By Tony Winterburn • Published: 12 Jul 2020 • 13:50
Nicola Sturgeon is considering forcing people crossing into Scotland from other parts of the UK into quarantine for two weeks.
Scotlands First Minister has also implemented other measures in Scotland after making it obligatory for the public to wear face coverings in shops and on public transport, Spanish PM, Pedro Sanchez, has also ordered the same rule be applied across the country from Monday next week.
TV Host Andrew Marr asked the First Minister on the BBC interview today:
“You have said that the rate of infection of coronavirus in England is now five times worse than Scotland where you’re pursuing an elimination strategy and yet you are not pressing the button on people from England coming into Scotland quarantine. Why not?”
Mr Sturgeon told the BBC show: “I said we will keep all of these things under review. I set out in Parliament on Thursday is one of our biggest risks in the next weeks is the risk of importation into the country.
“That’s why we’ve taken a very cautious decision on international quarantine.
“This is not a position I relish being in but it also means we have to take a very close look in making sure the virus doesn’t come in from other parts of the UK.
Petition to close Sctlands Borders
More than 5000 people backed a petition calling for the Scottish border to be closed to ‘all but essential travel’. The plea, posted on Change.org, calls for the UK Government to give the power to close the border to the devolved nations. Since being launched on Friday, the petition has so far amassed 5000 signatures, with thousands adding their names in the last 24 hours.
Organiser Dean Halliday said: “There is about to be a massive second wave of this new virus in England due to Tory ineptitude.
SNP Party Politics
Ms. Sturgeon pointed to a recent poll showing support for independence had reached 54%, having risen by five percentage points. She linked the rise to the Scottish Government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, and suggested that her colleagues should continue to “show, not tell”.
“I think everybody knows that I want Scotland to be independent, but maybe the scenario that you have just outlined there has a lesson in it for my own party.
“You know, at no point during this have I weighed my decisions on a political basis or on a constitutional basis, but as you say, at a time when I and the SNP have not been talking about independence all the time, but getting on with the job of autonomous decision-making, and trying to take the right decisions to get the country through a crisis, support for independence appears to have increased.
“So maybe there is a bit of a lesson in there about show, not tell, but who knows.”
Scotlands border
The border between Scotland and England stretches for 108 miles (174 kilometres) between the Solway Firth along the Cheviot Hills and the river Tweed, to the North Sea.
Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans, ran further south than this, from Carlisle on the river Eden to the river Tyne in the east. The town of Berwick on Tweed, at the mouth of the Tweed, changed hands between Scotland and England 13 times between 1147 and 1482 before finally becoming part of England.
Despite being in England, the football (soccer) team in Berwick (Berwick Rangers) plays in the Scottish League, the only English team to do so.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.