Scotland's Tartan Lockdown
Sturgeon denies change in lockdown exit plan after 'masterclass in spin' jibehttps://t.co/ZG92OOAVO7 pic.twitter.com/Zad1YpFcSX
— The Scottish Sun (@ScottishSun) February 24, 2021
Nicola Sturgeon's road map out of lockdown has gone down like a lead balloon, so much so that the first minster has been forced into rapid reverse over tiers and loosening Covid restrictions.
But the Scottish Government's 'plan' still only goes up to the end of April which is astonishing.
Scotland's Tartan Lockdown Continues (24/02/21)
Scotland's 'tartan lockdown' is set to continue for months according to Nicola Sturgeon and even then life won't look anything like normal, if the Scottish Government gets its way.
By the end of April 2021, if all goes very well, parts of Scotland just 'might' go back into Tier 3 which means putting up with all the same travel and other restrictions (eg the early closing of restaurants, a continued alcohol ban etc) we've all been living with for months.
So the upshot is that the Covid vaccine is now doing all the heavy lifting and the efforts of the Scottish Government to suppress the virus since September 2020 have effectively come to naught, even though ministers keep patting themselves on their backs.
Apparently Groundhog Day is still in vogue in Scotland, perhaps with a few tweaks here and there - see post below dated 17 November 2020.
The only good news is that the Scottish Parliament elections are still scheduled to go ahead on 6th May 2021 despite so many other things being closed, restricted or banned altogether.
Groundhog Day in Glasgow (17/11/20)
Glasgow has been in lockdown lite for months - since early September, in fact, when the Scottish Government banned people from different households meeting-up indoors.
In the first week of October bars and restaurants were also shut down, across the central belt, for an initial period of two weeks - most remain closed to this day though some selling food stayed open on the basis that they were not allowed to sell alcohol.
Today the Scottish Government announced that these measures have not succeeded in slowing the spread of Covid-19 and that we are virtually back to where we started in March - with all non-essential shops being forced to close, again.
The result is, effectively, another full-scale lockdown plus a non-essential travel ban (to be enforced by the police) which will come into place on Friday and last for the three full weeks until 11 December 2020.
So although I didn't hear any words of apology from the politicians (they seem to expect a pat on the back) these new measures smack of real defeat.
Because the politicians have failed to get the 'careful and cautious' message across to the general public and they have clearly been unsuccessful in persuading people to change their behaviour.Instead we are back to a policy of trying to control the spread of the virus by a series of seemingly never ending shutdowns in the Covid equivalent of Groundhog Day.
Coronavirus in Scotland: Glasgow lockdown rules tightened as indoor gatherings banned
Nicola Sturgeon announced that the new restrictions are in place for the City of Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire. She warned that the Scottish Government has not ruled out that they "may have to go further" with the restrictions.
By Laura Ferguson - Glasgow Live
Nicola Sturgeon announces local lockdown restrictions in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire
Indoor household gatherings within three local authorities in Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be banned from midnight.
In a statement, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the new rules are in place in the City of Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire.
It comes as the areas all saw spikes in coronavirus cases, with the First Minister confirming, "transmission appears to mainly be happening inside people's homes and between households".
