Nicola Sturgeon resignation: First Minister's Covid legacy is yet to be written

Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership during the coronavirus pandemic could quite easily be considered the high watermark of her tenure as First Minister, but key decisions could undermine her legacy.

During the pandemic, the First Minister appeared on Scottish television daily, giving updates on the situation and explaining her approach to lockdown restrictions with an admired gravitas. Around a quarter of a millions Scots tuned in to listen to Ms Sturgeon address the nation at the height of the Covid pandemic.

Of particular note was her tendency to express more caution in her decisions than her Westminster counterpart, Boris Johnson, for which she was praised and criticised in equal measure.

The decision to make Scottish school children wear face masks in classrooms was particularly contentious, as was the decision to ban non essential cross-border travel between England and Scotland.

Scotland's First Minister, and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, speaks during a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh where she announced she will stand down as First Minister, in Edinburgh on February 15, 2023. - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Wednesday her resignation after more than eight years leading its devolved government, in a shock move jolting British politics on both sides of the border. (Photo by Jane Barlow / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JANE BARLOW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The strict lockdowns implemented to tackle Covid-19 drew criticism from some company leaders who felt they lacked enough support, such as the hospitality sector, which at times was given very little notice they had to again temporarily shut up shop.

The worst horrors of the pandemic were seen in the nation’s care homes, where thousands of vulnerable Scots died, and surviving staff and residents have been left traumatised.

During the panic of the first wave of Covid-19, patients were discharged from Scottish hospitals into care homes despite having coronavirus infections. The role of these discharges in the subsequent deaths of so many care home residents, and who is responsible, will form part of the Scottish Covid-19 inquiry.

Ms Sturgeon’s leadership legacy during the pandemic will likely hinge on the findings of the inquiry, and whether her decisions helped or hindered the nation. As of February 5, there have been a total of 16,744 deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.