Distancing rules must be relaxed to aid tourism – Letters

Scotland should follow Denmark’s example, says a reader

Could Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen teach Nicola Sturgeon a lesson? (Picture: Getty Images)

There is, justifiably, a clamour from the tourism sector – in which I am involved – to get the social distancing advice down from the current 2 metres to 1m, which is recommended by WHO (your report, 4 June). Our near Nordic neighbour Denmark uses the 1m rule and is doing considerably better than us. So, why can’t Nicola Sturgeon pick up the phone to its prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, and ask her, how is it that Denmark, with a 1m social distancing rule and no mask wearing (unless you want to) is doing so well and (according to a colleague I was talking to in Copenhagen on Monday) is getting back to a near pre-Covid normal? I am sure she would be more than happy to help.

I suspect part of the reason that the Danes are not afraid to get back to a more normal situation is that by having a 1m social distancing that works and not wearing masks, which is also the WHO advice – except in clinical settings –is that it makes them feel more normal and importantly less afraid of one another. It is a society where the government trusts it and where the people trust each other and the government.

Of course they have had people who have broken the rules during lockdown and after society’s re-opening. But they were never as a whole threatened by legal measures to ensure people did not travel more than 5 miles (8 kilometres). But then, they would not have to be, as, there has never been any distance limitations in Denmark even under lockdown. Just trust.

James Walker, Union Grove, Aberdeen

Too early to relax

The Scottish Tourist Association’s concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic impact on its sector is, of course, entirely understandable in very difficult times.

However, a relaxation of the 2m social distance ‘rule’ would not be in the interests of workers in the industry, tourists or wider public health.

As a growing body of research emerges across the globe, from China to the US, about the airborne as well as large droplet movement of SARS-CoV-2, the need to keep the 2m distance looks even more important. On Tuesday a study showed a Covid-19 patient exhaled millions of SARS-CoV-2 particles per hour, highlighting the need for social distancing, especially when there may be asymptomatic Covid cases in the population.

A WHO-funded Lancet review, also published this month, noted there was a 2.6 per cent transmission/infection risk at 1m physical 
distancing. This risk halves at 2m.

In the House of Commons Health Select Committee on 5 May, Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Chief Scientific Adviser, noted that the infection risk from Sars-CoV-2 virus at 1m from an infected source is 10 to 30 times higher than at 2m.

If relaxing the 2m rule leads to new clusters of Covid cases in holiday resorts, this will not benefit the Scottish tourist industry in any way, but at this stage will damage it further .

(Prof) Andrew Watterson, Public Health and Population Health Research Group, Faculty of Health, University of Stirling

Ill-judged

Well done Andy Scott (Letters, 3 June). At last someone talking with real knowledge and balance about this grossly out of proportion virus. It has been fairly clear from close to the beginning of the outbreak that vulnerable people need protected and that the majority of the population, if they are sensible, will avoid the worst of it, as we would all do in the case of a normal flu outbreak.

Care homes and hospitals should have been prioritised with PPE, especially with the large daily turnover of staff and the close contact involved in elderly care. If politicians throughout the UK had focused on the obvious and listened to a wider number of virologists (Hugh Pennington comes to mind) we would not have suffered the draconian shutdown we are still experiencing. Also we would not have had to witness the political oneupmanship displayed by the SNP government in independently prolonging the worst of the shutdown.

Get car parks open and all normal services restarted and rely on our common sense.

John Muir, Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh

An ill wind

Covid-19 is an ill wind, blowing in the gales of impending job losses at the Jedburgh operations of tool manufacturer, LS Starrett. Jobs lost in the Scottish Borders are jobs gained in Brazil and China. A strange paradox when we need their products here in the UK.

Ironically, have the UK and Scottish governments learnt anything from the indecent assault of the coronavirus? Do they not understand the consequences of globalisation in economics, and how we were caught short in the manufacturing, production and distribution of adequate PPE equipment and medicines, ventilators etc? The failure to nurture our core manufacturing sector is a political, social and economic disaster, and it is now only too true that the UK and Scotland cannot live off the financial sector in the City of London and Edinburgh alone – we need to value and rebuild our manufacturing sector.

