SCOTLAND is facing a “stream of incoming infections” from south of the Border, Professor Devi Sridhar has warned.
The public health expert said efforts to suppress the virus in Scotland and Northern Ireland were hampered by the fact that the devolved administrations do not have full control over their borders.
The Edinburgh University academic, who serves as a senior health adviser to the Scottish Government, also said people returning from foreign holidays posed a potential risk.
READ MORE: Virus expert Devi Sridhar blocks 'troll' Murdo Fraser on Twitter
In an article published by the New York Times, she wrote: “Scotland and Northern Ireland have looked ahead at the coming winter and made a concerted plan to minimise community transmission to avoid a serious resurgence of the virus, by using the summer to drive cases as close to zero as possible and to reopen cautiously.
“But neither nation has control over its borders because they are parts of the United Kingdom.
“So both now face a stream of incoming infections from England and Wales, which are behaving more like the rest of Europe, as well as from people returning from holiday abroad and not abiding by advice to isolate for 14 days.”
READ MORE: More than 200 cases linked to Aberdeen coronavirus cluster
Coronavirus cases in Scotland are once again on the rise, with outbreaks in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Orkney.
In the largest of those clusters, Aberdeen, 204 confirmed cases have now been linked to the outbreak.
READ MORE: FM backs Devi Sridhar's 'valid point' about Covid cases from England and Wales
Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie claimed Sridhar’s comments were “unhelpful”.
He told the Scotsman: “It's news to me that people from England and Wales were responsible for the outbreaks we've seen in Aberdeen, Orkney, Lanarkshire and Glasgow.
"It is unhelpful for Professor Sridhar to be feeding a divisive nationalist narrative without scientific evidence to back it up.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel