‘Biggest peace time mission of our lifetimes’ required to beat coronavirus

Addressing the coronavirus outbreak will involve “the biggest peace time mission our nation has undertaken in our lifetimes,” according to Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Two people have died of the virus in Scotland which, since the outbreak in China at the turn of the year, has led to a global crisis.

The pandemic is unprecedented and according to Ms Sturgeon, we are now on the cusp of a rapid escalation in the spread of COVID-19.

The Scottish Government has held off on a blanket closure of the nation’s schools. However, this is reviewed daily, says Ms Sturgeon.

On Tuesday night, during an interview on Reporting Scotland, she said: “It is highly possible we will see a more blanket approach to school closures in the coming days.”

Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament yesterday: “That means that we must take far more stringent steps to suppress as far as we can the spread of the virus; protect and scale up the capacity of the NHS as best we can; and, by doing these things, save lives.

“The steps we recommended yesterday represent a major change for all of us — a change from life as we know it. But they are essential to give us the best chance of achieving those aims.”

In order to reduce the spread of this new strain of coronavirus, it is strongly urged to follow these recommendations:

• If somebody has symptoms of Covid-19 — a persistent cough or a fever — they should isolate themselves for seven days. That means — as far as possible — they should not leave the house, and reduce contact with other people in the house as much as possible.
• Anyone else in a household where someone has symptoms, should isolate for 14 days. That covers the seven days for which the first person is infectious, and a further seven days to see if they or anyone else gets the virus.
• Everyone to minimise social contact as much as possible. This is vital to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.
• Avoid crowded areas and gatherings — that includes bars, restaurants and cinemas. People should use public transport as little as possible, and to work from home if possible.
• People who are over 70, with underlying health conditions for which they get the flu vaccine, and pregnant women are strongly advised to stay at home as much as possible, and to significantly reduce unnecessary social contact.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I want to restate my heartfelt thanks to everyone who works in our health and social care services. They are dealing with pressures which are already great, and which will soon become immense. We will do everything possible to support them.

“I am also acutely aware of how serious the impact of the recommendations will be for businesses and for households.

“The actions we require to take to mitigate a health emergency will for many businesses and individuals cause an economic emergency.

“We have already announced some support for business and we are urgently considering what more we can do. We are also speaking to the UK government about what more they will do for business, and we will set out further actions as soon as possible.

“We will also be making more information available in coming days on support for those individuals in financial difficulty.”

She continued: “The advice we issued yesterday is intended to help all of us do that. The steps we are recommending — isolating yourself if you or people you live with show symptoms; minimising social contact; washing hands for 20 seconds; not touching your face — all of these things really matter. By following them, we will all be helping to save lives.

“We face a shared national challenge — and we will need a collective national endeavour to meet it. We all have a part to play. We must all show solidarity, compassion and kindness for each other — not simply in person, but in our phone calls and text messages, our social media presence, even our waves across the street to each other — and also of course in our offers to help where we can.

“And by doing that — by looking after ourselves, our loved ones and our communities — we can and we will get through this.”