AN SNP councillor has urged Nicola Sturgeon to consider closing down Scotland's pubs to curb the spread of coronavirus.
As Scotland continues to see a surge in new cases, Chris McEleny said keeping bars open is "not compatible" with efforts to control the virus.
McEleny, who has served as SNP group leader on Inverclyde Council, said if the Scottish Government wants to keep people safe and schools open full-time "the decision to reimpose lockdown restrictions on all pubs must now be on the table".
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon confirms another 146 coronavirus cases in Scotland
He made the plea after Sunday's figures showed Scotland had recorded 208 new coronavirus cases - the highest daily increase in positive tests since May.
Hospitality was one of the hardest hits sectors of the economy when lockdown was imposed in March, with pubs, restaurants and cafes all forced to shut their doors.
This is so basic. You can’t keep the virus under control if we act like pubs aren’t the top of every risk register regarding spread of the virus.
— Christopher McEleny (@ChrisMcEleny) September 6, 2020
Indoor pub areas need to be closed, and late night opening curfewed before this gets out of control, which arguably it is now. https://t.co/gXb49V8lVt
An easing of restrictions has allowed them to open back up again - although bars in Aberdeen were closed again for a period after a spike in coronavirus cases in the city.
McEleny said while he fully supports "innovative" measures to support businesses it is "not compatible to have pubs across the country open when we are seeing new cases at a rate that previously we were in a country wide lockdown to get them under control".
He said: "If we want to keep ourselves and others safe, keep schools open full-time and make workplaces more productive again, the decision to reimpose lockdown restrictions on all pubs must now be on the table.
READ MORE: 'Bonkers' coronavirus test system caught sending Londoners to Inverness
"If we work hard now to continue to stick to the Scottish Governments physical distancing measures then we can play our part in stopping the spread of the virus."
The councillor, who has previously ran to be SNP depute leader, added: "Pubs being open has clearly desensitised our caution at a population level with people regularly asking why can I not visit a family member, why can I not go to a funeral, or go here or there when pubs are full across the country?
"You can stick to party lines on that point but the reality is people are right and for as long as pubs are open people will act like the virus has gone away, and that will only result in new cases increasing again on a daily basis."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel