Nicola Sturgeon accused of over-reacting after she criticised drive-thru coffee customers following queues at Edinburgh Costa

Options unveiled for easing lockdown

Nicola Sturgeon is accused of over-reacting to the Costa drive-thru queues

NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of over-reacting after she criticised people for going for a drive-thru coffee during the coronavirus lockdown.

Queues of up to 40 minutes built up at the Costa drive-thru at Cameron Toll when it reopened at the weekend.

Massive tailbacks were also reported at other Costa drive-thrus as 29 branches around the UK began serving again.

But at her daily Covid-19 press conference Ms Sturgeon questioned whether going for a drive-thru coffee was an essential journey.

Giving the latest figures, she said 1,620 patients had now died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up 44 on Monday; a total of 12,437 people had tested positive in Scotland, up 171 from the day before. There were 104 people in intensive care, an increase of five, while 1,656 people were in hospital, a decrease of 64.

Meanwhile, figures for the UK as a whole showed a total of 32,313 people have now died from the virus, making it the highest death toll in Europe.

At the press conference, Ms Sturgeon said: “The most immediate task is to get the virus under more control than it is right now, and I cannot stress that enough.

“We really are at the critical stage. This means asking you again to stick rigorously to the current rules. It means asking you to think hard about your own compliance and tightening that if anything now, not easing up on it.

“If you have been going out a bit more than you should, please rectify that. Please stay home, except for essential purposes and remember that this stage essential purposes only means food supplies, medicines and daily exercise.

“You should ask yourself if going for a drive-thru coffee is really an essential journey.”

But Lothian MSP and Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “This is an overreaction by the First Minister.

“We need to see a safe way of transitioning to the new norm which she talks about.

“Drive-thru restaurants are probably the safest way of getting food or drink just now.”

He said many of the customers queuing at Cameron Toll could be key workers. “The fact it’s so close to ERI means it could be people working at the hospital.

“She was too quick to condemn a business which is operating quite safely.”

And Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton, Lib Dem health spokesman, also took issue with Ms Sturgeon’s comments.

He said: “The government has been quite clear that takeaway food is allowable and we have coffee shops that have opened up all over Edinburgh where, on a one-in-one-out basis, they will serve customers takeaway coffee.

“I don’t understand why a drive-thru Costa coffee is any greater risk to infection control than what has already been happening without problem for several weeks in terms of takeaway businesses.

“If you go to Corstorphine on a Friday night you’ll see queues of people patiently waiting for their turn to be served at various fast-food outlets in the village. “A drive-thru Costa coffee would seem to be safer because your not in immediate proximity to anyone save the person who’s handing you your drink.”

And he suggested the question of whether a drive-thru coffee broke any rules was a “grey area”.

“The question would be is it an essential journey. But it’s not unreasonable if on your way back from the supermarket you stop off and pick up a coffee in the same way you would pick up a takeaway restaurant meal. We are asking a lot of the public and if they want a mocha as a treat, as long as they can do it as part of the errands they run which are sanctioned by the state we shouldn’t deny them that little luxury.

“Unnecessary journeys are largely ones which end with people getting out of their cars and freely associating. If you’re picking up a coffee on your way back from the supermarket I don’t think you can blame them for that.”

Ms Sturgeon set out options which the Scottish Government is considering for easing the lockdown, but warned it was unlikely any restrictions would be lifted when the rules are reviewed tomorrow.

The options for future relaxation include allowing people to leave their home for exercise more than once a day or for longer and letting people meet with a small number of others in a defined group or “bubble” - though to start with it might only be possible out of doors.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This is one way in which we could start to interact a bit more with family and friends, which I know is so important to all of us.

However, we also have to consider carefully the impact on the spread of the virus and we have to think through how such an approach could be implemented in practice and also how the limitations could be enforced if necessary.”

And she said relaxation of the meeting rules would not be possible for people in the “shielding” category so the fairness of such a move would have to be considered too.

The government is also looking at restarting some health services which are currently suspended, such as screening programmes and non-urgent elective procedures.

Ms Sturgeon said work was also under way to consider how businesses could be allowed to reopen “carefully, gradually and safely”.

Changes would be needed to work practices and physical layouts of workplaces and PPE might be required in some cases.

“Initially we’re giving particular consideration to businesses in the construction, retail and manufacturing sectors and also to some outdoor and rural businesses.

“However, where home-working is possible we’re very likely to insist on that for the foreseeable future.”

Ms Sturgeon warned a return to school might not be possible at all this side of the summer holidays, but she said the government was considering whether some groups of students, such as those making the transition from primary to secondary school and those studying for National qualifications, could go back before others.

“Any initial return to school, when it does happen, is likely to require a mixture of time in school and learning at home. For example, it’s possible different groups could attend school part-time in blocks of a few days or a week at a time to enable physical distancing and deep cleaning of schools between sessions.

“In all of this we are trying to find the right balance between children’s educational and wider needs and public health imperatives.”

Ms Sturgeon said none of the decisions were easy. And she added: “Lifting the lockdown will not be like flicking a switch - it will be a gradual process which will happen in phases. What we are trying to do is find a path to a new normal.”