NICOLA Sturgeon's televised speech urging people to "be strong and be kind" has been praised by a leading expert who criticised Boris Johnson's threats of fines and army crackdown.
Linda Bauld, professor of public health at Edinburgh University, noted the contrasting messages being presented last night by the First Minister and by the Prime Minister.
She cited an extract of the First Minister speech posted on Twitter by her deputy John Swinney this morning which tried to give a hopeful vision that the virus would be successfully tackled one day.
Swinney urged Scots to reflect on the First Minister's words today.
Addressing the nation on BBC Scotland hours after announcing further restrictions including a ban on household visiting across the country and a pub and restaurant 10pm curfew Sturgeon tried to assure people that "though it doesn’t feel like it now, this virus will pass".
She went on: "It won’t last forever and one day, hopefully soon, we will be looking back on it, not living through it.
"So though we are all struggling with this – and believe me, we are all struggling – let’s pull together. Let’s keep going, try to keep smiling, keep hoping and keep looking out for each other.
"Be strong, be kind and let’s continue to act out of love and solidarity. I will never find the words to thank all of you enough for the enormous sacrifices you have made so far.
And I am sorry to be asking for more. But a belief I hold on to – and one I am asking you to keep faith with in those moments when it all feels too hard – is this. If we stick with it – and, above all, if we stick together – we will get through it."
Minutes earlier on the same channel Johnson delivered a very different message to people in England and throughout the UK.
"The tragic reality of having covid is that your mild cough can be someone else’s death knell," he told viewers.
"That’s why we need to suppress the virus now, and as for that minority who may continue to flout the rules, we will enforce those rules with tougher penalties and fines of up to £10,000. We will put more police out on the streets and use the army to backfill if necessary."
Reacting to the speech, Bauld wrote on Twitter this morning: "Irrespective of politics, this is how you communicate with the public. Not blaming particular groups. Not threatening people with hefty fines. Not saying that the military will be brought in to control the population. Acknowledge challenges, focus on the response & convey hope."
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