The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Scots are urged to take up ‘national collective effort’ against coronavirus
Nicola Sturgeon has defended her decision to ease lockdown measures on one of the hottest weekends of the year as she called for a “collective national effort” to defeat Covid-19.
The first minister said “each and every one of us” has a part to play in suppressing the virus and the best way Scots can show solidarity is by doing “the right thing” and sticking to public health guidance.
Ms Sturgeon said she does not regret her decision to roll back restrictions before the weekend and insisted she always knew coming out of lockdown was likely to prove even trickier than introducing measures in the first place. She said: “The truth is that our success or failure in suppressing this virus and keeping it suppressed will also depend on all of us as individual citizens and it will depend on our collective efforts as a society.”
The first minister’s plea came as it was revealed 510 delayed discharge patients were moved out of hospitals into Scotland’s care homes in April, taking the total transferred during the outbreak to 1,431.
Ms Sturgeon has admitted she is unable to rule out a link between the large number of untested hospital patients discharged into homes and grim figures showing residents account for almost half of all Covid-19 deaths in Scotland.
The latest figure, released by NHS Scotland’s statistics division yesterday, represents the highest proportion of discharges from hospitals into care homes in April in several years – a rise of around 16%.
The data also confirms a significant movement of over
“Our success or failure... will depend on all of us”
75s in recent months, with the number stuck in hospital falling from 1,108 in February to 331 in April.
Mandatory testing for patients entering care homes was not added to the Scottish Government’s guidance until April 21 and it has been claimed the elderly were “chased out” of hospital as part of a drive to free up beds.
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said: “These were the most vulnerable people in our society and they were sent out of hospital to places where they would mingle with equally vulnerable individuals. It’s no wonder Covid-19 has spread like wildfire in our care homes.
“The SNP government now needs to explain why so many over-75s were chased out of hospital during a global health pandemic without proper testing or protection.”
A further 12 deaths with laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Scotland overnight, taking the total number to 2,375.