Scottish Ministers and Schoolboy Errors

So the first two 'customers' at Scotland's airport quarantine hotels had to be released after a schoolboy error.

Chun Wong and his daughter will now self-isolate at home after the Scottish Government admitted that 'hotel quarantine' cannot apply to travellers arriving from the Common Travel Area which includes Ireland.

Riddle Me This, Glasgow? (15/02/21)

I listened to the Scotland's transport minister (Michael Matheson) trying to justify his ridiculous policy of forcing travellers to quarantine in airport hotels at a cost of £1750.

If you ask me, this is another case of Covid politicking and picking a fight for no good reason.

Because there is no such thing as 'Fortress Scotland' and never has been since the start of the Covid epidemic - essential workers (those delivering food and other essential supplies) cross Scotland's borders every single day.

And while essential workers are Covid tested regularly they are not required to quarantine in an hotel (at their own cost) for reasons which are so obvious they do not need explaining.

So why pick a fight over an such a small issue particularly when it's unlawful to travel abroad at the moment, unless people have a very good reason?

Could it be that the Scottish (SNP) Ministers are keen to have a manufactured row and flex their muscles with the next round of Holyrood elections scheduled for 6th May 2021?

The real issue is, of course, where people quarantine not if - at a specified location of their own choice (eg their home) or an airport hotel which is chosen for them by the Scottish Government at a cost of £1750.

I have travelled abroad (and back) twice since March 2020 along with my wife, but neither of us were contacted by the Scottish Government during our four separate periods of quarantine - not even a phone call!

For the same money (£1750) you could have a someone sitting outside your door and being paid £175 a day to ensure no one breaks the 'stay at home' quarantine regulations.

So if this Scottish Government policy has anything to do with risk and safety, then I'm the Queen of Sheba.

Riddle Me This, Glasgow? (13/02/21)

Scottish Ministers say we should all forget about foreign travel this year and if anyone is silly enough to disagree, they'll have to quarantine for 2 weeks in an airport hotel at a cost of £1750 per person.

So what exactly is the point of having a Covid vaccine and insisting on a negative test before people travel?

By the way Scotland-wide elections are still on for May 6th along with the COP26 conference in Glasgow in October/November.

Riddle Me This, Glasgow? (06/02/21)

The Scottish Government says no one should be booking holidays in the summer because the ongoing threat from Covid-19 makes it unsafe to travel and gather in airports.

Yet the Scottish Government is planning to put Holyrood Parliament into recess and stand down 129 MSPs (and staff) from their normal duties, for several weeks, to campaign in new elections which are scheduled for 6 May 2021.

Polling day normally involves thousands of other support staff across polling stations and election counts who are largely drawn from Scotland's 32 local councils.

So all the activity around the Scottish parliamentary elections in March, April and May is deemed to be perfectly safe, yet SNP ministers conclude it's far too risky to go on holiday in June, July and August.

Now I think I've got that correct, but to add insult to injury the Scottish Government is also pressing ahead with plans to host a massive United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26) in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021.

COP26 will involve thousands of international delegates from across the globe who will be staying in Glasgow's hotels and making use (hopefully) of the city's famous hospitality sector.

To recap: Glasgow is free from danger during March, April and May, but the Covid risk rockets again in June, July and August - before everything calms down in late October and November just in time for thousands of COP26 travellers jetting in from abroad.

Ironically, as COP26 is actually a prestigious UK conference which is being hosted in Glasgow no doubt Prime Minister Boris Johnson will attend at some point too, although at this stage it's not clear if his journey will be considered as essential travel by the SNP.

Have I got this right, Nicola, or are Scottish ministers just having a laugh?

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Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser