‘Panic’ lockdown ‘unfair’ on shops

A“panic” move to a Scotland-wide second Covid-19 lockdown would be “monstrously unfair” to areas such as Aberdeen, Moray and the Highlands, a leading business organisation has warned.

The warning came today in a strongly-worded appeal to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce ( SCC), which said any blanket increase of restrictions would be a “betrayal of communities and businesses”.

And with the Scottish Government reviewing its framework of measures to combat the pandemic this week, the Scottish Retail Consortium ( SRC) also predicted retailers could miss out on up to £ 200 million per week in sales if non-essential shops have to close in the run- up to Christmas.

Ahead of last week’s introduction of Scotland’s four-tier system and England ’s second lockdown, Ms Sturgeon said she “will not hesitate to increase the level of protec tion” if it is needed.

But SCC president Tim Allan claimed Scotland was already at “breaking point” and “at risk of “being strangled for an overabundance of caution”.

He said: “We simply must not move into a lockdown or a so- called circuit break unless it is absolutely necessary.

“By the criteria set out in the Scottish Government’s own strategic framework, most of Scotland should be having restrictions eased, not locked down further.

“This is not just about the economy – although it is clearly facing perilous decline. It is about not trading harms caused by the virus for greater harms caused by mental illness, joblessness and poverty, because these can also be deadly for some.

“These issues must be equally factored into decision-making.

“The complex tier system was created to reflect our regional variations in demography, geography and capacities.

“The first minister must not panic and throw this plan away just days after it has been implemented, particularly where indications show the plan is working as transmissions are declining.”

Mr Allan continued: “Frankly, a lock down would be a betrayal of our communities and businesses that have sacrificed so much and are working together to control Covid in their areas.

“For example, it would be monstrously unfair to place Aberdeen, Mo ray, Highlands and the Borders in a Tier 4 lockdown when the data shows they barely merit level one, let alone two.”

He added: “Allowing businesses to trade as normally as possible must be core to the process of managing the virus.”

The SRC said its estimate of the sales that would be lost by Scottish shops if they had to close during their pre- festive season “golden trading quarter” was based on analysis of lockdown earlier in the year.

SRC director David Lonsdale added: “If shops, which all the evidence show are safe, cannot trade throughout this period then losing that revenue might prevent the business reopening , with direct consequences for jobs.

“The reality is there isn’t a taxpayer-funded support scheme which can replace the potential losses of up to £200m per week – only by keeping shops open can we give them a chance to stay in business.

“It’s already been an especially gloomy year for retail – but shop closures prior to Christmas would take us even deeper into the darkness.”

RESTRICTIONS: A deserted Elgin pictured during the initial Covid-19 lockdown. Picture by Jason Hedges.