Greens: Scotland must not follow Johnson easing plan
Scotland cannot follow Boris Johnson’s plans to ease COVID restrictions while the country has the highest rates in Europe, the Scottish Greens have warned.
The Prime Minister is expected to announce the removal of measures in England from the 19 July – including ending mandatory face coverings, social distancing measures and track and trace information gathering in hospitality settings.
This is despite a sharp rise in cases thanks to the Delta variant.
Commenting ahead of the Prime Minister’s announcement, Scottish Greens health spokesperson Gillian Mackay said: “The virus is increasingly out of control, so to remove safety measures would be reckless and an abdication of duty by Boris Johnson and his shambolic government.
“Only half of Scots have been fully vaccinated, and even those who are can still get COVID and suffer long-term effects. Given the extremely high rate of community transmission we need to remain cautious and listen to medical advice. There are very few downsides to wearing a face covering, yet we know they reduce spread of this infection, so it makes sense for them to remain mandatory in public spaces.
“Scotland has the highest rates of infection in Europe according to the World Health Organisation. We simply cannot afford to follow an approach which regards increasing this further as collateral. With only half the population fully vaccinated, letting the virus run free is putting people at risk.”