Scottish Government health secretary Jeane Freeman leaves door open for Scotland to take a different approach to lifting coronavirus Covid-19 lockdown measures to the rest of the UK
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Health secretary Jeane Freeman has said decisions about any changes to lockdown measures in Scotland will be taken with reference to their impact on Scottish people.
At yesterday's St Andrew's House briefing Ms Freeman was asked whether, if lockdown is relaxed in England over the next few weeks, Scotland would follow suit or be prepared to deviate from the rest of the UK.
In response she referred to remarks already made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that the Scottish Government would set out in the next week the framework for decision-making about if, when and how to make any moves back towards a more "normal" way of life.
"Where we can we will take a four-nation approach," she said.
Professor Jason Leitch, the national clinical director, said: "The decision-makers – the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and the other cabinet secretaries – have to absorb three levels of evidence: the global level, primarily from the World Health Organisation but also from looking at what is happening in other countries; UK-based advice, in which we play a part; and specific Scottish advice. That is exactly what you would expect – we have Scottish demographics, Scottish cities and Scottish health services that are slightly different from the rest of the UK."
In response to a question about whether those aged over-70 could be facing having to observe social distancing measures for between 12 and 18 months Ms Freeman refused to answer yes or nor on the basis that she could not say either way at this stage.
She reiterated that the government would set out the framework explaining the criteria and considerations that would play a part in decision-making going forward.
The "over-riding objective", she said, would be continuing to control the virus and "reducing, as far as we can, the impact it has on the population of Scotland, including the number of deaths."
