Sturgeon questions traffic light system
Nicola Sturgeon has criticised the traffic light system for international travel and warned: “We don't know where” the next coronavirus variant will come from.
The First Minister has questioned the policy adopted by the UK Government, which sees different countries given a red or green light depending on how dangerous the are considered.
Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Ms Sturgeon asked why the UK had adopted a policy that only reacted to where the variants were.
Demanding a tougher approach, she said: “We are seeing new variants appear in different parts of the world.
“The variant that has caused us in Scotland and others in most parts of the UK the most problem over the last few months is the Kent variant, the one that led us all into lockdown again over Christmas and into the early part of the year.
“We don’t know where the variants of real concern are going to come from, which is why an approach to international travel that tries to categorise risk with some countries categorised as red list countries and other countries deemed to be safer poses a risk.
“Unfortunately, none of us know right now where the next variant that will be really problematic is going to occur.
“We’ve got to be very careful as we continue to suppress things at home we don’t allow it to be reseeded with more dangerous variants from elsewhere.”