Coronavirus – response to new lockdown

The announcement earlier today of a new stricter lockdown with measures which are legally enforceable has led to comment from various industry and political spokespeople.

With the new Stay At Home message, and no travel in and out of Scotland unless essential, the situation has changed in response to the new figures which show that more than half of new cases are of the new variant. This appears to be more easily transmissible than previous strains.

The City of Edinburgh Council

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is obviously a very concerning situation for the whole country, perhaps the most precarious position we’ve been in since the pandemic first took hold in Scotland in early 2020. Everyone has sacrificed so much already in our collective fight against this virus but as the new strain is now accounting for almost half of all new cases, we need to act decisively. Edinburgh residents and businesses have demonstrated extraordinary resilience throughout this crisis and we face more very difficult weeks ahead. I know we’ve got what it takes to pull together once again and keep ourselves and each other safe. The more we stick together on this, the faster we’ll bring the spread under control to keep our communities safe.

“We’re actively reviewing all relevant council services in light of today’s announcement and will provide further updates to residents and businesses as soon as we’re able. Our focus will remain on providing the best support we can to those most in need across the Capital. We’ll be speaking to partners over the next hours and days and will be sharing information when details are finalised on the dedicated COVID pages on our website and through our social media channels.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “New Year is always a hopeful time of year and with the vaccines being rolled out nationwide we can all draw comfort from the prospect of a return to a more normal way of life later in 2021. We’ll get to that point more quickly, though, if we put in the effort now to really minimise our risk of transmitting or picking up the virus. Please stay at home except for essential purposes and help protect the NHS, who are going through such an incredibly difficult period right now – and it looks set to worsen in the coming weeks. We need to follow the public health guidance and get this right. I want to offer my thanks in advance to all the frontline workers in health, retail, essential transport, core Council services and other sectors who help keep us all going through these extremely tough times.”

Scottish Conservatives

The Scottish Conservatives are concerned that a new lockdown until the end of January will increase the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils, unless the SNP increase support for home learning.

Scottish Conservative Holyrood leader Ruth Davidson said: “After today’s announcement, parents are having to rip up childcare plans, negotiate with their employers and, most significantly, they’re worried about their children’s fractured education.  

“SNP complacency over support and learning will not only cost pupils the next few weeks of schooling, it will potentially hinder their future progress and cause the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils to stretch even wider. 

“The stark warnings from education experts, opposition parties and even the Children and Young People’s Commissioner have gone unheeded for too long.

“The government has had months to prepare for this possibility and instead, schools are facing a return almost to square one and without the necessary guidance and resources they need to provide equal access to high quality education.”

The First Minister said earlier that schools will offer remote learning until 1 February 2021, except for vulnerable children or children whose parents are key workers. Although it remains a priority of the Scottish Government to get school buildings open again as quickly as possible, Ms Sturgeon explained that community transmission at present is simply too high, and there are questions around the new variant and the transmissibility among young people. There will be an announcement on 18 January 2021 about the reopening of schools on 1 February.

The First Minister also explained that since the summer of 2020 more than 50,000 devices such as laptops have been distributed to help children and young people with remote learning. More devices are also being distributed by councils each week, with the aim of benefitting around 70,000 pupils all over Scotland.

Scottish Labour

Scottish Labour want the First Minister to encourage any Scottish businesses to furlough working parents who may need time off to care for their children, and have also called for a £500 payment for anyone who needs to self-isolate to be extended to more people on low incomes.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “The issue here is not just whether schools and school buildings are open or not. It is how much preparation has been made by her government for the continuation of our children’s education. 

“It is about whether the remote learning materials which were promised back in July are ready now six months later. 

“It is about whether teachers have the support they need, whether plans are in place and whether they have the resources they require to back it up. 

“It is about how much support there is for working parents, what the plan for them. For example, does the First Minister have a plan to encourage all businesses to furlough all working parents to take the time off to support their children.” 

Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie said: “There will be a heavy price to pay in terms of loss of education, poor mental health, access to health services and growing inequality but I agree the evidence supports the return of stricter measures.

“It would be a tragedy if the NHS was to be overwhelmed and more lives lost when the protective coat of the vaccine is within touching distance. This is about the safety of us all.

“Liberal Democrats want schools to return when the scientific evidence is clearer that it is safe to do so.  As the threat of the virus is greater with age we would support the earlier return of nurseries and primary schools compared to secondary schools if the advice confirms that.

“As there will be more people back at work compared to the spring we will need more childcare for workers. If the government is asking people to work it has a responsibility to do all it can to make sure their children can be cared for.”

Scottish Greens

Scottish Greens want vaccination for teachers and school staff speeded up as well as a package of practical support for parents.

