Covid lockdown: We must stick to the rules until vaccines can do their work – Angus Robertson

The Scottish government is right to act swiftly and decisively in the face of the rampant coronavirus threat.

Edinburgh's streets were quiet ahead of the return to a new lockdown similar to the one imposed in March (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

While the start of 2021 has brought the beginning of a massive vaccination programme, it is also seeing positive pandemic cases rise worryingly, with more expected to come as the impact of the festive season and new Covid-19 strain plays through.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been quick to announce a new Scottish lockdown with legally enforceable stay-at-home rules.

She says there is "compelling evidence" that the new variant is 70 per cent more transmissible, and may add as much as 0.7 to the R number, the rate at which the virus reproduces.

The new variant now already accounts for almost half the new cases in Scotland. Addressing the Scottish Parliament, which was recalled for the emergency statement, the First Minister said the latest figures illustrated the "very serious spread" of the virus and the seriousness of the situation.

This new lockdown will see schools remain closed for the rest of January which will be extremely difficult for all parents and children but there is no responsible alternative. It is reassuring that schools and nurseries will be the first places to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so and that consideration is being given to the vaccination of school and childcare staff as a priority.

Not only have Covid cases been on the rise in Scotland, but looking at what is happening in England shows where we will be soon if decisive action is not taken here.

Developments in southern England are particularly concerning, with a steep increase in positive Covid cases even in areas with higher tier restrictions. The impact on the health service is immense.

There are now more than 25,000 people in English hospitals, 32 per cent more than the April 2020 peak and it is expected that this will continue to increase. In London, hospital admissions have doubled roughly every two weeks since the beginning of December. England’s Health Minister Matt Hancock says their tier system is no longer strong enough.

Just as this worrying wave of new Covid cases has taken off, the long-awaited vaccination offensive has begun. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is now being delivered at Scottish hospitals which have been already using the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine and new community settings will begin their vaccine roll-out from January 11. In Scotland we will be contacted by our local health board whenever it’s our turn to be vaccinated.

More than half a million doses of the Oxford vaccine will be available during the next weeks in the UK, with millions more due by the start of February. Scotland is set to receive its population share of 8.2 per cent and already 50,000 people in Scotland have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine including frontline health and social care staff, residents and staff at care homes, and people over 80.

We are now in a race to vaccinate as many people, as quickly as possible. Before that has reached critical mass, we must tighten the lockdown, properly manage border controls, maintain social distancing and follow the hygiene rules. While we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is still a dangerous distance ahead. Let’s be sensible and safe.

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