Government has greater focus on wider harms of Covid – John Swinney

The Scottish Government is increasing its focus on the wider harms of coronavirus, rather than simply reducing case numbers, John Swinney has said.

The Deputy First Minister spoke as MSPs debated the government’s strategic framework for managing Covid-19, which was released on February 22.

It set out a plan to end legal restrictions on March 21, assuming there were “no significant adverse developments”.

However, earlier on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon announced the legal requirement for face coverings in certain public areas will be maintained into April, in response to rising cases.

Mr Swinney said vaccination and new treatments meant there is “increased optimism” for the rest of 2022.

He said: “In the early stages of the pandemic we focused our strategic intent on suppressing case numbers.

“Now, with widespread vaccination and immunity, we are more focused on reducing and mitigating the wider harms than we were able to be before.”

Mr Swinney was asked about the First Minister’s announcement on face masks earlier in the day.

He said there was a “quite considerable” difference in numbers for face mask usage when the rules were mandatory rather than optional.

Mr Swinney said: “The numbers for compliance where legal measures (are) in place tend to be in the high 80%, the voluntary measures tend to be about 60%.”

Speaking for the Scottish Conservatives, Murdo Fraser said coronavirus health outcomes in the four nations of the UK had been “virtually identical” despite Scotland having tighter restrictions in place.

He said Scotland should follow the lead of other parts of the UK and remove all major restrictions.

Mr Fraser said: “It is now more than six months since the legal requirement to wear face masks in public places was removed entirely in England, whilst that law has been maintained in Scotland.

“And yet the evidence tells us that the rate of Covid infection in Scotland has been at least as high as it has been in England through that period.

“And over the last few weeks, it has been substantially higher.”

Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said there had been an “extraordinary” rise in case numbers and hospital admissions as a result of the BA.2 sub-variant.

She said: “The increase in hospital cases is I believe the greatest single rise in 24 hours since the start of the pandemic.”

Ms Baillie added: “I do genuinely find the Covid-19 strategic framework a little disappointing.

“It appears to contain a number of repeated SNP promises and pledges and it fails to give any of the real detail that the public and businesses need.”