Areas of Glasgow with higher concentrations of coronavirus infections should be targeted with testing and vaccinations rather than the whole city being subject to “blanket” restrictions, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative Covid-19 recovery spokesman, said if the latest data shows infections are still high then a “more targeted” approach was needed.
Glasgow has been under strict coronavirus restrictions for 270 days and is the only part of the country under tougher Level 3 constraints.
An update on restrictions in Scotland’s largest city is expected from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Friday afternoon.
Mr Fraser told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland: “Our view is the current council-wide lockdown in Glasgow has not been the right approach.
“Large parts of Glasgow do not see large numbers of people infected with Covid and yet are affected by these lockdown restrictions.
“If the data is still showing a specific problem in Glasgow what we should be doing is isolating that problem… localised surge testing, accelerating vaccinations in those communities and greater support for local businesses who have been really suffering.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon to announce decision on Glasgow Covid restrictions
Murdo Fraser added: “We know the problem is not uniform… we know it is isolated particularly in the south side and it seems unreasonable for the whole city of Glasgow to be affected by one blanket approach.
“We would rather see a targeted approach if there has not been an improvement rather than treating a whole city as a single entity,” the Scottish Conservative Covid-19 recovery spokesman told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland.
Pubs are open in Edinburgh, but Glasgow businesses are struggling
On Thursday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she wants Glasgow back on track “as quickly as possible, but that’s got to be done responsibly and safely”.
READ MORE: Glasgow to offer drop-in Covid vaccinations for over 40s
She said: “I know how difficult it is for residents and businesses across Glasgow but I also know how dangerous it would be if we eased restrictions too quickly and allowed a new variant of this virus, that we know is spreading perhaps even more quickly than the variant at the start of the year, to take a grip again.”
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