Readers' letters: Murray makes mountain out of Covid molehill

Ian Murray is dancing on the head of a pin over the so-called Nike “Cover up” when it turns out that only one delegate from Scotland actually contracted Covid (News, 14 October).

Nicola Sturgeon claimed talk of a cover-up over the Nike conference Covid outbreak was 'complete and utter nonsense' (Picture: Neil Hanna/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Details were immediately reported to the UK and Northern Ireland governments in respect of their delegates and they too chose not go public and identify the patients involved.

An investigation into the Nike conference Covid outbreak was held and on 20 March 2020 the Chief Medical Officer reported that the Incident Management Team were successful in curtailing spread and led to the eradication of the particular viral lineage with no evidence of any wider outbreak associated with it in Scotland since that time.

Unlike in Wales, where the Labour administration is not holding a public inquiry into its Covid response, the Nike conference outbreak will no doubt be considered at Scottish public inquiry being held later this year.

Scotland was unable to lockdown before the UK as we did not have the necessary control of our borders or borrowing powers.

An independent Scotland could have done so and saved thousands of lives.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh.

Getting heated over compulsory smoke alarms

I have recently received two reminders from Safer Scotland that I and all other households in Scotland are required to fit new state-of-the-art interlinked smoke and heat alarms before February 2022.

I consider it a gross impertinence of the Holyrood assembly to require me, a pensioner, at my own expense to install this equipment in the house that I own. The likely cost of this is going to be around £300.

No distinction seems to be made concerning house size. I live in a small bungalow that is already fitted with an effective alarm, so why on earth do I need to now discard that and fit an "interlinked alarm system"?

At the present time I am refusing to do so until such time as a government jobsworth informs me why I need such a system in a house of 80 sq.m.

Yet another example, I think, of the SNP obsession with centralisation and bureaucracy.

Derek Farmer, Edinburgh.

Bring peace of mind and help charity

A survey by Will Aid found 49 per cent of adults in the UK still don’t have a will. This means their wishes will not necessarily be met in event of their death, and their estate might not be shared how they would like.

Will Aid, the charity will-writing campaign, want to change that statistic and ensure everyone has their affairs in order.

Will Aid Month happens every November and encourages people to get a professionally written will with the help of a solicitor.

Law firms volunteer their time and expertise to write basic wills, waiving their fee, with clients being invited to make an upfront donation to Will Aid. Donations support the vital work of our nine partner charities.

To find your nearest solicitor or for more information visit www.willaid.org.uk.

Peter de Vena Franks, Campaign Director.

Assisted dying

Next Friday peers in the House of Lords will debate a new assisted dying bill. A similar bill will soon be discussed in Scotland.

Many who oppose the bill believe that only their god can give and take life. This is a defendable position for the religious believers, but we wish they would present it honestly as such and not distort the debate by exaggerating fears about abuse of the law.

Neil Barber, Edinburgh Secular Society.