GOVERNMENT ISSUES UPDATED ADVICE TO PUBLIC
Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has commented on today’s updated official advice on Coronavirus, and reacted to today’s announcement by Loganair that there will be a reduction in scheduled flights from the islands. The news comes as CalMac has also confirmed they have developed contingency plans to deal with any disruption caused by the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
As of 2pm today, there have been 60 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across Scotland.
Alasdair Allan MSP commented:
“While we have not yet had any confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the Western Isles, we do need to prepare ourselves for that eventuality. It is clear that, for a period of time, people may need to change the way that they normally live their lives.
“The outbreak has the potential to cause significant disruption for islanders in particular because of any possible impact on ferries and planes. It is clear that a great deal of contingency planning is being done by all agencies around these questions and I continue to discuss with ministers the importance of having contingency plans in place which enable the continuity of supplies to the islands. This is something I have also discussed with the companies concerned.
“This is a very serious issue and it is important that, in times like these, we all follow the advice of health care professionals. It is important to note that the advice has been today updated to include such matters as advice about school trips abroad, mass gatherings of people, and also what steps people should take if they have symptoms.
“The Scottish Government is providing regular updates at www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19. Public health advice from the NHS can be found at: www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus. People who do not have symptoms but are looking for general advice can phone the free helpline 0800 028 2816.”