First Minister urged to say when home visit rules can be relaxed in north
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North MSP, Edward Mountain, has urged Nicola Sturgeon to say when the rules on household visits in the Highlands will be relaxed.
He is unhappy the First Minister has allowed indoor socialising in the islands but not in the Highlands and Moray although they are all in the tier one category and infection rates for the coronavirus are low in all these areas.
Mr Mountain, the Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, questioned Ms Sturgeon on the issue again in the Scottish Parliament and called on her to set out a timetable to relax the rules in the north.
He said: "First Minister, on December 1, I asked you to reconsider allowing up to six people from two households within level one areas to meet within their homes. You have eased it for some islands but not on the mainland. I’ve written to you twice asking for Moray and the Highlands to be included, and the leader of the Highland Council [Margaret Davidson] has publicly backed my call. First Minister, given that the Highlands and Moray remain with very low cases and, rightly within level one, when do you see the no household visits rule being relaxed?”
Ms Sturgeon replied: "We’ll review that on a weekly basis. I appreciate the views of local members and members of the local councils but the clinical advice at the moment is that outside of the island communities, and these are islands that often are at a great distance and don’t have links to the mainland, it would not be a safe thing to do right now but we will continue to review that on an ongoing basis."
She added: "I understand how difficult that is. I think it is difficult for every one of us not to be able to visit other people’s houses but I know that it is even more difficult for people that live in rural and remote communities where there may not be other more public facilities where they can meet other people. So it is an issue we take very seriously.”
The First Minister confirmed the Highlands and Moray will remain under level one restrictions along with the Shetland Isles, Orkney Isles, the Western Isles, the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway. However, people in the islands will be able to meet in houses in groups of up to six from a maximum of two households.
Afterwards, Mr Mountain said: "Week after week Highlanders are doing everything that is asked of them and through their hard work have kept infection rates low. However, the First Minister continues to ban household visits.
"Despite a relaxation of this ban being supported by figures from the public health office and councillor Margaret Davidson, leader of the Highland Council, we are seeing no movement from the Scottish Government.
"There is no doubt that many areas within the Highlands are just as remote as the islands. There is no reason why both regions should be treated differently despite being at the same level," he added.
Last week, Mr Mountain accused Ms Sturgeon of "changing the rules as she goes along" after home visits remain banned in the Highlands but allowed in the islands. She did extend the relaxation to other inhabited islands other than Skye, which is connected to the mainland by road.
