Glasgow should be blueprint for Scottish Covid hot-spots, says Anas Sarwar

Glasgow should be a blueprint to deal with hot-spot areas in Scotland, Anas Sarwar has told MSPs.

Speaking at a debate on Thursday about the Covid-19 response, the Scottish Labour leader said more surge testing in hot-spot areas was needed, as well as extra support for business and rapid access to vaccination for all age groups.

He said: "Let's have PCR testing in the city of Glasgow and other hot-spots and make Glasgow a blueprint of what happens in future hot-spots.

"I know the Cabinet secretary for health in his response later on will say that we are doing more door-to-door PCR testing, but actually to look at the capacity. There were 5,000 across the whole of the country, not just in one city of Glasgow where the hot-spot exists.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar during a Covid briefing at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. Picture: PA

"We also need roll out of the vaccine. The vaccine should be made available immediately for anyone aged over 18 and above.

"[Places] here you can just turn up, and if you're 18 and above you should be able to get the vaccine that should be happening right now.”

He pointed to a tweet from health secretary Humza Yousaf that said extra vaccine doses were available for younger people in the south side of Glasgow, where cases have risen sharply in recent weeks – but that most people were not aware that it was an option.

“I’m sorry, but the vast majority of people in the south side of Glasgow aren't sitting on Twitter,” he said.

"They need that communication about what’s happening to their access.”

He added: "Let’s make Glasgow a blueprint rather than keeping people in perpetual lockdown.”

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