Safe Hands group welcomes Covid crisis progress as 'Staycation Britain' waits in the wings
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A SUSTAINED dip in coronavirus tests coming up positive has been welcomed by a local group monitoring the pandemic – along with an appeal to everyone to "act as safely as we can".
GP Ross Jaffrey of the Safe Hands, Saves Lives group – set up at the beginning of the first lockdown to share information and encourage good hand hygiene – posted: " A whole week with a positive test rate below 5 per cent. If this continues for two weeks then we are starting to meet the WHO criteria for controlling community spread."
The World Health Organisation suggests that at that point, should we achieve it, Governments can begin to consider repopening.
The GP, who has patients in Muir of Ord and Beauly and has been involved in the Covid vaccination campaign, added: "We still need to be careful but as a nation we have not been in this position for months.
"All Primary pupils are back to school from March 15. Secondary pupils are back after the Easter break. So far little impact being seen from the P1-3s returning. The economy will start to gear up if the vaccine continues to show this early promise – local business will slowly start to get back on track. Staycation Britain is waiting in anticipation.
"Many areas of Scotland are likely to be popular destinations. Nonetheless we need to act as safely as we can."
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