Clarity and authority is vital in this crisis

During a time of national hardship, it is imperative the public is given clear, unequivocal guidance and reassurance to allow them to go about their business in the safest and least disruptive manner possible.

It is doubtful that has been the case with the coronavirus crisis, so far.

The weekend saw shameful scenes in which Westminister’s health minister Matt Hancock announced – on a Saturday night, in a newspaper column behind a paywall – that over-70s could be isolated for four months for their own protection.

A few hours later, his counterpart in the Holyrood government Jeane Freeman, said Scotland would be doing no such thing.

Like it or not, we are a nation governed by multiple parliaments and it is worth examining if cross-border competition is stymying the reaction to the coronavirus crisis.

It is bad enough that government policy is being announced in newspaper articles and off-the-record briefings.

To have conflicting messages either side of the border is unforgiveable.

The evidence in Tayside and Fife – limited reports of panic buying aside – is that people are trying their hardest to follow official advice.

However, when that advice is confusing or poorly disseminated, it is extremely difficult to know what to do.

The fact, as is so often the case, is those who are most likely to be worst affected are the most vulnerable in society, makes it doubly distressing.

It is a rapidly shifting picture and there is no perfect way of communicating.

However, it is surely not beyond the wit of governments to deliver clear, authoritative guidance, on a daily basis and on a platform accessible to every member of the population.

It is the only way best practice can be communicated to the public and followed by as many people as possible. Confusion leads to fear, which leads to panic.

Those in authority cannot fail to appreciate that. They must start to do what they were elected to do – lead.