We're just starting to open up properly here. The earlier moves were pretty superficial and unlikely to cause any increase in virus transmission (mostly just additional outdoor activities permitted). Now, as well as even more outdoor activities, all shops that open from the street are open (not arcades or indoor shopping centres though), and factories and labs are back at work. So today seems a good time to get in some more supplies, and I have a repair to pick up anyway. No new cases of the virus for over a week either in my own region or the next-door one where the shops are. Best take advantage in case all the opening-up leads to a flare-up of infection.
It's quite ironic that here we are opening up in a controlled manner, doing fine, virus suppressed really low, at the same time as a part of England has to lock down again because they opened up too early and not in a well controlled manner. But we are the ones getting flak for daring to step out of line with reckless Big Brother next door.
ETA: I've been reading about the situation in Leicester. 135 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week. Raw total of 944 in the past fortnight. I can see why they're worried.
There are about 330,000 people in Leicester. There are 5.45 million in Scotland. We had 85 cases in the entire country last week, 223 in the past fortnight. I was checking the rates per 100,000 population in the areas we consider hot-spots and both Glasgow and Edinburgh (both with larger populations than Leicester, Glasgow is twice the size) are sitting between 2 and 3. Edinburgh was causing a little concern three weeks ago but even then it was less than five. Our worst area is Lanarkshire at 5.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. And come to think of it these disaggregaged figures are for the week before last as last week's figures don't come out till tomorrow and they've been falling.
I don't care where you want to draw the boundaries but boundaries need to be drawn here. We have worked hard, we've endured an extra couple of weeks stricter restrictions, and we're now reaping the benefit. We're ready to open up with a very low viral prevalence. Why do people who didn't do that and are still breeding virus freely think they should have the right to come here and set back all our progress? It wouldn't happen anywhere else on the planet. Countries that are genuinely united and "all in it together" are anxious to impose restrictions to protect their less-affected areas. Including England, now. The very fact that Scotland is being accused of racism for even contemplating protective restrictions on travel from England should tell you all you need to know about the way Scotland is treated within the union.
And it's all England's fault. If England had done the same as Scotland through May and June there wouldn't be this discrepancy. England would also be seeing lower viral prevalence and we'd be very happy indeed to welcome English tourists to our visitor attractions. But as it is, sorry. Maybe next year.
