A NIGHT time curfew should “absolutely not” be considered by the Scottish Government as part of further restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a senior public health expert.
The measure was introduced for a short period in Northern Ireland after Christmas and is currently in place across several European cities.
Earlier this week, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said a curfew would be “police-able” but it was up to scientists whether it was needed. But professor Allyson Pollock, clinical professor of public health, indicated she was much opposed to any such move.
“No absolutely not,” she told The National when asked whether ministers should consider a night time curfew in Scotland.
“More stringent measures simply alienate the population, are a further imposition on civil liberties and shift blame and responsibility to the public. All measures have to be balanced and proportional.”
Calum Steele, general secretary of the SPF, said it was not his view whether there should or should not be one as that was a question for scientists.“I can’t say whether it is required or not,” he told The National.
READ MORE: Covid update Scotland: Night-time curfew possible and would be ‘police-able’
“But is it police-able? And the short answer is obviously yes. Then a third question is whether it is desirable from a policing perspective?”
He said the police service has shown throughout this pandemic whenever new law comes along and it does come along with great frequency and with great changes, the police service responds.
He said: “Like all law we would need to see what it looks like in its construction and formulation before being able to take a genuinely informed view.”
The Northern Ireland government imposed a curfew from Boxing Day to early January after a further rise in coronavirus cases. It meant that people could only leave their home from 6am to 8pm for essential reasons such as work that could not be done from home.
There was a slight relaxation of some measures on January 2, which saw the 8pm curfew lifted.
READ MORE: There's no place for workers' rights in the dogma of the Tory party
To date, it is the only part of the UK which has had a curfew as a measure to combat the virus.
However, on the European mainland they have been introduced in various countries including France, Greece, Italy and Hungary.
Last Sunday, Marseille, Nice and Strasbourg all decided to extend a nationwide curfew in France that runs from 8pm to 6am, starting it two hours earlier. “We are doing everything we can to prevent the variants from entering and spreading across our territory,” French health minister Olivier Veran told Europe 1 radio on Sunday.
He added: “We are seeing the situation in England, we are seeing the situation in Scotland, I don’t want that to happen in France.”
READ MORE: Travel restrictions in Scotland: The full list of 24 exemptions
There is currently no night time curfew in Scotland, but people are required to stay at home unless they leave for exercise or for an essential purpose such as work (which cannot be done from home) or for caring responsibilities or for medical treatment.
The First Minister will update Scotland next week on the current restrictions which sees all of the mainland in lockdown.
John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, said during the week further measures may be needed to be brought in to curb the spread of the virus.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel