Covid Scotland: Unlike Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon is taking tough, unpopular decisions for the good of the nation – Steve Cardownie

As some of the new Covid restrictions kicked in on Sunday, I paid a visit to my local hostelry to watch the St Johnstone game on TV (they were playing another provincial club), while a maximum number of 500 spectators were allowed in to McDiarmid Park in Perth to witness the proceedings.
Despite growing concern about the Omicron Covid variant, tens of thousands of fans were allowed into Tottenham Hotspur's stadium on Sunday (Picture: John Walton/PA)Despite growing concern about the Omicron Covid variant, tens of thousands of fans were allowed into Tottenham Hotspur's stadium on Sunday (Picture: John Walton/PA)
Despite growing concern about the Omicron Covid variant, tens of thousands of fans were allowed into Tottenham Hotspur's stadium on Sunday (Picture: John Walton/PA)

This was followed up later with the Spurs vs Crystal Palace game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, also on TV, in front of a crowd numbering 40,639. Not so far apart in geographical terms but worlds apart in Covid precaution terms.

Although Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been criticised in some quarters there is no doubt that, if the science is to be believed, then the speedy introduction of the new measures was necessary in an attempt to offset the potential consequences for our already overworked NHS.

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The weight of opinion is that, if allowed to spread unchecked, the Omicron variant will peak in January and February in such numbers that the swamping of the NHS would be inevitable.

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So while Boris Johnson seeks to regain a modicum of popularity by delaying additional restrictions in England, Nicola Sturgeon, in contrast, has been prepared to make less popular decisions out of a desire to protect the Scottish population’s health, rather than out of a desire to ingratiate herself with the public.

Given all that we have gone through already, it would be a pity if we were to fall at the next hurdle, so hopefully people will, as they did in the past, adhere to the rules, thereby increasing their and their acquaintances’ protection.

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