TRANSPARENCY is key to both maintaining the public’s trust in the Scottish Government’s decision-making and compliance with the remaining lockdown measures, Holyrood’s Covid-19 Committee has said.
The committee, set up to scrutinise the response to the coronavirus pandemic, has called for scientific evidence and economic data used by ministers to be published.
In a letter to Deputy First Minister John Swinney, committee convener Murdo Fraser said “greater transparency” about why some restrictions are lifted ahead of others will be important to “maintaining public trust and adherence” to the measures that remain in place. The letter also addresses the risk of a disproportionate impact on public health if some measures are maintained for too long.
It also asks the Scottish Government to provide more details on damaging effects of the restrictions – broken down by region, business sector and vulnerable groups in society – as well as whether specific guidance will be produced in collaboration with people with disabilities, older people and black and minority ethnic communities.
Fraser said: “Public understanding of the risks of both direct and indirect harms will be important to maintaining trust and confidence ... We therefore seek confirmation from the Scottish Government of whether it will regularly publish the economic and public health evidence – in addition to the range of core national surveillance measures currently published – used to assess the risk of indirect harms to the economy, society and public health of maintaining lockdown measures.”
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