So it looks like Scotland will be locked down longer than the rest of the uk

[frasersmummy]

Judging by Nicola Sturgeons remarks today Scotland will remain In lockdown as it is now till the end of May while England will start easing up

Given we have so many less deaths in Scotland does anyone else feel Nicola is just making an independence point now

Well, it might've been better if she'd not gone with England to start with

I think she's doing the right thing

Considerably more people will suffer if lockdown is not eased. They are not lifting it, they’re easing it. Life has to go on for the millions and millions of healthy people who need to keep a roof over their heads and their children fed and warm.

@Defenestratethecat fish and chip shops are open here in my part of Scotland right now .

“so I guess if Westminster eased up on lockdown everyone here would be flocking south to the pubs and fish chip shops.”

Fish and chip shops have stayed open most places... and pubs are never going to be viable with social distancing in place.

Sadie, I think you're right. It's a very fine line between medical reasons for continued lockdown and economic reasons for lightening up. I'm no SNP fan and voted No to independence largely because the SNP could have done huge amounts to attract business to Scotland and support small businesses in the run up to the independence vote but kept bleating that they were stymied by the Westminster Govt, which of course they weren't.

• @Defenestratethecat every small business owner will be on tenterhooks right now for NS next “move” because if England lifts some restrictions and she doesn’t it is going to absolutely kill businesses in Scotland. Instantly on the back foot. English businesses get a massive head start as does their economy.*

Which clearly shows how little Westminster thinks of Scottish business or health. Boris couldn't give a fuck about health - we have the highest death rate in Europe, the nightingale hospitals were a joke, and he's planning to ease lockdown even though the UK overall isn't past it's peak. And posters on here still think it's the Scottish government that are playing a political game

By f&c shops I'm meaning more the great restauranty type places in Eyemouth and Seahouses than the takeaway shop fronts.

I reckon she’s doing the right thing.

I hate lockdown. I really fucking hate it. But I don’t think we’re ready to come out of it just yet.

“By f&c shops I'm meaning more the great restauranty type places in Eyemouth and Seahouses than the takeaway shop fronts.”

Most restaurants won’t be viable with social distancing in place either....

I think Scotland is behind the curve timewise

No, she's right. I'm not a huge fan of Sturgeon, but she's handling this well.

I think she is making the right call. Scottish figures are different, so the response needs to be different.

I’m also hoping the relaxations in England are not as earth shattering as some people are expecting. I hope they will be significant in terms of tolerable life, but still considerable.

**Interesting that the assumption is that Nicola is politically 'going against Westminster' and 'point scoring' rather than considering that as a Scotland isn't last it's peak, it's fucking irresponsible of the UK government at Westminster to attempt to ease lockdown and risk the health of its devolved nations.

Couldn’t agree with this more

I think she’s doing the right thing and I’m no fan of her really either.

@Veterinari we don’t have the “highest death rate in Europe” because it’s is simply not possible to compare country by country when each is counting deaths differently.

The peak has passed. The curve has flattened. That’s what lockdown was for. Now let’s save the lives of the MILLIONS of people who don’t have the virus.

Veterini Nicola is arguably thinking of the Scottish economy as much as lives saved.

The English businesses won't be getting any kind of head start when they're hit by the inevitable consequences of easing lockdown when the UK infection rate is still very high.

It's no healthy business or economy when a large proportion of the workforce are off sick at the same time for prolonged periods. Or dead.

The irony of people thinking Boris cares about people having a roof over their head and children being safe and warm. Have a look at his voting record...

Peronally I think she is doing a good job. We are central Scotland and deaths are rising here, as are cases. My sister works in a covid ward and it is getting worse where we are. Yes, capicity hasn't been stretched but that's due to the lockdown, lift it too early and it has all been for nothing. She hs been honest throughout, her briefings haven't changed yet I notice the UK ones now follow a similar pattern. We may not all agree with everything she stands for or says but this has not been about point scoring it has been about trying to reduce the impact and allow us to move forward. Ultimately we won't know who was right until this was over but I would rather my sister's hosputal wasn't overrun risking her life more than needs be, and yea staff infections are rising in alongside our numbers.

I personally think she's doing a great job. She hit the nail on the head for me when she said "We can repair an economy, we can't bring people who die back to life." Surely even a handful of extra lives saved are worth a few more weeks of lockdown. And I suspect it will amount to more than a handful.

I think she is doing the right thing.
And anyway its not like BJ is going to be ending lockdown infull. Does everyone in England really think ita all.going back to normal on Monday. Get a grip.

If BJ announces people can travel to 2nd homes etc then I'd welcome the border to be closed. In fact I'd love to get that wall back up 😁

I wish Nicola Sturgeon hadn’t started talking about ‘ bubbles’ of people getting together a week or so ago ( losing track of time) because our elderly relatives in Scotland thought restrictions might be lifted sooner and had their hopes raised.

Lockdown shouldn’t be lifted in Scotland if it isn’t safe to do so and I’m not convinced it’s going to be happening in any significant way south of the border until the third week of a May.

Sturgeon is absolutely loving her time in the limelight, no way on earth is she going to end it any time soon. She will drag this out all summer, and to hell with economy.

As an English person I feel really proud of how England has managed this situation. I mean look at the stats. And that was with absolutely no warning from other countries.

Our initial response was so thorough, well planned and took into account the most vulnerable and elderly ensure that saving lives was at the forefront or our plans. Even our prime minister followed the 'herd immunity' idea by ensuring he got it asap. Particularly noble seeing as his partner was pregnant and ex-wife is recovering from cancer.
I can't see a single reason why anyone would follow a different path than we are taking.

If you’ve been furloughed by a UK company, you might be more inclined to follow UK government timeline? The virus doesn’t have a schedule. It’s not working its way up the UK geographically. We should be all aligned with dates and guidelines.