Moray MP Douglas Ross has expressed his disappointment at the decision to keep Moray in level three restrictions for at least another week; but has stressed that the effort by the community to get on top of the virus should see it move to level two very quickly, hopefully next week.
Mr Ross, who is also a Highlands and Islands MSP as well as being Moray’s MP asked an urgent question to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in the Scottish Parliament for an update on how the area was dealing with a recent outbreak of the virus.
While the First Minister said that in Moray the situation was showing signs of improvement, Moray will continue to live under tougher restrictions alongside Glasgow, while the rest of mainland Scotland moves to Level 2 restrictions as of Monday.
Mr Ross called for further support to be given to businesses in Moray, particularly for the struggling hospitality sector who will still be unable to serve alcohol to customers having meals inside premises as well as to the tourism industry.
He said that the continuation of drop-in vaccinations across Moray and with people continuing to follow the rules and get regularly tested, we should see very quick progress.
Douglas Ross said: “While public health remains paramount, it is disappointing but largely expected that Moray residents and businesses will remain under Level 3 restrictions for another week.
“It was clear from briefings earlier in the week that this was likely to happen, but it deals a further blow to struggling businesses, particularly in our hospitality and tourism industries. The extra funding support announced by the First Minister may well not be enough for many of these businesses.
“Whatever money is made available must be delivered as a matter of urgency to businesses operating under tighter restrictions than nearly everywhere else in Scotland.
“Thanks to the increase in the vaccination rollout in Moray and increased testing as well as the community getting behind the efforts to stop the spread of the virus, the situation has been significantly improving in recent days. I remain optimistic that if people continue to come forward to be vaccinated and tested, then Moray can move down to Level 2 restrictions next week.
“The message is clear that this is a very short delay in restrictions being eased. Our hospitality and tourism businesses need to welcome back customers as a matter of urgency and following days of bad headlines for the area. I hope we can make it clear that the situation is under control and very soon Moray will be welcoming visitors to experience the wonderful hospitality and businesses our area is renowned for.
“People and businesses have made extraordinary sacrifices in Moray in recent months. It is imperative that they continue to be supported as much as possible and why I'm calling for more financial support for the areas affected which the First Minister agreed to consider.”