Nicola Sturgeon caved in to hospitality lobbyists over vaccine passports - Readers' Letters

What Ms Sturgeon didn’t tell us was that testing has reduced by nearly ten per cent over the last three weeks from around 35,000 per day to around 32,000 a day last week. It’s obvious if you test less there’s a good chance you will get fewer cases. In Glasgow in the week before COP26 there were on average over 3,800 tests per day but this fell to just over 3,200 per day last week, a drop of about 15 per cent.

Over the same period the positivity rate rocketed from 5.6 per cent with 216 cases on average per day to over eight per cent last week with 260 average cases, despite falling testing, calling into question the government’s claim that the conference had little effect on cases.

More worryingly, health experts such as Gillian Evans were calling for the government to extend passports with the insurance of a negative test on top to relieve pressure on hospitals. Once again the government has put the economy before health and the hospitality lobbyists before NHS experts. Sensible people worried about those not double vaccinated are now more likely to simply avoid crowded hospitality venues.

At 2,500 cases per day health experts were already warning levels were too high to protect the NHS. Now with cases levelling out just below 3,000 per day amidst a falling test rate and when mixing is about to mushroom it’s deemed not worthy to implement further restrictions. Nicola Sturgeon won’t be on any NHS worker’s Christmas card list this year nor any family affected by her government’s inaction.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Covid dithering

The failure by Nicola Sturgeon to introduce further Covid measures or ban flights to and from countries with booming Covid figures like Austria or Germany is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Our NHS is collapsing under the pressure but once again the Scottish Government dithers instead of taking action. We will have hit 13,000 covid deaths before the winter is out at this rate.

David Watson, Edinburgh

Normal life

The government actively encouraged the development and distribution of anti-Covid vaccinations for us to be able to return to normal life. Tens of millions of us have now been vaccinated to mitigate its effects. According to ONS statistics, “83.5 per cent to 89.8 per cent of adults had received at least two doses in the week beginning 1 November 2021”.

By a week ago, 11.4 million had also received their booster jab to ensure added protection against Covid.

However, those who have underlying health issues, or who feel that they might be at risk should avoid crowded places as do others who are immunocompromised.

The vaccine does not to kill off Covid, but mitigates its effects, so that society can continue to operate normally.

That does not mean that the rest of society should hide away and cover up like desert Bedouin. If we did, we would live our lives in a dystopian world of compulsory Covid passports and restrictions.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

The kindest cut

At Prime Minister's Questions, yet more nonsense from Ian Blackford of the SNP. In his long grievance list, he actually mentioned “Tory cuts”. In the recent deal with the Chancellor, Scotland will receive an extra £4.6 billion – some cut!

William Ballantine, Linlithgow

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