THE news that Boris “The Butcher” Johnson is planning on easing lockdown restrictions from Monday is extremely worrying.
The UK Government, driven by Johnson, initially planned to allow as many people as possible to catch Covid-19 to create their so-called herd immunity. Then when it was too late they implemented a limited lockdown supplemented with social distancing. Unfortunately the Scottish Government has by and large followed that model, albeit with a few days difference in implementation.
There has been little or nothing done here which has been radically different, and anything which has been done such as closing schools or construction sites has raised UK hackles, with British nationalists in Scotland railing against anything which differs from the one state/four nation approach. The whole idea of devolved government is about to be put to its toughest test yet though, and possibly from next week we will see a real change in who people see as the superior parliament.
READ MORE: Scotland's coronavirus lockdown extended by three more weeks
Since hearing that the UK Government plans to ease restrictions I have noticed a change in behaviour of the public, which indicates to me that when they are given a choice between different lockdown measures a significant number of people will choose the least restrictive restrictions. If, for example, Johnson announces that people may meet socially and resume visiting parks for picnics and the like, but Nicola Sturgeon announces that people in Scotland must maintain the current level of lockdown for longer, whose advice will people take?
This situation differs vastly from the confusion which the leader of the Tory group in Scotland Jackson Carlaw claims might occur from the use of two different tracing apps. Instead this will create a situation where people will feel that they can make the choice of whose lead they will follow. I’ve no doubt that hardline British nationalists will make a show of choosing to follow their leader Boris Johnson, but what of the rest of us? People will be making a conscious decision to choose either the advice of the UK Government or the Scottish one, and that will be important going forward.
At the time of writing there have been around 3,000 deaths from Covid 19 in Scotland. In a country of five million people that is low enough that it would be reasonable to assume many people may not have been personally affected. Some people might know someone who has had the virus, some might know someone who has died from it, but for the vast majority of people this situation has been an inconvenience which has limited their work and social life and which they have seen on TV but not up close. If we want it to remain that way then we need to not only continue what we have done up until now, but actually tighten up our behaviours.
Recently the First Minister recommended the wearing of masks or face coverings in public places, but I’ve seen little evidence of this being acted upon. I have yet to see a policeman on the street wearing a mask, few if any shop staff wear them and those working in public transport are seldom seen with any PPE, yet all are coming into contact with the public and the public take their lead from them, from public figures of authority or responsibility. If people see that when they go into a shop or get on a train that the staff are wearing masks, aren’t they more likely to follow suit?
Nicola Sturgeon must now take the bull by the horns and lead us on a different path. She should make the wearing of masks mandatory in workplaces and public places as the next step in trying to prevent the spread of the virus. This will undoubtedly be resisted by some but I am sure this will be a necessary measure in ensuring that we do not have second and third waves of the virus. Having seen tens of thousands die because of the actions of the UK Government we must try to make a clear break with UK policy and demonstrate through decisive action the benefits of being able to make or own decisions about how we deal with the pandemic, and by extension any situation affecting the people of Scotland.
Jim Cassidy
Airdrie
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