NICOLA Sturgeon was today forced to admit she can’t say when lockdown will end in Scotland – as her vague roadmap was slammed by business chiefs.
The First Minister revealed the early part of her blueprint for lifting restrictions, but was criticised for refusing to look beyond the end of April.
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She insisted that she would be “making it up” if she gave a specific date when lockdown will end – despite the fact Boris Johnson has said England will be free of restrictions as early as June 21.
Speaking at a Coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh today, she said: “If I was to give you a fixed, hard and fast date right now, I would pretty much be making it up and I don’t think that’s the approach I should take with you.
“I’m not ruling out any specific dates, I want it to be as soon as possible and we have every reason to be hopeful that come the summer life will be much, much, much better than it is just now.
“But when I stand here and give you what I think the actual date when all or most restrictions will come to an end is going to be, I want to be as sure as I can be that is real and it can be delivered.”
She added: “I don’t just understand the frustrations that people have, I feel those frustrations.
“As has been the case all along, I’ll have to take decisions that sometimes you agree with and sometimes you disagree with.
“But I can assure you that the Scottish Government will continue to do our very best to lead the country as quickly but also as safely and sustainably through this horrible ordeal and out the other side of it.”
Under the Scottish leader’s plan non-essential retail and contact services like hairdressers won’t reopen until April 26.
That’s two weeks after they’re set to return in England.
Primary schools are set to fully reopen by March but high school students may have to wait until April before returning to the classroom.
In England, all schools are set to return on March 8.
Business leaders have slammed Ms Sturgeon’s blueprint over its lack of clarity when compared with the PM’s, saying it doesn’t contain the detail “around the pathway to reopening” they want.
And they criticised her move to return to a regional system of tiers in Scotland, rather than a national approach like England, saying it will sew confusion.
Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said it “does not go far enough in giving our sector the clarity needed at this point to plan for reopening”.
He fumed: “Our tourism industry is not able to accept bookings with confidence – not all will wait for our sector to gradually re-open to book.
“We’ve seen the huge spike in bookings from England for foreign travel over the last 24 hours and there is a great fear that Scotland’s tourism industry will lose out in what could have been a buoyant summer season.”
“Given that Scotland will now be opening behind England, there is an even greater need for a marketing campaign to boost late summer and autumn bookings and ensure that Scotland’s tourism industry isn’t disadvantaged in the long term.”
Tracy Black, the director of the Sottish arm of the CBI, warned many firms “will be left feeling deflated” by Ms Sturgeon’s plan.
She said: “Considerable uncertainty still remains over how and when they can reopen their doors.
“The business community recognises that data not dates must be the key driver of lockdown easing measures, and that a cautious approach remains the right one.
“However, firms will have been looking for more detail than the partial timetable that has been provided.
“For sectors like hospitality, retail and tourism, that have been hit so hard by the pandemic, the road back to a tier system at the end of April will feel like a long and uncertain one.
“Others, like tourism and aviation, face another prolonged period of hibernation.
“With jobs and livelihoods still in the balance, continued business support from both the UK and Scottish governments remains essential.
“All eyes will be on the forthcoming Budget for an update on the furlough and business loan schemes.”
Paul Waterson, from the Scottish Licensed Trade Association which represents pubs, hotels, and restaurants, said: “Our response is one of disappointment for the licensed hospitality industry.”
Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, added: “More detail on the roadmap is essential as it will enable both consumers as well as businesses plan for reopening, and we need the Scottish Government to stick to its guns on these dates as much as is possible.
“It is important that Scotland remains as closely in step with the four nations as is possible.
“A competitive disadvantage to business communities elsewhere in the UK will only add insult to the injury already caused by the pandemic.”
