Douglas Ross has accused the First Minister of not trusting the public after she chose to indefinitely maintain the legal requirement for facemasks to be worn in shops and on public transport.
In her Covid update in Parliament today, Nicola Sturgeon backtracked on her announcement last month that all remaining restrictions would be lifted on March 21, by extending the curb.
Although she said it was her intention to extend it only for a further fortnight, the First Minister admitted in response to the Scottish Conservative leader that there would need to be a reduction in infection rates for the requirement to go.
Douglas Ross, who described the U-turn as another blow to businesses, asked what criteria would have to be met for Nicola Sturgeon to finally lift the last remaining Covid restriction.
She replied: “We will want to see this increase in cases stabilise. We will want to see that risk of infection – at 1 in 18 according to the ONS in the most recent week – start to reduce.”
The Scottish Conservative Leader described the indefinite delay as “unacceptable” at a time when the SNP Government should be encouraging a return to normality by switching from blanket restrictions to a focus on personal responsibility.
Douglas Ross also questioned how much it would cost to extend free lateral flow testing into April, when that money could go to the NHS frontline to help the treatment backlog exacerbated by the pandemic.
Nicola Sturgeon replied that this would depend on whether there were new variants.
Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said: “It’s bad enough that the First Minister has gone back on her word to businesses and the public by extending the facemask requirement.
“But, worse still, she could not even guarantee that this would only be for a further two weeks.
“That’s more unacceptable uncertainty for businesses and the public, who have already sacrificed so much over the last two years.
“Covid has not gone away but we have learned to live with it. The vaccine has been a game-changer.
“Yes, case rates at the moment are higher than any of us would like but Covid cases were always going to rise as restrictions were eased.
“We can’t stay stuck with Covid rules forever. That is why it’s such a blow for households and businesses that the First Minister has decided to keep facemask rules in place.
“The First Minister must trust the Scottish public to take the steps they think are right to protect themselves and their families. We can’t go on with this wait-and-see approach.”
