The biggest weapon in our armoury against Covid and allowing us to ease restrictions more quickly has been the extraordinary success of the vaccination programme.’
Mr Fraser said the uK was a ‘world leader’ in vaccine delivery and this was the way to ‘keep people safe and relax restrictions more quickly’.
He said Covid recovery should be the ‘unrelenting focus’ for the next five years.
Scottish labour leader Anas Sarwar stressed that coronavirus continues to be a ‘huge challenge’ for the country, saying dealing with the pandemic must be ‘the defining mission of this parliament’.
But with Glasgow now Scotland’s Covid hotspot and the only part of the country still under level 3 restrictions, Mr Sarwar warned there is a ‘real risk’ of trust between the public and politicians break ing down. He said: ‘We need to see urgent action that gives a proper route map, an exit plan, for the city of Glasgow.’
lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton called on ministers to start the public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic ‘without delay’. He said: ‘That inquiry should not be about politics but about catharsis, about healing and learning from the remnants of this virus for any future pandemic that might visit upon our shores.’
Mr Swinney said: ‘I’m hopeful that over time we may be able to move away from the use of lockdowns and severe restrictions on our freedoms, and instead to take a more targeted approach, using our high-performing Test and protect system, enhanced surveillance and local outbreak management to contain and control increasingly sporadic outbreaks.’
Meanwhile, businesses warned that clarity over lockdown rules – including level 3 restrictions in Glasgow – must be given.
pub owner Colin Clydesdale said many establishments in Glasgow have ‘effectively shut since october’.
He added: ‘We’ve got the Bank Holiday which will bring income, so rather than leaving it to the last minute tell us in advance because at the moment we’re trying to second guess the scenario and no one’s got a clue.’
‘We need to see urgent action’