Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 March 2022
Presiding Officer, 24 March will mark two years since Scotland entered its first day of lockdown. Those were some of the hardest days that many of us have had to face. Those of us who had family or friends to isolate with were the lucky ones and, even then, for many people, the weight of lockdown was huge. We did that because it was necessary, it saved lives and it was the right thing to do.
Since then, more than 4.4 million adults in Scotland have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and the number of patients in intensive care units with the virus has significantly decreased. Football and rugby stadiums are again packed with spectators, and nightclubs and hospitality venues can operate without restriction. We can meet friends to socialise and families can gather to celebrate milestones once again.
Lockdown appears to be a distant memory, yet care home residents continue to face some of the severest restrictions. People living in those homes continue to be the forgotten victims of the pandemic under the Scottish Government. For the past two years, adults living in care homes in Scotland have been isolated from their friends and families. For them, those hard days of separation are the reality, and the lack of urgency that the Government has shown in addressing the issue prolongs their suffering.
In November 2020, Natasha Hamilton brought a petition to the Parliament to ensure that family members could be granted access to relatives in care homes, regardless of lockdown levels. Natasha’s mum was Anne Duke, who was in a care home, and Anne’s family showed remarkable bravery in exposing the struggle that too many families experienced—the isolation, separation and loneliness, and the toll on mental and physical health. That story was echoed by people in my constituency. Let me share a quote from one of them, who said:
“Every day we are separated means that my mother’s wellbeing deteriorates. The restrictions in care homes are too severe, inhumane and have been in place too long.”
Let us look at the contrast. If any of us tested positive, we would be told to isolate for seven days. In care homes, it is 10 days. If someone is a close contact and triple vaccinated, they do not need to isolate but, in a care home, close contacts have to isolate for 10 days. For someone in a household with Covid, there are no restrictions, but a care home closes for 14 days. The reality is that that means rolling lockdowns and restricted visiting. Donald Macaskill of Scottish Care has said:
“such extended periods of isolation ... are unacceptable, disproportionate, unnecessary, and hugely damaging.”