CORONAVIRUS has hit so hard that it’s difficult for the public and decision-makers to keep pace with the spread of the contagion and the optimal timing for efforts to manage it. In the space of eight weeks we have seen a Covid-19 outbreak on the other side of the world arrive with a vengeance at our doorstep, and its impact here is only now beginning to be felt.

Beyond hopefully following public safety advice to wash our hands regularly, not touch our faces, and to sneeze into disposable tissues, we are all weighing up the advantages of self-isolation and anticipating challenges that school closures, travel restrictions and other measures will bring in future.

Families want to make sure that older relatives are not totally isolated from human contact, but at the same time not expose them to heightened risks. Decision-makers here and internationally are weighing up the best advice to “flatten the curve” of new infections to reduce the impact on health and emergency services.

Germany’s no-nonsense chancellor, Angela Merkel, gave a sobering assessment this week to prepare the public and explain the need to “win time”. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, addressed his nation to explain that this contagion is the biggest health emergency in 100 years.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar returned early from the United States to announce an unprecedented series of public health measures in Ireland, including school closures.

Here both the Scottish and UK Governments have been giving daily public health updates and making tough decisions on the measures aimed first at containing and now delaying the spread of coronavirus.

On a political level (thank goodness) the seriousness of the challenge has raised the tone, which is where it must be at a time of crisis. Our Governments are trying hard to communicate very challenging messages, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson explaining that more people will die before their time, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the need to restrict large public gatherings in order to protect the capacity of the emergency services.

The only major exception to the serious and responsible tone has come from a clique of London commentators who have taken exception to the First Minister doing

her job. In an outbreak of petty and pathetic criticism, Piers Morgan, Dan Hodges, and some other observers thought it was not the place of Scotland’s head of government to speak on television ahead of Johnson.

Imagine getting so worked up that you think that the person responsible for the Scottish NHS, Scottish emergency services and Scottish public health should not address the public as a priority. This was compounded by an anonymous bumptious and haughty UK Government briefing.

This drew an unexpectedly positive cross-party reaction in Scotland. Scots Tory leader Jackson Carlaw tweeted: “Both the Prime Minister and the First Minister have convened relevant, measured and appropriate media conferences updating respective populations on coronavirus and immediate consequential actions. This is neither a competition nor a subject for unnecessary squabbling by others.”

He was joined in the spirit of common sense by the former Labour spin-doctor and Daily Mail journalist Alan Roden, who messaged: “‘Get on with the day job’ is a solid political message, but it doesn’t really work if a person is then criticised for getting on with the day job.”

Paul Masterton, the former Scottish Tory MP, said: “FM is entitled to go straight to press conference after Cobra + not a surprise. If it annoys you, you could suggest to PM he does likewise.”

Never did I imagine that I would see a range of Scottish opposition figures come out in support of the First Minister, but it is extremely refreshing and should help us get through the challenges ahead.

There are big debates about the right time for the appropriate measures to kick in against coronavirus. There are hugely qualified experts advising the First Minister, Prime Minister as well as the Taoiseach and other heads of government around the world.

No doubt their advice is similar to Tomas Pueyo’s article Coronovirus: Why You Must Act Now. More than 17 million people have already read that analysis, which makes it clear timing and decisive action is key.

Because of the different stages of the outbreak, the different societies, health services and other factors from nation to nation, there are understandable differences in the response. Let’s do what is necessary at home and internationally, and together we will hopefully minimise the destructive impact of Covid-19.