I am a great admirer of Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand and believe her vision should influence post- Covid19 renaissance in our country.

Keith Smith, Priestfield Gardens, Edinburgh

Ill-thought out

David Hollingdale’s nasty letter 28 May) suggesting Prince Charles was “not the full shilling” surely requires some response. First, the context of the article to which he refers was that Charles was broadcasting on Classic fm, a radio channel devoted to music, so his remarks about music are entirely appropriate.

Second, professional musicians, whose income depends on performing live, are, like many other employees, out of work, and the Prince’s concern was valid in the context of the music industry.

Third, because of the social distancing restrictions, live music-making to an audience may well be one of the last professions to start again. So again, the Prince’s concern is perfectly relevant.

Finally, while no one argues that the absence of live music is as serious as death and disease, concert-goers, amateur musicians, choirs etc greatly miss it, and the quality of our lives is diminished. So, again, the Prince was correct to air his concerns for music making and the music makers.

Douglas Hamilton, Isle of Arran

Ill-prepared

It is becoming clear that we are not handling Covid at all well. But it would be very unfair to blame the members of our government. They did not get into politics for this kind of heavy lifting. With very few exceptions their education is limited and inappropriate for the modern world. They may receive scientific advice, but are they equipped to give it effect? There is a huge gulf between being briefed and understanding.

When this is all over the problem with our education system will remain. A nation of arts and social science graduates are, with a few lucky exceptions, doomed to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water, probably for foreign masters. A nation educated in subjects which accept the immutability of cause and effect might elect more able governments.

The classical world had, in many fields, reached and surpassed Europe of the 1600s, but never had its Enlightenment or scientific revolution. In the end it could not even defend itself. We should be very wary of leaders who 
glorify it.

David Hogg, Glanville Place, Edinburgh

Ill-prepared food

It’s pointless criticising Scottish produce while imagining the stuff from the USA is better if you don’t actually live there (Andrew Hamilton, Letters, 30 May). My family do, and I went there to Omaha in 2016 to see them. They complained that everything there was polluted- air, water and land. The way they talked about the Missouri river reminds me of the 1960s joke about Huddersfield: “The mill owners used to dye the river different colours for the benefit of the tourists”.

The food, all prepared by my elderly aunt, was very good, although she apologised that “it was very American”. This was all the more surprising because it was bought from the supermarkets. Those were a revelation. None of the food on sale there was better than ours (not even the junk food), and it was more than twice as expensive. I longed for salad and oranges, but when I moved to put some into our supermarket trolley I was told “Don’t even touch that stuff, you don’t know what’s in it.”

The fear and apprehension in their voices was very noticeable. Apparently they knew exactly what to buy from which counter or isle, and from which store. All my cousins, who were younger than me, looked pallid and were less healthy. Now I could see why. Don’t anyone imagine that we are doing ourselves a favour buying their food.

Henryk Belda, Kirkton Bank, Penicuik

Ill-informed

I eagerly await Tuesday morning to see what far-fetched solutions Dr Richard Dixon has on global emissions. I was not disappointed as his latest article is full of green dreams for Scotland while ignoring what the rest of the world is doing (“Scotland mustn’t stop at 100 per cent renewable target, Perspective, 26 May).

He wants all electricity produced by renewables but fails to mention that it is mega-expensive, as Ian Moir notes (Letters, 25 May), saying: “Renewable energy is 400 per cent more expensive than gas” and “The CEO of Scottish Power claims that the price of renewable energy is too expensive for the consumer, hence Holyrood must pass the financial burden to the taxpayer”. “This would mean a tax hike of £20,000 for 2.4 million Scots”.

If Scotland’s industries and businesses are to recover from Covid-19 we need cheaper electricity.

All this pain, Dr Dixon, for Scotland’s 0.15 per cent of global emissions, while China (30 per cent) and most of the world, including some in Europe, will be burning fossil fuels to recover after Covid-19.

Dr Dixon’s ideas for “the next step in Scotland’s energy transition” are economic suicide.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

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