Nicola Sturgeon’s appeal for home-working while leaving pubs open for Christmas parties lacks consistency and risks confusing the public, an expert has claimed.
Adam Kleczkowski, a mathematical biologist at Strathclyde University, criticised the mixed messaging from the government’s Covid update, which raised the spectre of reintroducing restrictions to control the spread of the Omicron variant if infection rates threaten to overwhelm the NHS.
Sturgeon yesterday recommended that everyone who can work remotely should do so until at least next weeks.
Many office staff have been returning as coronavirus rules have eased throughout the year but most companies are using a blended model, with some days in the office and others at home, meaning footfall in city centres is short of pre-pandemic levels.
Kleczkowski said the growth of the new variant had been “phenomenal” and it had become the dominant strain in a very short time.
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The impact of Christmas, when more people socialise but children are off school and many adults are off work, remains to be seen, he said. He added that the government’s work from home plea appeared at odds with its tolerance of festive gatherings.
“On the one hand we have messages saying we should work at home and not go into work, on the other hand we have a message saying it is OK to go to the pub or go to a Christmas party,” he said. “The regulations do not seem to be compatible.”
Linda Bauld, a public health expert at the University of Edinburgh and an adviser to the Scottish government, said the remote working message would help to curb infections by reducing the volume of people taking public transport in the rush hour.
Business leaders said the announcement risked derailing the economic recovery. Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, believes employers should be free to decide where their workforce is needed.
She said: “Businesses have invested heavily in Covid preventative measures to keep employees, customers and suppliers safe and will continue to do everything they can to support vaccine take-up, regular testing and compliance with baseline measures.”
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Cameron went on to suggest that Holyrood should talk to the business community before changing what is allowed.
The concern about a return to home-working for more people was echoed by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC). Its research has found that footfall in recent months continues to be about 20 per cent below where it was before the pandemic.
David Lonsdale, the SRC director, said: “We fully support the effort to get on top of the public health situation. However, it is inevitable that any move to greater home-working will impact on shopper footfall for some stores, especially in our city centres and in the lead-up to Christmas.
“Many of these consumer-facing businesses are still trying to find their feet after the past 20 months of the pandemic.”
How many Omicron cases are there in Scotland?
There have been 99 confirmed cases so far, a tenfold rise in a week. A further 4 per cent of recent cases also have indicative Omicron characteristics, equating to about 800 cases in the last week.
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How bad could it get?
Scientists fear Omicron cases are doubling every three days. At this rate there could be more than 6,000 confirmed cases a day by Christmas Day, twice the rate of Delta.
Will my vaccine protect me?
There is evidence vaccines work well against Omicron, particularly after a third booster dose, but it remains to be seen how it spreads in a highly vaccinated country like Scotland.
Can we relax if Omicron is no deadlier than Delta?
No. Its ability to spread faster means it could infect a large number of people in a short space of time and there may not be enough hospital beds to treat the infected.
Why don’t we just lock down or close pubs again?
It may not be proportionate in a highly vaccinated society. The risk of Covid must be weighed against rising excess deaths from other causes such as cancer and heart disease.
Will schools close again?
There are no plans for widespread school closures, but some may have to shut if a local outbreak forces teachers to isolate at home or otherwise impacts the operation of the school.
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Are there any new restrictions?
Whole households must self-isolate if one member of the household has come into contact with a confirmed Omicron carrier. Travellers must now do a PCR or lateral flow test prior to departing for Scotland, isolate for two days, and get another PCR before socialising in Scotland.
When can I go back to the office?
Working from home is strongly advised until at least the middle of January.
How often should I get tested?
Every time you go out in public, go to work or meet friends and relatives.
