THE current coronavirus lockdown has “got to be the last” as another one would be “devastating”, Anas Sarwar has said.
The Scottish Labour leader said he supported the “cautious” route out of lockdown but the Government should be open-minded about changing pace.
He met with vaccinators outside the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, where he thanked them for their work over the past months.
Sarwar also called for further investment in medical science amid concerns the pandemic is affecting research into other illnesses.
He said: “I support the framework we have just now but we should be open-minded about slowing down if the data starts going the wrong way or accelerating if the data is going the right way.
“I think we have to have a flexibility – keep hope and optimism in the country but also have a cautious approach so we don’t have another spike in cases which takes us back into another lockdown. I think it’s right that we take this cautious approach.”
He said vaccination was part of the route out of lockdown but more emphasis should be put on the testing and tracing programme.
As part of the party’s NHS recovery plan, Scottish Labour has said it will work closely with the research community to ensure medical studies and clinical trials are properly supported.
The Institute for Public Policy Research has previously warned that £7.8 billion in UK research funding could be lost due to the impact of the pandemic in the coming years, partly due to the loss of charity fundraising.
Meanwhile, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has claimed the Scottish Government should not be “too cautious” and prevent fans from watching Scotland play in the Euros at Hampden this summer.
The men’s team made it to its first major tournament since 1998 following a penalty shootout win against Serbia.
But Covid could prevent fans from being able to be in grounds to watch Euro 2020 ties, some of which will take place at the national stadium in Glasgow.
Ross told journalists yesterday: “I’m urging the Scottish Government to give us this opportunity as fans of the Scottish national team. It’s been a long time ... we want to get as much support in there as possible.”
Football body Uefa has set an April 7 deadline for plans to be submitted to allow spectators at games.
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