Vulnerable fear rules relaxation

RELAXING Covid restrictions while cases remain high will put people with compromised immunity at risk, the Scottish Government has been warned.

In an open letter to MSPs, a patient action group has said any plan to ‘live with Covid’ would have ‘significant ramifications’.

The 83 signatories to the letter, including disabled people, those with pre-existing health conditions, unpaid carers and equality organisation representatives, want ‘clarity’ on the current Covid strategy.

The letter says the recent announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the country had to ‘live with Covid’ left them ‘shaken’, as it would put thousands of vulnerable people at risk of becoming severely ill or dying from the virus.

‘It has illustrated whose lives matter and who is dispensable,’ it says. ‘Whilst these decisions apply to England, they will have consequences for Scotland, particularly during the holiday period.’

The letter adds: ‘Any policy decision to “live with Covid” implies that the risk to our lives is worth taking. We do not agree.’

Lynn Williams cares for her husband Derek, who has a severe spinal injury. She told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that ‘consistently high case rates’ have caused the couple to start shielding again. She added: ‘I guess that as long as these case rates remain high, people like my husband and many who’ve signed the letter are at real risk really of catching Covid and dying.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The chief medical officer will be writing to everyone who is on the highest risk list soon with advice about what moving to Level 0 and beyond will mean for them.

‘There remains a significant group of people at highest risk from Covid-19 who have not yet had both doses of the vaccine. We would encourage all those who are able to, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.’