Patrick Harvie MSP and Co-Convener of the Scottish Greens said: “With schools closing for longer than planned, there is a need for a package of practical support for parents, not only from government but also from employers, especially for single parents, for those living in cramped conditions, and those coping with working from home while schools are closed. People struggled last time but got through. They need and deserve our help if they have to do it again.

“I hope the First Minister agrees that teaching unions are rightly concerned about the safety of pupils and the wider community, as well as school staff – it has been appalling to see some people, including prominent political figures, appear to question their judgement and even their integrity in their call for a precautionary response to the pandemic.

“I welcome the fact that the First Minister appears to acknowledge that more needs to be done to accelerate vaccination for teachers and other school staff. We must see meaningful progress on this before the review date of the 18th January.”

CAMRA Scotland

Director for CAMRA Scotland Joe Crawford said: “Tighter restrictions under the new national lockdown means that the light at the end of the tunnel still seems months away for Scotland’s beleaguered pubs and breweries.

“With pubs having missed out on any money through the tills over Christmas – which would have been their busiest time of year – and no prospect of re-opening on the immediate horizon, it is clear that the existing financial support on offer won’t be enough to save our pubs and breweries from permanent closure.

“The Scottish Government must recognise that local pubs are a force for good, bringing communities together and playing a key role in tackling loneliness and social isolation. 

“They deserve a new, long-term, sector-specific financial support plan to make sure that they can survive the next few weeks and months and are still around to open their doors again once restrictions start to be lifted.” 

[su_spoiler class=”my-custom-spoiler” title=”Stay at Home guidance”] Stay at Home
To minimise the risk of spreading the virus, you must stay at home as much as possible. By law, in a level 4 area, you can only leave your home (or garden) for an essential purpose.
There is a list of examples of reasonable excuses below. Although you can leave home for these purposes, you should stay as close to home as possible. Shop on-line or use local shops and services wherever you can. Travel no further than you need to reach to a safe, non-crowded place to exercise in a socially distanced way. To minimise the risk of spread of Coronavirus it is crucial that we all avoid unnecessary travel.

Examples of reasonable excuses to go out:

for work or an activity associated with seeking employment, or to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home.
for education including, school, college, university or other essential purposes connected with a course of study.
for essential shopping, including essential shopping for a vulnerable person. You should use online shopping or shops and other services in your immediate area wherever you can.
to obtain or deposit money, where it is not possible to do so from home.
for healthcare, including COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
for childcare or support services for parents or expectant parents.
for essential services, including services of a charitable or voluntary nature such as food banks, alcohol or drug support services.
to access public services where it is not possible to do so, including from home:
services provided to victims (such as victims of crime),
social-care services,
accessing day care centres,
services provided by the Department for Work and Pensions,
services provided to victims (including victims of crime),
asylum and immigration services and interviews,
waste or recycling services,
to provide care, assistance, support to or respite for a vulnerable person
to provide or receive emergency assistance.
to participate in or facilitate shared parenting.
to visit a person in an extended household.
to meet a legal obligation including satisfying bail conditions, to participate in legal proceedings, to comply with a court mandate in terms of sentence imposed or to register a birth.
for attendance at court including a remote jury centre, an inquiry, a children’s hearing, tribunal proceedings or to resolve a dispute via Alternative Dispute Resolution.
for essential animal welfare reasons, such as exercising or feeding a horse or going to a vet.
local outdoor recreation, sport or exercise, walking, cycling, golf, or running that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area) as long as you abide by the rules on meeting other households
to attend a marriage ceremony or registration of a civil partnership.
to attend a funeral or for compassionate reasons which relate to the end of a person’s life. This includes gatherings related to the scattering or interring of ashes, a stone setting ceremony and other similar commemorative events.
if you are a minister of religion or worship leader, for the purposes of leading an act of worship (broadcast or online), conducting a marriage or civil partnership ceremony or a funeral.
to donate blood.
for activities in connection with moving home (including viewing a property), or for activities in connection with the maintenance, purchase, sale, letting, or rental of residential property that the person owns or is otherwise responsible for. Travelling for the purposes of undertaking essential work on a property other than your main residence should not be used as a pretext for a holiday. You should not stay longer than for the length of time required to undertake the necessary work.
to avoid injury, illness or to escape a risk of harm.
for those involved in professional sports, for training, coaching or competing in an event.
to visit a person receiving treatment in a hospital, staying in a hospice or care home, or to accompany a person to a medical appointment.
to register or vote in a Scottish or UK Parliament, Local Government or overseas election or by-election, including on behalf of someone else by proxy
to visit a person detained in prison, young offenders institute, remand centre, secure accommodation or other place of detention.
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