Covid: UK government's mishandling of pandemic has caused more deaths – Helen Martin

Hospitality was one of the most complaining sectors. Bars and restaurants felt their businesses were being ruined. In summer, especially the tourist sector was furious with hotels limited or shut and festivals cancelled. Despite hoping and planning for Christmas and New Year’s international market and fireworks, all that was “frozen” too. Many of us were relieved that with lockdowns, we would not be subjected to the arrival of overseas tourists, especially with Covid-19 heading for its second wave. Then the variants began and now the UK death count is soaring up. Will it hit 200,000? Most of that was down to the UK government holding back and refusing to ban people travelling to the UK, failing to test incomers, and avoiding restrictions and lockdowns as much as possible. There were still public gatherings, no safe spacing, news films showing many without masks, and many who did have masks covering only their mouth, not their nose. It was horrifying that a vast section of people from northern Scotland to southern England didn’t understand a “pandemic” and kept thinking each wave would be the end. They were warned about mutations, but delighted with the Christmas “bubbles”, which led to the UK being one of the worst infected in the world. So, has everyone now got the pandemic message? Have they all accepted that holidays abroad should be shut down until 2022? Has the tourist sector (especially here in Edinburgh where they’d love to have the usual four million visitors congesting the city’s compact centre) accepted that any 2021 festivals will be dangerous? There are still so many people apparently desperate to have schools re-opened, on the basis that children would suffer if their education doesn’t go back to normal as soon as possible. Would it be a catastrophe if children had to begin primary school at six years old rather than five, and all others up to sixth form could have an extra year to catch up on all they’ve missed so far? The worst things that have happened, apart from deaths, have been people losing jobs and many with insufficient money to pay for mortgage, rent, heating and food. Yet the UK government is cutting back Universal Credit, and Edinburgh City Council was planning to raise council tax three years in a row. Now, thank goodness, the Scottish government is offering local authorities incentives to freeze council tax. It seems the start of vaccines has triggered off the opportunity for some authorities to charge people more money to live. But we still don’t know for sure the vaccines are going to wipe out Covid-19 and will successfully deal with any mutations. We don’t know when the whole world will have been vaccinated, and when we can travel abroad and tourists can come here. Surely the main priority is still to save lives and be aware the pandemic could go on for much longer, or be controlled, who knows? Essential businesses and human needs must go on, but right now it’s too soon to consider tourism, hospitality, business boosts and tax rises, or even “normal” schooling. The only future plan and progress I believe in is independence. The UK government has caused us more deaths. A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.