Covid Scotland: Douglas Ross says 'people die from a number of ailments all the time' as Conservative leader calls for return to normality

Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross has called for restrictions to ease and a return to normality saying that ‘people die from a number of ailments all the time’.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Mr Ross said that every death is a tragedy but that Scotland needs to “learn to live with the virus”.

He said: “We’ve already seen far too many deaths, here in Scotland, across the UK, and around the world from this virus, but we do have to learn to live with it.

"People die from a number of ailments all the time and we have to learn to live with Covid-19 as it is going to be with us going forward.

"And I think it's time to start to get our lives back to normal as much as possible.”

When asked if he believes that deaths are the price of freedom, Mr Ross said no, but went on to emphasise that people are dying from other illnesses which have seen treatment suffer as a result of the pandemic.

He said: “We're also seeing people during this pandemic dying from cancer because they weren't diagnosed in time, or they couldn't get the treatment, or they didn't feel able to go and see their doctor or get an appointment at hospital over the last 16 months.

"So we can’t just assume that people have only been dying of Covid-19, the figures are clear.”

Mr Ross went on to say that he would like to see Scotland follow in England’s footsteps and remove all restrictions as planned on July 19 because businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, are “really struggling” under the current ones.

Asked what he would say to reassure public workers who face more risk of infection if face masks and social distancing restrictions are removed, Mr Ross said: “There's not been a decision taken in Scotland in terms of mandating the use of masks… but there will still be an obligation, and there will still be a need for employers to look to protect their staff and customers.

"It may be that some shops, some offices, some workers decide to continue wearing masks and I think that is a personal decision and one that is perfectly acceptable.”

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