AFTER weeks spent attempting to agree a “four nations approach” to hotel quarantine arrangements for international travellers arriving in the UK, the First Minister and the Scottish Government decided to go it alone in making hotel quarantine mandatory for all arrivals at Scottish airports from February 15.
If the Prime Minister and the UK Government had done the same for all arrivals at English airports (not just those from “red list” countries), it is possible that the importation of the “Delta” (formerly “Indian”) variant could have been kept to minimal levels and we would not now be talking about a third wave of Covid-19.
When Pakistan and Bangladesh were added to the “red list” on April 9 (a week after the announcement of the ban), India was not added in spite of the infection rate there already being out of control and deaths approaching 1000 per day. According to UK Government spokespersons, the fact that Boris Johnson was scheduled to fly to India to discuss a new trade agreement did not influence the decision.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon warns Douglas Ross not to put words in her mouth over Covid rules
A further two weeks later on April 23, after the estimated arrival of more than 20,000 people on flights from India, the “Delta” variant was not only running rampant in India but was quickly spreading across the UK.
From the start of this pandemic Boris Johnson and the UK Government have been slow to act. Not only did he initially insist on not wearing a mask himself (and ended up in hospital) but nearly all restrictions have belatedly followed those imposed by the devolved governments, including the wearing of face masks.
While the Scottish Government adhered to the tried-and-tested approach of local/manual contact tracing, the UK Government committed to a new “world-beating” app that turned out to be a complete flop. When scientific advisers proposed a temporary lockdown in England last September to avoid a second wave of infections, that advice was ignored and the “Alpha” (formerly “Kent”) variant spread so rapidly that even more lives were lost across the UK than during the first wave.
We don’t yet know how many more avoidable deaths will be counted at the end of the third wave, but surely we should not be waiting until 2022 before preparations for a comprehensive four-nations public inquiry to begin if we wish to avoid the devastating effects (health and economic) of perhaps fourth and fifth waves propagated by a vaccine-resistant variant?
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
WE are clearly going through an incredible era in British and American history. It is typified by Donald Trump, who thankfully is no longer in his prestige position, but buffoon Boris is still with us. The UK’S PM who President Biden (quite rightly) described as a clone of Donald is now posing in photo shoots with him!
Now I don’t have any outstanding talents but even I could (in fact, anyone could) do a better job than Boris, who was so slow in red-listing India, set a precise date to lift restrictions and then called it “Freedom Day”, then announced it had been postponed for four weeks and then announced another definitive date of July 19. And that he is “confident” no further delay will be necessary. Will he ever learn?
Government isn’t about wishful thinking, it’s about sound, tangible decision-making. Anyone, I really mean anyone, could do a better job. Why is he still there?
Robin MacLean
Fort Augustus
IT would appear that we live in an age where self-styled populist mediocrities infest our media like a particularly virulent form of toxic contagion. Neil Oliver, a Z-list celebrity and TV archaeologist, regularly exercises his somewhat limited historical intellect and political comprehension to utter statements that would embarrass a Covid-befuddled Donald Trump.
Mr Oliver, who claims risibly to be apolitical, regularly pins his xenophobic and jingoistic colours to the mast. His support for racist historian David Starkey, and his overt criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement, informs us of Oliver’s right-wing, Union Jack-waving proclivity and his antipathy to Scottish independence borders on pathological.
READ MORE: Andrew Neil brands Neil Oliver the 'King of Scotland' in debut GB News appearance
His recent reference to the coronavirus lockdown as “the biggest single mistake in world history” lacks intellect, compassion and empathy with those who have lost loved ones. Aside from demonstrating his historical ignorance and perspective, it is clear that the attention-seeking Mr Oliver wishes to hone his GB News credentials by adopting as controversial a stance on current events as possible in order to appeal to the social and political zealots who will find a natural home in Andrew Neil’s new UK answer to Fox News.
Let them tune in to Oliver’s dubious pearls of wisdom but please spare the rest of us. And stop referring to him as a historian. He’s a narcissistic tenth-rate TV presenter, but a historian he most definitely ain’t!
Owen Kelly
Stirling
SO Andrew Neil calls Neil Oliver the “king of Scotland” – two supposed-to-be Scots who do nothing but run down down Scotland just because they can’t stand the idea of independence.
Michael Gove wanted a four-nations call when Scotland were playing in the Euros – either this is a slap in the face to Scotland or it shows a distinct lack of knowledge/ignorance about what is happening in Scotland – another so-called Scot who is not worthy of the name.
And Boris Johnson continues to disrespect parliament by making announcements to the press before MPs are informed and the Speaker is not at all happy. It is not only Scotland and Ian Blackford that Boris disrespects, it is the very parliament in which he is supposed to serve the nation.
Winifred McCartney
Paisley
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