News Round-Up
26 July 2024
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech
26 July 2024
by Toby Young
Scotland's Supreme Leader, Nic Sturge-On, has announced that the lockdown rules will remain in force in Glasgow and Moray after Monday while restrictions are eased in the rest of Scotland.
Restrictions on meeting both indoors and outdoors will be partially eased across most of Scotland on Monday – but it's bad news if you live in Moray, where current restrictions are expected to remain in place.
There is “every reason for optimism” in Scotland because of its vaccine rollout, according to Nicola Sturgeon, as the next step of the country’s exit from lockdown has been brought forward.
Scotland has recorded its lowest March death rate since 2014. The rate was also among the lowest in fifty years, but the country's National Clinical Director insists it is too soon to lift lockdown.
The Scottish Government acted unlawfully in closing churches under coronavirus regulations, the Court of Sessions has ruled – just two days before communal worship is due to resume.
Lockdown has caused a "significant backlog of criminal cases" in Scotland which will not be cleared until at least 2025. The “downstream impacts” of this on community justice services and prisons are expected to be dire.
The transmission of Covid via books is only feasible if an infected person coughs directly onto a page which is then touched within two hours. Given that this is easily mitigated, why has the SNP banned library visits?
Julia Whitaker, a freelance Health Play Specialist, has written a furious letter to UsForThem Scotland about compulsory face masks in Scottish secondary schools. We have republished it in full.
Nicola Sturgeon acted outside of her constitutional powers by closing churches, a Scottish court heard today. Ministers believe that the Government should not have challenged the manner in which beliefs are expressed.
From Friday, private garden parties and picnics in parks – with up to four people from two households – will be permitted in Scotland, under an "accelerated" easing of the country's lockdown before Easter.
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